i moved to japan the other day.
it's a little surreal to be back. we were pretty busy yesterday, trying to get the initial things set up like our phone plans and registering at city hall (when you move anywhere in japan you have to report it to your local city hall asap!!) so we are still tired and jetlagged, but we managed a short trip to ikebukuro and the pokémon center/sunshine mall, which i used to go to all the time a few years back when i was still studying here. the mall's changed quite a bit since 2018, but it's still as familiar as ever.
it feels very liberating to be able to go anywhere again--i loved being in california, but i can't drive, and my partner wasn't a fan of driving either because LA drivers are generally Awful, so we didn't often leave the places we knew. the first train we got on yesterday made me a little emotional--being there and hearing all the little announcements and the click of the tracks as the trains zoom through the tunnels is like nostalgia in its purest form to me. i don't know why i like it so much, but i really took it for granted last time i was here! back when i was in college in NJ, we had a pretty decent bus system to take us wherever we needed to go, and after college i went straight to japan for further study, so my 4 car-less years in california made me appreciate that a lot. i don't think i will ever take it for granted again!!
it's also exciting to be able to speak japanese everywhere again. it can get tiring, since it's been A Hot Minute since i've been totally immersed, and i sometimes stumble in places where i know i wouldn't have the last time i lived here, but one of my former bosses was like, "give it a month. you'll be back to that before you know it." i sure hope he's right!!
last time i was here, i was alone, and every place i went, i'd keep on thinking, "man, i wish ryan was here. i want to show him this!!" since we're married now, we were able to make the move together, and even being able to show him the pokémon center, for as short a time as we were there, made me very happy. he's never been to japan before, and this is his first time so far from home, so i hope i can keep on showing him all of my favorite places and make japan feel like home to him too.
obviously life will be as busy as it was back in the US, if not busier, since there's still lots more "settling in" tasks that have to get done, but i hope i'll be able to use my weekends and free time off to keep discovering new places and rediscovering old favorite hangout spots.
but i am still jetlagged so i think it is time for a nap... zzz...