Goodbye Fukuoka

I'm moving to Tokyo tomorrow. So there's that.

Fukuoka is over. Done. I'm leaving (NOT on a jetplane, mind you) and starting something new.

On Friday, I said an almost-tearful goodbye to GenkiJACS by holding a speech in (very simple) Japanese together with Rakel (because if you work with someone, that's halves the ammount of work per person. Smart, eh?).

I got my "Certificate of Completeion" and that was that. Language course over, now let's move on.

Today, new people joined the school and that river will keep flowing without me. The world is really really really strange.

"Academic Koalafication"

I met a lot of very awsome people in this place. Some short, some tall. Sometimes amusingly so.

We are all standing in the same slippers on the same floor. Becky is English though. She has no real excuse to be this much shorter than me!

To everyone I had the pleasure of studying with, from, around, or in the general vicinity of; thank you! 

Of course the last activity I partook in at the school was Super Smash Brothers with beer. As is only proper.

And then I left. And that was that.

Goodbye people.

Goodbye school.

What followed was of course one of the more awsome parties I've ever had; ramen->bowling->hanami->karaoke->my vocal cords need to grow back because when I sing "Let it Go" I will not hold back  even if I feel the tendons of my throat flapping in the breeze.

What is Hanami you ask? Simply one of the more awsome festivals available anywhere in the world. It entails sitting under the flowering cherry blossom trees, looking at the flowers until you've had so much sake that you can't see them anymore. 

We went again on Sunday!

Selfie-in-progress.

Umeboshi.

I mean, the weather wasn't the best but this is so pretty it's STUPID!

Umeshu (plum wine) is not at all similar to umeboshi.

Yo there's a cherry blossom petal in your plum wine.

Look at this badass!

I also want to mention that as a farewell my host mother took me to her friends house in the countryside, where we had DIY sushi and cake.

Nature!

We visited a family of artists, and I got to play the piano in a room that was so beautiful I forgot to take pictures (don't blame me. I almost forgot to breathe!). I only mention it here for my own sake; when I look back at this I want to make sure I don't forget that place.

But anyway.

My ticket is ready, my luggage is sent. This is my last night in the homestay. I've said most of my goodbyes. I am as ready as I'll ever be, I suppose.

Tomorrow, I'm off to Tokyo, and my life will change again. In many ways, I'll have to start all over. Get to know new people, new places... Wish me good luck. I've been really happy here in Fukuoka and I really don't want to go, but my time here is as fleeting as those goddamn cherry blossoms, and it's time to move on.

Dramatically, as the petals fall from the trees I'm GTFO'ing. Catch you on the flip side.

Goodbye Fukuoka. Hello whatever comes next. That will probably be Tokyo. I think. That's what my ticket says, anyway.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon (but not reallly)

Woke up to this:

No comment.

Japanese cats are weird.



Anyways. After all the excitement of the last couple of days, I dearly needed some time alone. So I decided to finally locate the nearby park that my phone har been recomending to me rather insistently.

Ten-ish minutes of walking from school through downtown Fukuoka. Atractive neighbourhood, bridge and river and all.

Bridge is also called "hashi" in Japanese.

I like rivers!

The park itself seemed nice enough, too.

And then I turned around.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

We're talking giant stepped garden-forest thing going up the side of a really tall and really modern building. Not too shabby, I must say.

This building has a waterfall.

There are winding staircases all the way up to an observation deck on the roof.

The path.

The top level was closed today, but I didn't mind. I bought some konbini-dinner/lunch and staired up.

English! Yay! :)

First case of stair.

It was quite surreal. As I climbed, I really did feel like I was in some quiet forest grove. Yet at the same time, at each level the view of both the city and the garden behind me got more spectacular. Once again, I was struck by the incredible contrasts that are such a big part of Japanese aesthetic.

I wonder where this path goes...

Is this a forest or a city?

There was a river flowing down alongside the path,
ending in the waterfall I saw earlier.

Benches were scattered all the way up,always isolated enough for privacy.

None of the benches were occupied.
Maybe because it was between mealtimes,
maybe because the roof was closed.
I don't know.
I didn't mind.

This path didn't seem to lead anywhere.
In retrospect, it would probably have taken
me to Japanese Narnia.

Foilage backdrop selfie.

All the way up, I could always see the foilage of the lower level through the gaps between the stone steps.

And looking down, I could see some sort of stage previously hidden in the architecture.

View-from-high-place-selfie.

Finally approaching the top, the city started really opening up behind me. And at the same time, I could see in at office workers through the windows of the building I was climbing.

There are people in there!

Of course, as I mentioned, from here I could get no further.

I should not pass.

But I really did not mind at all.

View-from-higher-place-selfie.

I was completely alone on the broad top staircase. Just me and a couple of crows.

There were no benches here, but like the crazy foreigner I am I sat down anyways and had my little meal of onigiri, mini-sandwich-thing and hot bean soup from a vending machine.

I like onigiri (basically just rice balls, often filled with stuff), but buying them is always a bit of a gamble. You know, since I as of yet lack any really effective way of determining what's inside before I have it in my mouth. Today I got my favourite:

Umeboshi - the pickeled plum of death.

Still not grape.

The sandwich-bites were a strange combination of curry-burger and eggs. Not bad, but a bit awkward.

Waddup?

I'm rich in neither time nor money these days, so sometimes meals become simple and/or a bit ad-hoc. All other things aside though, I've had meals waaaay worse than this.

The weather was nice and warm, so I sat on the top of this building for a couple of hours, just studying and enjoying not being in a hurry for anything at all.

The two week mark has been reached and surpassed, and I kind of can't believe it. Time gets really strange when you're experiencing pretty much everything for the first time. I've had a great time so far, and it's sucked like nothing ever. I've had a lot of fun and I've felt terrible a whole bunchload. But most importantly, I hope I'll end up having more moments like this; where I'm really and actually relaxed.

I wonder if I'll ever feel truly comfortable here. Until then, I'll hang on to days like today and try to remember what I re-learn every other week or so:

That life really is what you make of it.

OWL CAFE!

It's a cafe

full of owls.

Do I need to comment?

There is what appears to be an owl on my arm.

There is an owl that looks like a penguin.

Penguin. Owl. Selfie.

Big owls.

'sup.

Tiny owls.

Do you have a problem with that, punk?

 Owls!

"Gasp!"

"I HAVE TO TELL YOU SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT!"

"LISTEN TO MEEEEEEE!"

"Calm down, Pigwidgeon."

"I AM calm."

"Sheesh, you guys are way too tense, man"

"Would y'all just please shut up?"

Owl cafe. Japan, you crazy.

Shoulder owl selfie. I will probably never be able to top this...