Day 67: 6 June 2009

LOCATION: SAPPORO, TOKYO, CAIRNS, MELBOURNE
MOOD: HOMECOMING
LISTENING TO: MICHELLE BRANCH – EVERYWHERE

WORTH THE WAIT:

I woke up in Japan for the last time today, and as I prepared for my epic journey home that would see me go through four airports over the space of 30 hours I had a little time to reflect on my journey. Clocking in at just over two months it had been a truly exhaustive trip:

• 22 cities

• All four islands of Japan

• Almost every conceivable method of transport: foot, bicycle, bus, car, train, boat, plane...

• Cities, country towns and wilderness

• 25 gigs of photos

• 27 kilos of Japanese CDs and books (sent back by surface mail)

While there are things I would have loved to have done had I had the time and money, I somehow managed to do (and buy) everything that I really wanted to. This trip has been a long time coming and caps off over five years of study and a hell of a lot of hours at part time jobs. While I enjoyed it thoroughly I don't think I'm likely to do a trip like this again; next time I head overseas it'll probably be for a shorter period and with friends.

Speaking of which, a lot of my friends have asked me whether I'm going to miss Japan, and I have to say that although I hadn't had such feelings in the lead up to today, when I woke up this morning I did feel a twinge of longing. Of course there was enough stupidity and frustration in my 30 hour journey home to snap me out of my nostalgia and help me remember that while it had been the trip of a lifetime it was still a trip, and that my future (at least for the time being) lay elsewhere.

Whether Japan will play a part in my life in the years to come is something that only time and chance can dictate, but for the time being I've satisfied myself with what I consider a truly thorough exploration of the country. I have to express thanks to all the people who helped me plan the trip, to all the friends I made along the way and for all the random acts of kindness from strangers. And of course, thank you for reading this blog. I hope it's been as fun to read as it has been to write.

Until we meet again,

Ronin.