Good Night Tokyo

Goodnight Tokyo. Since my last post I have been north to Hokkaido; Aomori, Asahikawa, Sapporo and Hakodate. I have returned to Tokyo and had two great weeks. All of this will go unblogged. My attention is solely on jotting down this final blog. While I know no one actually reads this, for myself I need to put a conclusion. It wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t.

I am sitting along the banks of the Sumida River. I came here my very first morning in Tokyo. I’ve reflected on what to write since I am incredibly closed and hold everything close to my chest. Why couldn’t this trip just be a vacation away from life? There isn’t anything wrong with that. Why make it into something dramatic and search for deeper meaning? That would make this blog very easy to write. Hey, I had a good time. Thanks for taking care of the dogs. Sorry I quit my job for this. I could write that. But it wouldn’t be true. This trip was created out of the unknown. The reason for coming on the trip was discovering why I came on the trip in the first place.

Four years ago I took a trip to China when I first became principal of Westridge. We had a layover in Japan. Its true before I landed in Japan that I had a mild fascination with Japan. There were a number of anime series and Ghibli movies that meant a lot to me. A good friend and I spoke of Japanese things fondly and the entire culture was interesting. However, it wasn’t until the plane was soaring over the wooded hills and houses on the east coast of Honshu that all of this began to take shape. In a matter of 60 seconds I had an incredibly spiritual moment. Few times in my life have I felt something pull me so strongly. At that moment there was no doubt that I had to come to Japan. The layover was short but if that trip did nothing else it sparked the first that would lead to some major life choices.

So why did I go to Japan in the first place? I went because I believe I was prompted to go to Japan. As a part of that I felt that I was prompted to move out of my home, move to Salt Lake City, and quit my job despite the monetary cost it would have on me. I’m not trying to profess to be some great follower of special promptings, but in this case its what propelled my decision making. One of my favorite, albeit cheesy, scenes from a movie is from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Indy has to pass three tests at the end of the movie one of which includes taking a leap from the Lion’s head. He stands before a giant ravine and must step into seemingly midair with no support. It looks like he will fall endlessly. However, he takes the step with faith and the path is suddenly clear. My trip served its purpose. I took the step and it paid off. I can’t tell you how hard it was. I didn’t board the plane to Japan and suddenly a bright light shone down on me enlightening my world. I have worked over the last 50 days. There have been some of the best moments of my life, and there have been other times that were dark and lonely. There have been moments of being stranded, hitchhiking, meltdowns, dating, tears, temptations, friendship, sickness and the list could go on. Underneath it all there has been the support of God. It all came together though, like a symphony coming to a magnificent climatic end.

I truly love the culture and people of Japan. If I had to live anywhere in the world other than my home of Utah, Japan would be the place. I could make it work here, but I do want to make mention of America. I was going to write a blog about this but thats not going to happen. In a nutshell I think its important to know how patriotic I feel about the United States of America. Japan is a wonderful place as you’ve heard me cite over and over again, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love my country. There are some ugly things behind any government, but ultimately I recognize the good and the blessings that have come from being born, raised, and living in the USA. America has always been and continues to be number one.

Life is interesting and in many ways ironic. Life also is very beautiful, despite the tragedies and hardships that unmistakably take us by surprise. I am grateful for it.

So there you have it. I’m ready to come back to Utah. This doesn’t mean my path is clear and I know everything I’m supposed to do. In fact, that is wide open. But I do understand why I came to Japan. I do know why it had to happen and why it will always be a special time of my life full of moments.

8 realizations I remembered after returning to Tokyo

Top 8 Perceptions about Tokyo that I remembered after 72 hours

1. Everything is better in Japan. Japan doesn’t have everything. What they do have, however, they have made better. There is incredible thought given to every detail making everything japanese, just a little bit better than its counterpart. From food to waiting in line, everything makes more sense or is better quality. I abhor McDonalds in the United States, but in Japan it tastes rich, fresh and not incredibly greasy and rubbery. Supermarkets sell little cups of Vanilla Ice Cream that is rich enough to make me choose it over a Dairy Queen Blizzard and I grew up on those babies. Waiting in line is a process everyone understands and consequently there is no grouping, butting, or blocking. Escalators have express lanes. If you are going to stand there, you move to the left. People wanting to move quicker pass on the right. Pens, paper, zippers, clothes… it all seems innovated.

2. This is a little bit of a repeat of number one but Japanese food is fantastic and underrated. You don’t see many Japanese joints in the United States, except for sushi bars. However, there is so much more to japanese cuisine than sushi. Ramen, yakiniku, yakitori, tempura, bento boxes, breads, waffles, onoyamiyaki. I love it and I can be a picky eater. I had squid the other night. I usually hate that type of seafood because it can be rubbery and tasteless, but the Japanese do it well. I could live off the convenient store food. They have corndogs to die for. I guess Iron Chef did copy itself off of Japan so in the foodie world they are well aware of Japanese cuisine, but for the regular Joe I promise you the food is worth eating.

3. Tokyo is one of the biggest cities in the world with millions of people everywhere, all the time, but it continues to be one of the cleanest places I’ve ever been. Everything is clean, from the metro station to the backstreets. Parks, roadsides, train tracks… there is little garbage around. I don’t know if there are mystical garbage sprites that come out and wisp away the trash but the city is clean. I’ve walked many parts of the city and I have yet to find a place that felt or looked dirty.

4. The Japanese people have an incredible work ethic. They are tireless workers that take their jobs very seriously. They provide the best customer service no matter the position they hold. It is an expectation to do this for each other. It would be considered horribly rude not to provide A+ service.

5. As you travel the city of Tokyo, there is a distinct feeling the entire machine is going to break someday. Everything runs too perfectly. Everyone puts in ridiculous hours. Riding the train in Tokyo is riding a train with a load of corpses. Everyone is always falling asleep all around you. The only thing keeping anyone awake are their phones. I wonder if the demand and stress of performing in the workplace is going to lead to a system wide shutdown. I had this eerie daydream that the city would suddenly revolt into a revolution comparitive to the French. Blood would run in the streets as they all begin chopping each other up. Japanese anime is very violent and can also be very dark in many circumstances, but yet there is such a lack of violence and hostility that you wonder why these ideas are integrated into their entertainment.

6. Aesthetic is important. The Japanese value the importance of beauty, reflection, and nature. There is natural quality in making something look its very best. This starts in the design process and is carried out in its execution. Buildings are designed creatively and with the aim to please. Gardens and grounds surrounding buildings are important to upkeep. Furthermore there is abundant access to nature throughout one of the most populated places in the world. Parks and trees are in the hands of continual gardeners. A single tree in a large park will be roped off as men work on it as if protecting a member of a royal family.

7. This is going to come across racist, but it is actually the opposite. I see the same faces in Japanese people that I do in America. I’ve looked at hundreds of faces of Japanese people this week. Naively before visiting Japan I would have made the ignorant statement that they all look the same, but the irony is that the ‘sameness’ can be applied to the similarity between American faces and Japanese faces. I start recognizing facial structures and features of people I know in America, just with the base Japanese settings. It is very interesting to realize and notice.

8. Last but certainly not least in my mind… Anime and manga are king. Anime is an integral piece of Japanese culture. Not only for diehard anime fans, but it has spilled over into the eclectic dress and style of most young people in Japan. When I say young I refer to 40 and younger. Advertisements, shows, packaging, and instructions are produced anime style to appeal to everyone.