As I'm sure everyone is aware, 2013 is coming to a close. Honestly, I can't say it was my favorite year by any stretch of the imagination, but I've had much worse. I won't be sad to close the book on it and start an entirely new novel (hopefully more of light-hearted beach read) in 2014. But, it's always good closure to review the year, reflect on what went well and not so well, and ponder what should come next.
So, I present 2013 in pictures. (dum dum DUM!)
It started out wonderfully, with a visit to our local temple and goody bags full of mikan, fortunes, and cuttings. We plan to go again this year, grab a nap and hike up a local mountain to see the first sunrise of the New Year. If we're still feeling genki, we might head to the village A works in and pay a visit to Hotaka shrine for luck in the New Year.
In February, we trekked up to the northern part of our prefecture to visit the snow festival in Iiyama. There is a much more famous and bigger festival wayyyy up north in Hokkaido, but we were pleasantly surprised with the quality of this one--despite the fact it was so warm the sculptures were melting! We also paid an obligatory visit to the local hot spring monkey park, furry cuteness in a bathtub.
 |
| Rainy hiking in "paradise" |
 |
| "Gomi" beach |
March brought a horribly expensive trip full of rain and garbage to the small Okinawan island of Iriomote. We were very disappointed with the unkept beaches, closed attractions and inability to tour the island without a guide. In retrospect, we should have spent more time at the neighboring island, Ishigaki, which had a lively downtown, convenient public transportation refreshingly friendly locals.
Springtime is unquestionably the best time of year in Japan. Everything blooms, and it's like a physical reward for the senses after surviving the long, cold winter. People also begin to bloom, and everyone comes out of their crusty winter shells and starts smiling!
 |
| What is more beautiful than blossoms and snow-capped mountains? |
 |
| Me and Kathryn Budig :) |
May brought us to Karuizawa, which is one of my favorite towns in Nagano. We've been there twice this year! Though horribly expensive and targeted to affluent Tokyo-ites, has the most delicious little Turkish restaurant with the best falafel pita, and an amazing (and expensive!) German beer joint. Top that off with 12 hours of yoga with the teacher responsible for me continuing to practice yoga, and you have a recipe for a much-needed recharge weekend.
The summer brought mountains... lots of mountains. Mountain climbing is my new favorite hobby, especially after doing the Dakesawa-Maehotaka-Okuhotaka-Karasawa route this August. We have several more 3000 meter plus mountains we want to summit next season, as there's something exhilarating about seeing landscapes you've only seen in National Geographic. And just think of all the mountains there are to climb in the world... giggle. We'll always have a new goal.
 |
| Top of Mt. Fuji, 3776 meters |
 |
| Okuhotaka, 3190 meters |
The summer also brought my mum for a visit, her first time in a foreign country (she had to get a passport!) Unfortunately it was hot as hades, so we spent a lot of time in her air-conditioned hotel room, but she got to see a lot of local sites and sweat off a few toxins in the process.
 |
| Waiting for the taxi to the airport at the train station. |
The fall brought weekends of long runs in preparation for my final marathon in Ibigawa Village, Gifu. I managed to raise some money for the Japan Cat Network in the process, and despite my slow time, I'm finally at peace with my running history, and ready to move on to bigger and better things (like mountains:).
 |
| My first 42 kilometers--and my last 26.2 miles. |
December brought us to our first iaido testing, and just as soon as we finished, we've started training even harder for the next test. Iaido has been a challenge to me in ways I was not expecting. In America, my life was loud and hectic, and I craved moments alone to enjoy the silence and reflect on life. So to balance the chaos, I ran marathons and studied martial arts.
Since coming to Japan, my life is full of restraint and quiet, and I have few opportunities to show emotions or release my energy. Studying martial arts, which used to be calming and focusing, is now another arena where I must practice constant vigilance and restraint. Here, I feel like my entire personality is bottled up inside my chest, and sometimes it physically hurts to keep it there. In the new year, I want to work to find a better balance of who I am and the expectations of the culture we are currently living in.
The new year also brings change... but what that change will look like for us is yet to be decided. Japan has challenged me in ways I wasn't expecting, and has brought up old issues I thought I had packed away for good long ago. The influence of my environment is so strong on my personality, I'm not sure I'm capable of finding a balance. I function better under a certain amount of chaos, and I miss the camaraderie with my students and coworkers in America--the good-natured sarcasm, silliness and friendship. I miss actual responsibility, being needed, and feeling like I made a difference. Personalities like mine need to be kept busy, multi-tasking practically makes me giddy. But to balance that, I need the right kind of people to remind me to take time to enjoy life, laugh, and not take things too seriously.
I thought I'd dealt with my type A perfectionist personality, tendency to over think things, worry about what others think about me, etc in my mid-twenties.... but really what I'd done was find an environment that supported the best aspects of myself. But is that such a bad thing? Or is it the easy way out? This is what I will be pondering in the next few weeks, as we make our decision for the next year.
No comments:
Post a Comment