Life as it is... living in Japan

It has been almost a year since I quit my job in Tokyo and moved back to Brisbane. For the most part, I did not experience culture shock as much as I thought I would. I think this is a case of good timing, being ready to leave Japan and keeping myself busy since returning. That being said, I was away from Australia for a long time, and although many things are still the same, there are also some differences. It has been interesting and challenging discovering these differences and carving out a new life for myself here. Here are some of the biggest changes that I have noticed since returning. 1.      Bye bye plastic bags In my absence many stores have done away with plastic bags, forcing people to either bring their own or play the ‘how many food items can I carry before I drop them’ game which is one of my favourite games. I managed to completely miss the transitional phase of this and arrived home well and truly after people had gotten used to it, so it felt almost like magic

Living abroad places a huge stress on your loved ones afar. Even though my parents were always 100% supportive of me wanting to live in Japan, I know that they often worried about me living far from home all alone. It helps a lot that Japan is a relatively safe country. The crime rate is much lower than Australia, and the people are generally kind and helpful. But of course, I faced hardships there, just as I would have if I were living in Australia. There were a few times that I chose not to tell my parents the whole story. At the time, I didn’t want to burden them with more worry than was necessary. Now that I am home, I suddenly find myself wanting to share some of these stories. This first story is one that I have only told one person. No one else knows. There’s no leaving the best for last around these partsーstraight into the deep end. That time I ended up at a hospital after calling an ambulance for myself. I have a mental list of the times that I felt most scared while I was liv