Had things gone different, I might well be counting down my last three months in Japan today. Plans may change, but my desire to travel does not, and so here I am announcing my intentions to visit the United States and Europe this summer. I guess I’ll dress up the old blog a bit, bring [...]

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Pfft, look at me now. A mere month ago I was an Odyssean marvel of a man, splurging 15,000 yen on tickets ten minutes before the train was due to depart, arriving with 20 kg on my back in a city I’d never been to before with no map and no plans and no accomodation [...]

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I’ve cobbled together a Rough Plan which includes a week in Kyoto and a week hopping from Osaka, to Hiroshima, to Fukuoka, to Nagasaki, to Kagoshima, and then getting a flight back from Fukuoka to Haneda, and one final day in Tokyo. Cost for accommodation and travel: ~120,000 yen. The Shinkansen is not cheap. I [...]

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Indeed, wow. Things move fast, and I’ve started down the path of Leaving Japan.
Hmm. Do I really want to leave? Well, yes and no. It’s true I’ve had some truly amazing experiences in Japan in my short time here, and I don’t regret coming here one bit. I’ve met some interesting people and seen beautiful [...]

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I play for keeps
‘Cause I might not make it back
I’ve been everywhere
And still I’m standing tall
I’ve seen a million faces
And I’ve rocked ‘em all
Oh, Bon Jovi. You’re so unbearably cheesy, it’s awesome.
Oh choices, choices. I just had work, and I did a lesson, and chatted with a bunch of people, and for a few [...]

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Crikey, that was quick. Scarily quick. With a £75  admin fee (which I expected), I can leave at any time. Just need to give them the word.
Hmmmm.

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Well, I slept on it, and, I still don’t have any better ideas other than leaving. I will give the embassy a call, but I think the answer they’re going to give me is “pay up”. I might regret this in the future, but I gave it my all and it’s been an enlightening few [...]

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And so it’s reached the point where it’s such a short period of time to go I’ve stopped counting. Today: my sister (and, technically speaking my brother, although I’m not sure whether he actually contributed any money) got me a new watch, which I sort of chose myself. After the strap on my Casio broke, [...]

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It’s getting closer and closer, and yet it still feels very, very far away. Like it’s not going to happen. Like I’ve still got forever to plan.
What do I still need to do, anyway?
1. Pack! Which I shall do tomorrow. I imagine I’ll print out my inventory and check everything off. I am seriously concerned [...]

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The next event to pop up on my phone’s upcoming events thingy is “2/10/07 19:35 — Check in, Terminal 4″. Crikey.
Got my traveller’s cheques today: a meaty ¥110,000’s worth which only I can use! Also continued the continuing saga of tracking down my debit card. There is a possibility it won’t get here by Tuesday, [...]

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