“Why Japan?” you ask

Source: globogirls.com

I’ve been living in Tokyo for almost an entire year. If you had to ask me a few years ago in which other country I’d see myself living, I would undoubtedly have responded with “Well, somewhere in Europe, of course Darling”. I’ve always imagined myself making  a city like Hamburg or Paris a second home.

But, life had other plans for me: Towards the end of 2011 I would meet and fall in love with  a man who lived exactly 9 551.02 km away from me, all the way in Brighton, England. After investigating the options of living together firstly in Cape Town, and then Brighton, we finally came to the conclusion that a completely fresh, new and exciting city would just be  the place for us to set off on our new life together.

So just a little over a year later, I packed my bags, said my goodbyes and hopped on a plane to the great metropolis that is Tokyo. Mind you, the move wasn’t without its trials and challenges, but I’m happy to report  that once I finally had all my affairs in order, the transition to life in the far east wasn’t too traumatic. I won’t lie, at times the culture shock really did get to me, and it sometimes still does (which I’ll write about in future posts), but it honestly does help when you have someone close to you that you can vent to. And of course, family and friends back home are just a Skype call away.

I’m fast approaching  my 1 year anniversary in Japan, and although I’ve learnt  a great deal about this place, both good and bad, I’m not quite ready to leave just yet. There are goals to be achieved, travels to be had and a language to learn. Right now I can’t see myself spending 2014 anywhere else.

xxx