Last day in Japan (235th time!!)

I'm leaving Japan tomorrow. Again. This will be the 3rd time that I'm leaving this country, not knowing weather I will come back and leaving something behind that I want to take with me. At the same time, I feel that there are things at home in Sweden that I am looking forward to. Swedish spring, countryside, the presence of an oven, relatives etc. But still. This agonizing feeling that I am jumping into something where the future is totally unknown and that I might be leaving a period of my life for good that has had a great inpact on who I am maybe without being able to return, is never the less here. I am slowly getting used to some of the procedures however. Organizing farewell parties, how to go to the airport, how to pack and skip the worrying about having remembered to brought everything... But, the feeling that I maybe wont come back again is still stuck in my head. At the same time, maybe it doesn't matter if I can come back again. If I could have brought Tomoya with me this time, things would have been no problem I am sure of it. The sad part is also that the weather here is really great right now. It's like Swedish early summer, the neighbour's dozens of clivias are blooming, and even the lavender on our balcony. I wouldn't mind staying another month. But most of all, I wouldn't mind going home knowing what my coming months would look like. Leaving Japan has a scary connection to the feeling of being lost and not knowing what's coming ahead.
Well, no need to be upset. If everything is going as it usually does, I will be back in a month or two. And hey, I am going to Germany in 3 weeks!

Relatives in Japan

The last weeks have been busy. First, Monika and her lovely cousin Stephanie came here. After that, Stina and Ida arrived and are still here for another 5 days. Of course, I have been spending all of my free time with the girls, going to various tourist spots. Last Saturday however, we had a hanami party (look at the flowers party) by the river near our apartment. Loads of people of various nationalities came; Japanese, Swedish, German, French, Thai etc. A hanami party is basically a picnic under the cherry blossom trees, and needless to say it was really fun.

The day after we went to Kamakura. I have been there once before, but in the autumn. The big buddha was still there and the temples as well. We also went to a small cafe close to the daibutsu (buddha). After sitting there for a while, a squirrel appeared outside the cafe. Then another one. And suddenly they came into the shop and started eating something that the shop owner fed them with. Extremely cute and an absolutely memorable fika break.

Kamakura is located by the sea and there's a quite nice beach. We went there to walk and pick some sea shells. Stina of course picked a bag or two and will probably have some extra kilos when she goes home to Sweden...

Our neighbour's cat...

During the week we have mostly visited different parts of Tokyo since I am working on day time. On the evenings however we have been singing a lot of karaoke which both Stina and Ida likes a lot. Stina has contributed to the singing with Metallica songs and also loads of country, like Hank Williams and Roger Miller. Roger Miller was the toughest to do since all the doop op a doo and shug a lug etc. force you to dig deep for your non-existent yodeling skills. Ida on the other hand contributed to the party atmosphere with Abba and Dolly Parton. I think all in all my father would have been happy with the performances.

Today we went to a place called Kagurazaka. It's located in Tokyo, but looks a little like Kyoto with old style houses and temples. We had a coffee at a really nice café by the canal. Yesterday we visited a really great botanical garden in Mitaka, not far from the centre of Tokyo. Right now it's the time of the Azaleas, and they were in full bloom. This park however, had a gigantic rose garden as well with loads of different kinds. I think my mother would have enjoyed this. They were not blooming yet, but in some weeks I will go there again, no doubt.

Or well, actually there's a little doubt if I will go there again. Right now I'm on my second tourist visa in Japan and when I'm going to enter on my third one in May they will be very suspicious. I discussed with my boss and he was also a little nervous about the fact that the company might actually be examined if the custom guys decide to look into my stay here in Japan. However, my boss and one other guy at the company expressed that I have done a lot for the company and that I am helping them very much so they really want to keep me for another 3 months and will help me to struggle through it. Only that fact, that I'm actually doing something useful and that they see me as an asset, makes me feel very happy and relieved. If I can't make it back to Japan again, it will at least be because of stupid beurocracy and not because my company sacked me. So, I am a little nervous, but I try not to think of it too much.

There are some good news as well actually. Tomoya and I have been looking for a way for him to come to Sweden quite a while now. He has been struggling with the TOEFL tests and shit but hasn't managed to get into university yet. This has also been nagging on my mind for a while, making me sleepless and giving me sporadic agony attacks (did I make up that expression myself?). Anyhow. The other day I realised the best invention since sliced bread; Sambo visa. The Swedish word "Sambo" means to live together with your boy/girlfriend without being married. Usually, to get a visa for the country that your partner is from, you have to get married. In Sweden however, someone thought that it's a little sad to get married just because of the visa (god bless that guy who should be awarded with the nobel prize) and invented this visa, that works exactly like a marriage visa, but you don't have to get married to get it. You just have to be able to prove that you have a serious relationship and intend to live together in Sweden. I have read about people who have only been together for 5 months and when the non-Swedish person has gotten a visa anyway. There are also cases where people are not living together and can get it anyway. So, I am positive that Tomoya and I can apply for this and get it without any problem. As a matter of fact, we are writing the application right now. The only downside is that it takes about 6 months to process the application and get the visa. But, since Tomoya is planning on entering university in the end of August, he might be able to make the office of immigration to speed up the process and go to Sweden a little earlier. If we submit the application in the beginning of next week as we are planning to, he will come to Sweden at latest by the end of September. That is a big relief.

Now we have to work more on the application and then it's bed time so that I can do my best on tomorrow's karaoke, and Tomoya on his drinking with work.

Host

This week has been quite horrible actually. I've been suffering from this really intense cough since last Sunday and I get spontaneous cough attacks when I least expect it. I have to drink water constantly which leaves me with about 6 empty 0.5 litre water bottles at my desk at the end of the day... Yes, I have been going to work. I haven't been having any fever, just stupid cough preventing me from sleeping and forcing me to run to the toilet once every 10th minute. Today however, I went to the doctor with Tomoya's mother. The visit took about 2 minutes and he prescribed me 4 kinds of medicine to take. All in all, I take 20 pills a day. Yes, 20... Well, let's just hope that it works. I have though, been having quite a lot of luck with my students these days. Yesterday I had a lesson with an architect and he was very nice and fun to teach. Also, he wants to have a lesson every week, at a fixed time, which guarantees me those 3000 yen every week. Same thing happen with the real estate guy that I taught today. He wants one lesson a week as well. He didn't look like someone who's dealing with real estate though, but was wearing a cool hat (like the ones my grandfather wears) and was short. He was more a jazz kind of guy. And also very fun. Happy times. The cherry blossoms are falling off now though. The sidewalks are full of flower petals and the branches of the trees are getting their leaves. But it's still quite pretty. Tomorrow Stina and Ida are coming here and hopefully there will be some petals left for them to watch. Yesterday when I was in Ginza I found these lovely cups in a shop window. Stig Lindberg is the best cup designer ever, and I would give anything for these lovely big tea cups... If someone is contemplating on potential birthdays presents for me, that's a good idea I think... hehe. By the way, Japan is the land of contrasts. The area where I am working is full of fancy and new skyscrapers. But right next to them, there's an old barn-looking building overgrown with ivy... strange...

Cherry blossoms

Here comes the first Cherry blossom photo series! Taken along Kanda river...


And here are some other, cherry blossom unrelated pictures as well. One from a fika paus in a department store in Shinjuku. Fika is always important and one of those things that makes live a little brighter and can cheer you up when you feel down. Fike is always a part of the solution to every problem. And really, what would life be without coffee?

This flower (have no idea of the name or kind) is growing in the garden (the 1 square meter) of our neighbour. I think the flowers are really really beautiful and once more, prettier than the cherry blossoms...


That's all for now, and there will most certainly be more cherry blossom pictures later...

Some flowers and shit

So, I'm getting little complaints every now and then from my mother that there's nothing new on my blog. Well, here comes some more pictures of flowers and stuff. The weather has been great lately. A little cold though, but that's just good for the cherry blossoms. The slower they bloom, the longer they will last. Otherwise my days have been filled with work and bothersome thoughts. I'm very confused about what will happen in the future, what I'm going to study and what will happen to Tomoya. When it comes to the studying part I'm planning on doing some civil engineering education, but there's really not anything in particular that interests me. I don't feel like studying, but not like working either. What's left? I don't even want to think about that... The other day Tomoya and I went to Takashimaya to buy some Crabtree and Evelyn stuff. we found a roof garden with nice wiev over Tokyo. Oh, and some days when we went visiting his parents, we ate a big citrus fruit called... I don't know actually... Anyhow, it is about 20 cm in diameter and tastes like grapefruit but sweet. And instead of eating with spoon, you pick the fruit apart and peel the shell of the segments and eat the inside, just like an grape fruit, but unlike an orange or mandarin where you eat the segment peel as well. It's very tasty and refreshing. We got two fruits with us home, and the other day I ate one. It took like 1 hour to eat and I was very full afterwards... Tomorrow Monika and her German friend are coming to Tokyo. I'm looking forward to that very much, and I think the coming weeks will be very nice.