So, we have returned to the UK for the first time together and perhaps it is because of this that we can notice the difference between our home country and Japan, where we have been for a combined total of 8 years.
Walking around Brighton, where we are staying for one of the 3 weeks (4 weeks for Ian) we are back for, we have noticed a grimey madness that we cannot believe we were ever part of. It's not just Brighton. London, what little we little we saw of it, had the very same effect on us. The streets were dirty with rubbish from the passers by, or even children allowed to callously, carelessly throw wrappers to the ground. Smokers seemed to walk past us at each turn. How was this so? What happened to the ban? Did it not make people more aware? Apparently no.
In Japan, the one country where smoking will more than likely always be the national pastime it seems, the streets seem so much fresher, even if the local oyaji (old man)next to you has just sparked up.
It is even in the appearance too. Somehow the air is fresher over there? People look so tired and worn out here in UK. Is it the sushi? Perhaps England needs some mountains to enhance its green but perhaps not green enough landscape and freshen the air.
What is this rant that I have taken on board? Have we become too Japanified for our own good? Why do we suddenly feel so disconnected from our roots?
Living away from 'home' for so long has meant that we have seen many different ways of life. and life in Japan has been an amazing experience that doesn't need to end just yet.
We came back to England still feeling some sort of obligation to move back to UK at some point soon to 'settle'. Being from the UK, surely this is where we should come back to to have a house, to have a family life and to grow old.
But, being here in UK together, we can start to see exactly what we have in Japan and what we need to make our lives even more settled. We already have a loving household. We just bought a dog, we already have hamsters too! One day, we will have children and we are coming to realise that Japan is an amazing place to bring up young kids.
Just take a look around at some of the delinquents in the streets of UK and you can see why we would not want to come home to have children.
For now, the life we have over there, miles away from where we were born, is good. It's better than good. It's an isolated little bubble in which we work, we play and we enjoy on our own time.
The UK has lost its magic, if indeed it held any for us, and while we are here, we are not on our own time.
This of course will change the moment we buy a house here. But that leads us to another 20 stories......soon enough!
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