The field trip with Langara College ended yesterday. Most of our nakamas already left Japan to Vancouver or other places around the world (Korea, Thailand…). Others, like myself, remain in Japan. Some in Nagoya, some in Tokyo and Kyoto. I stayed in Osaka, where we were dismissed. I felt like the last night in Koyasan and the final group moments at the train station gave the field trip somewhat of a feeling of closure. So, as I thought it would happen, it feels very weird to be in Japan but without the peers, instructors and the dynamic of the field trip.
The trip was amazing. More than I thought it would be. Now there are blog posts to be written 😅. I am currently sitting in the common room of "The Dorm", the capsule hostel I'm staying at. As I sit here I think that this place looks more like a library than with a hostel lobby. Book shelves are all around me, surrounding the whole area. The environment is good. Sushi and takoyaki to my right, a glass of iced water is to my left. "Princess Mononoke" by Studio Ghibli is playing on the projector screen. I felt like opening my laptop to write once again.
I walked to the provincial library today to write about Honne and Tatemae. The text is not ready yet, but I want to publish a first post before the day ends. It's important to test the website's layout before I move on. This is the purpose of this first publication.
I think that writing these blog posts will be fun. I will only write on subjects I am genuinely interested on, but mainly it is a great excuse to think about and relieve the many experiences that made this incredible trip. I didn't know one could be nostalgic of something that happened less than a month ago.
11/June/2019
9:15pm, Osaka
