Peter, 24 augustus 2006
Nederland Oss

Goin' Home

Hallo everybody,
No more konnichiwa anymore, since I am back in Holland…
Well, since many people have requested me to write one last story, I have decided to do that. So here we go…

Of course my final week in Japan was very hectically, not in the last place because I had so many different appointments and not many time! On Thursday the students gave a farewell party and they know me quite well by now, since we went to play soccer. After this I received some nice goodbye presents, namely a Japanese and a Dutch soccer ball, signed by all the students.

On Friday I went with Kanna, Tokoro and Mayu to Gion in Kyoto to go to a Maiko performance. After this we went to the best Izakaya I ever saw! The food and the drinks were great and so was the company…

On my last Saturday in Japan I picked up my sister, Marloes and her boyfriend Mattijs (also called M&M). After a long journey from Amsterdam they were relieved to finally start their world trip in the best possible country: Japan. We went by train to their hotel in Kyoto where, after checking in, I showed them a part of Kawaramachi and the rest of the centre of Kyoto. Of course they immediately saw many peculiarities, like for instance Pachinko & Slot. Well, I guess that they were very glad to go to bed in the evening after such a long trip / day.

On Sunday I went with Lee & Lisa and Kim and his wife to Osaka to visit Ka and his wife for one final time. Of course, again, there was more food as we could possibly handle. And there was also no shortage of alcoholic beverages. After a very nice afternoon and evening it was time to say goodbye to my friend Ka.

On Monday morning I went with the janitor to the shopping mall in Kyotanabe since he wanted to buy a souvenir for Mayke. Finally we bought some nice typical Japanese slippers. In the evening I went to Osaka to meet ‘my’ Osaka girls for one last time. Of course I had some difficulties finding them in this big city (gomenasai), but luckily in the end we found each other! After a very nice last dinner at an Italian restaurant we exchanged some gifts to remember each other. After this we went to the Pig & Whistle one last time…and after a few beers it was time to say goodbye…of course this was not a very happy event, but I am confident I will see the girls again, some place some where (Right M,H & N?)!

Tuesday I went to Nara with M&M to give them the extended Nara tour in the burning heat. After showing all the most impressive places we went back to the city of Nara were we had a nice dinner. Since this day was still a national holiday in Japan (to remember the ancestors) there was a special event, some kind of light-up, at night. By then it was very, very crowded, but the view was very nice, since there were candles everywhere.

Wednesday was my last day at the University. So again I had to say goodbye to some very nice friends…but not before I cleaned my desk and finished my paper. At the end of the day I left the lab for the last time…maybe I will be back someday? In the evening I went to Kyoto to see the light-up in Kyoto from M&M hotel Fujita. After this we went to my favorite restaurant. After a short walk through Gion, a cup of coffee at Starbucks and a walk through Maruyama koen, it was time to go back home to Kyotanabe.

Thursday, the last day! Of course in the morning I was busy packing my suitcase. When I almost finished I went for some coffee with Lee & Lisa. They gave a really nice present for Mayke and me: chopsticks with our names on them. After also saying goodbye to them I went to Kyoto in the afternoon to meet Mattijs. He and I went to Kyoto University to watch Marloes her presentation. The presentation went quite well, especially in comparison with some other foreign students! After the presentations it was of course time to drink! We went to a really nice party, where we could try different kinds of sake and where they served really good food, especially the sushi. After we went to see a typical Japanese house from the owner we played some games with some little children. When we finally went back to the party we enjoyed the different styles of music after which we were invited, to our own surprise, to the table of the host. There we were served some drinks by an original geisha and by one maiko. In the end we also found out that one of the guests to whom we had been talking to was the vice mayor of Kyoto…how special can a last night in Kyoto get? When the party seemed to have ended, we did not have to go home yet, since we were was again invited to drink some sake with the owner. And although we did not taste it, they told us that the sake we were drinking was one of the most expensive ones of the Kansai area. After saying goodbye to Marloes and Mattijs, it was time for my last train trip to Kyotanabe and after a short night sleep the alarm clock woke me up…I had to leave Japan…The trip to Holland went quit fast and of course I was very glad to finally see Mayke again!

Finally I want to thank everybody for making my stay in Japan so special. I never thought this country would mean so much to me…I hope we can stay in contact!

Your Dutch friend
Peter

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