The Rainy Season

A few days ago, the rainy season officially began. This is about a two week period where it rains a lot more than usual, and after it finishes the summer humidity will have set in. East Asia, for a fact, has the worst climate known across planet Earth. The summers are just one big sweat-soaked misery. Some people bring their work clothes separately so that they can change out of their sweaty commute clothes. Its bad.

But for the next week and a half or so, the weather is almost pleasant. A bit too hot for me, but I'm a veritable bear of a man, covered with some extra "insulation" in the form of my beer gut, as well as a thick pelt of fur. For the average human, I believe this is quite nice weather. It lasts for all of two weeks before the summer hell sets in.

Much like the cherry blossoms last for about two weeks before they all wither and die. Japan is a place of very short periods of happiness and celebration, marred by endless weeks of drudgery and unpaid overtime.

Living here as a foreigner, a lot of people complain about discrimination. Mostly these are young white men who have just graduated college. I think Japan is a great place to live as a foreigner... we are immune to the cultural obligations that suck; unpaid overtime, excessive politeness demonstrated through very strict formulae, group obligations, blind loyalty to one's company, and so on.

I daresay that foreigners living in the States don't have it nearly so easy. Nor do people in the States feel that foreigners are a rare thing - we're not randomly inspired to give presents for absolutely no reason to foreigners visiting or living in America. Rarely does a week go by where I don't receive at least one random present from a virtual stranger just because I'm a foreigner, and they want to show kindness.

Then again, it could just be my rugged good looks...

I've begun to consider studying the one class I need for my CIS degree somewhere other than West Virginia. I'm addicted to seeing the world, going to new places, having new experiences. I've heard lovely things about Vancouver... I think I'll check into the universities there and see how much it'd cost to study for a semester.

If the world's that large, why should I remain?

Lists

Things I missed about Osaka:
-Tons of delicious food shops very easily accessible
-A nightlife
-My favorite bars and cafes
-Stores with a wide selection of imported non-food items
-The excitement of city life
-The convenience of ATMs (and here I thought Osaka ATMs were inconvenient and few)
-Ease of transportation (convenience, timeliness, and locations available)
-The amount of friends I have
-Reasonably (comparatively) well-behaved high schoolers
-How it never feels like its "late" out since the city is so brightly lit up everywhere
-How easy my job is
-My co-workers
-24 hour stores

Things I didn't miss about Osaka:
-Public urination
-The smells (see above)
-The rudeness of so many people
-The crowds
-The pollution and litter
-The homeless people
-The many people who are ridiculously way too drunk in public

Things I miss about Okayama:
-Nina
-The peace and quiet
-The conveniently located imported foods store
-Having a super short commute
-My co-workers
-How fulfilling my job was
-Cheap cab fare

Things I don't miss about Okayama
-Being the ONLY foreigner in most places
-Stores closing before dark
-My boss working in the same room as myself
-Trains always being unreliable
-How boring it was
-No bars outside of the city center