Final Eastern Entry

This will be my last entry from Japan.

It is the final night, I have just finished the final day, and it's very hard to say goodbye to this country. It doesn't help that they're playing sad music in the Apple Store right now, which I have decided to make my last post in, as it has been a home base for technology. I tried a little last minute fullscreen Google Mappage on that 30" beast, and I'm making this entry.

Today has been perfect. I made my way to Agata-san's house for the 1 o'clock lesson, which I was fifteen minutes late for, but that didn't matter as it was cancelled. I didn't mind, despite that with no bicycle it was a thirty minute walk and a thirty minute train ride, bbecause she gave me lovelyly lunch and we talked for ages. She let me play her guitar and she showed me some martial arts, and we exchanged email addressed and I gave her the quasiblog.net address. She was far too kind and gave me gifts for my mother and for a "future girlfriend". I popped in on Yoko's grandparents on the way back, and gave them a final thank you and a goodbye. On the long walk back, I pondered a bit which direction to go, and while waiting at a train crossing, a taxi started hooting at me. I looked, and they opened the door, and a woman I slightly recognised beckonned me in. I got in, against London common sense, and I remembered that it was a woman I'd taught with Stuart a while ago. She used the taxi to give me a lift to the station, and refused payment. She didn't speak a word of English to me, but we still got along all right. But it was the perfect example of how this country is, with a display of reasonless kindness from a woman I barely know.

Emma's waiting outside in the heat. My father's picking us up from the airport tomorrow, but I still reall don't want to leave. Kaori and Katou and Hosei and the new friends I have yet to meet are in Iceland. It's quite strange to think of them there, they're spending time in Iceand, while I'm in their home, the opposite: Steamland. Though the heat has been more barable recently.

We met Emma's friend tonight and she bought us a lovely Udon dinner, but it meant I missed the last Working Holiday class. That's a shame, but it'll have to do. I'll send Yoko's key to her, and send copies of the Mammoth photo to her later. I will talk more about the end of my J-Pan experience when I return and have my own unlimited computer access, but until then, goodnight Eastern world, thank you Osaka. I will be back. Fastest month ever.

This is Ripton, from Osaka, goodnight.