DAY 87, MY FINAL DAY

My day begins at 6:47am Tokyo time, and I'm anxious thinking about all that I will miss. I'm realizing how accustom I've grown to the daily adventures here and the questions that occupy my every move-
what did I just order?
Will this entree be served with an egg atop? Will said egg, be raw or partly cooked?
What did I just eat?
Which tea will I select from the 30 vending machines I pass on my walk to the metro?
Is the tea I select actually the black, Oolong or green type I assume them to be?
How many conversations (used loosely...very loosely) will I have today with a local who still believes I can understand them?
Will I understand them... maybe just a word?

What will it feel like...
To wake up and not be allergy ridden and struggling for breath for the first 2 hours of my day?
To return to a home sans-water bugs and oversized mocking crows?
To inevitably lose my new-found creative ability to develop plots with the disappearance of my favorite Japanese talk shows?

How will I feel...
When the toilets no longer have remote controls and sing to me?
When my sweat cloth no longer needs to be my wardrobe staple?
When I no longer have to ponder over whether my trash is combustible?
When the people behind the counters no longer smile or care that I'm there?
When I'm no longer asked "do you want chopsticks with that" (at least that's what I assume they ask when a long sentence followed by "ka" is asked and my response of "hai" suddenly leads to the appearance of chopsticks in my bag)?
When heading off to sing karaoke in a private room for 8 hours is not longer an option?
When I no need to weed through the triple and double extra smalls to pursue the elusive medium in stores?

How will it feel...
To not hear "Co-ta-nee" yelled across the street from my favorite friend Tetsuya followed by a bow, and I'm no longer able to greet my favorite "Manatee" on Friday and Saturday nights as I wander down for some 500 Yen drinks, mochi and squid?
When I'm no longer blasted with sarcasm from my student Takaaki?
When my Mondays and Wednesdays no longer entail language class with Yamaguchi-san and giggling like school children with my favorite classmate Anh?

How will I feel...
To no longer be aware of my own presence?
When I'm no longer surprising people by my appearance on their trains, in streets, shops and restaurants?
When I'm no longer stopped on the street by someone who just wants to look at you, squeeze you to verify existence and smile at you for a second?

I'm not certain these questions require answers. I am certain that these are questions I never would've known to ask without this opportunity. This is it. I will incredibly, unquestionably miss the challenge and rewards of this Tokyo life, of my Japan in three.

Picture courtesy of Manatee, the 500 Yen Bar

THE ARRIVAL OF DICKY K (and much more)

Today I leave for another week of Japan travel with my father (aka Dicky K), who is in town from Lake Tahoe. He's spent 3 days in Tokyo checking out my favorite wards, favorite shops, restaurants, shrines, parks, gardens and even a boat cruise highlighting Tokyo architecture. We also caught our first Japanese baseball game in Yokohama- Tokyo Swallows versus Yokohama Bay Breeze (Swallows won by a landslide, but the cheering and hotdogs on sticks made it all worthwhile). Now it's time to explore uncharted territories for the both of us, which will mean many hours on Shinkensen trains and nights in various hostels around Japan.

First stop, Hiroshima where we'll spend one night and take in various peace gardens and museums. Then onto Nagasaki, a city often unvisited by foreigners, but what is commonly referred to a "hidden gem" for those who have spent time. We'll spend 3 nights at a hostel there before carrying onto Kyoto.

The Geisha picture in this entry was from my last visit to Kyoto, and I look forward to introducing fellow travelers to the red light district, my favorite temples and shrines, and to again view the city by bike. We have three nights there, and a day trip planned to Nara to pet deer (I'm told they're as domestic as dogs), and check-out the largest Buddha statue in Japan.

Our trip will end at Mt Fuji on Sunday, where we'll begin our big climb. The goal is the reach summit by sunrise. Many pictures to come as my final two weeks in Japan continue.

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN...