The Incremental Departure Plan

I hope that someone plays a somber tune on the koto as I leave Japan for good.

It's kind of hard to picture myself living somewhere other than Japan. The irony of this statement is not lost on me, for it should be noted that prior to my arriving here it must have been hard to picture myself actually living here.

To help me deal with the shock of leaving, I've moving away in little pieces. First, my parents took a big load of things home for me in a suitcase so I wouldn't have to ship it all back to its temporary home in Canada. I've gathered bags of clothes I don't need and am searching for a place to recycle them. The Christmas gifts I've purchased have found their way into another suitcase with the last of the clothing I plan on keeping. The permanent knick-knacks around the apartment are being offered, if not with wanton carelessness then with seemingly little forethought, to any visitor who enters the apartment at this time. Today I wrote a letter to the new tenant of this apartment offering to sell them the whole lot for a very fair price, which saves me from having to throw it all away should he/she accept my offer.

Then there are the items I have to schlep across the ocean in my luggage during my vacation to Toronto.

I stare at my bulky guitar and its heavy hardcase with a series of mixed emotions - some of love, some of resentment.

Realizing that I am flying out soon has induced a state of panic. There are Christmas gifts to be purchased and there are errands to be run. There are gifts already purchased and there is nary a square centimetre of space left in my modest suitcase. There will be only three weeks of life in Japan upon my return after the Christmas holidays. There is great reason to be terrified at this.

December is update-a-day month! To read all the posts this month, click here!