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3 Japanese Prime Ministers.

1,000s of earthquakes.

8 test missiles fired near Japan from North Korea.

Consumption tax rise from 3% to 5%.

4 apartments.

6 jobs.

1 major career change.

1 company.

4 months of being a student.

1 mother, lost.

1 father, lost.

1 brother, almost lost.

1 husband, gained.

1 Japanese family of in-laws, gained.

At 6:30 am on this morning in 1996, a young woman in her mid-20s deplaned with one suitcase and one guitar and bought a can of coffee from a vending machine. She drank it. She decided it was a novel way to buy coffee, but not especially tasty. She had no idea then that 10 years later she would still be in the country she had just landed in.

When you are a foreigner here the most common question is “Why did you decide to live in Japan?”. I find this very difficult to answer. I didn’t really have a reason. I just got to a frustrating point in my career in Australia and thought it would be a good time to go see the world for a bit. I picked Japan because I saw an ad in the paper looking for people to teach English there, applied on a bit of a whim, got the job and then a few months later took off.

I hadn’t been overseas before I moved to another country, but I don’t remember being very phased by the idea. I had already moved from Adelaide to Sydney after Uni, so I guess it just seemed like another move.

Oddly enough the 2nd most common question you get after you’ve lived here for a while is “Do you like living there?”. This never ceases to amaze me. Why would I live in a place I didn’t like for 10 years? Sure I vent about some stuff which bugs me sometimes - but everyone does that about where they live. But if I really didn’t like living here then I would move. Sure moving is a hassle - but it’s not like I haven’t done it before. You just need to use a ship instead of a moving truck when it’s between countries. Maybe it says more about the person asking - that even if they didn’t like living somewhere they wouldn’t consider leaving, due to it being a hassle or because of confidence.

Another common question is “Will you live in Japan forever?”. This is a question I can’t answer. I often don’t know what will happen next week - let alone years in the future. I haven’t ruled out ever moving back to Australia, or even moving to a totally different country for a while. I guess that’s just the kind of person I am. Nomadic tendencies.

The Boy would like to live in Australia. If I can take Kristen and Tracey with me I might consider it more seriously.

“Will you ever become a Japanese citizen?” I’ve talked about this before and the answer is a big NO. Become a citizen of a country in which you’ll be referred to as “gaijin” the entire time? No thank you. There are no pros to do it, and many cons.

The hardest part I’ve found about living overseas has been not being able to easily be with my family to support them in times of need. And the reverse is that they haven’t been able to be here for me. This is something I didn’t really consider 10 years ago, although to be honest since I left Uni I have never lived close by my family. Or rather them near me. Another country is quite a lot further - especially when you are from a home town that still doesn’t have a direct flight from here.

There have been so many changes since 1996. So much has happened. It would be crazy to cover this in one post. Check out the archives if you’re interested for some news about the last few years at least.

As for the next ten years? Pop by occasionally and see.

• Happy 10th anniversary!

  Kristen
  06/11/29 06:00 PM

• I like your “never say never” mantra as it is one that I myself live by…

  Congratulations on the milestone. It is all experience (even the bad stuff) and it has made you into the fabulous human being that I know and love!!

  The Goddess
  06/11/29 07:30 PM

• You moved to Japan just six months before I moved to Texas, and neither of us thought we’d still be here.  Crazy! Here’s to the next decade, wherever it takes us!

  patita
  06/12/02 03:55 AM

• Woohoo! Congratulations on 10 years! Im a bit late arent i!

  j-ster
  06/12/06 09:56 AM