Home Making and Dreaming in Japan

I suggest you click on this picture (to enlarge it) so you can see the details and "read the story." I see three young workers, but one has been touched by a romantic dream of escape from the confines of the salaryman's life. What do you see? I shot this from the street in Shinjuku looking up at a coffee shop window. You can see the mural on the building plus glimpse into the hair salon upstairs.

We're gearing up for our return to Japan. After two months in the US, I'm looking forward to getting back home again. We've been in Japan for a little over two years, and in our present place for just a few months, but it's "home." It's our space. The place where we've planted ourselves, and the location from which we dream dreams. Being on vacation is great as long as you have a home and dreams to return to...

And we're not returning empty handed! We bought four seats on the airplane, so we can check in up to eight bags. It makes sense to shop for a few things while we're here. So here's the short list: one crockpot (only certain people will understand the wonderfulness of this item), and 12-cup Braun coffee maker and burr grinder (for when we have guests), two backpacks and sleeping bags (for backpacking in the mountains), lots of little gifts for friends, a very large, plastic dollhouse for our daughter (purchased on EBay), etc.

What's my point? For one, it's cheaper to buy these things in the USA (although it's going to be a major pain to get them through the airports with three kids). But why bring such things to Japan? I guess we're still finding our balance. Our lives have changed greatly since moving to Japan. We eat differently (and more healthily); live in a smaller space; play differently; entertain ourselves more simply and with less mobility; and we're still finding our way in lots of areas. Change is good, but continuity is not bad either. You have to choose what to let go and what's worth holding onto. And after letting go of some things, you may rediscover their value. We've let go of a lot, gained much, and the list above gives you some idea of what we'd like to hold onto.

Posted by jw at August 10, 2004 10:17 AM