Whoa. I forgot this even existed.
I’m editing this post I left unpublished way back in 2017. At the time, I had meant to restart up my blog but life got in the way again. So here I am trying to recap everything that happened since I made this blog…that was supposed to be all about my life in Japan.
Okay. So. I can’t believe I’ve been working and living in Japan for over four seven years already! omg
I’ve learned so much and met lots of great people. But it hasn’t been all fun though– I’ve suffered through some depressing times. The loneliness can get to you– because even if you meet a lot of nice people here, the relationships can be a bit superficial.
I had even wondered what the hell I was doing in Japan anymore. After working in Hokkaido for about 4 years, I decided it was time to move on. With my all-work-and-no-play lifestyle, a lack of a satisfying social life and a love life for that matter– I was turning the big 3-0 in a few years, I was getting more and more pressured about marriage (YES, YES. I know, independent women and all that. But where I’m from, most people get married in their mid-late 20s and it can be pressuring to see all my friends “move on” with their lives). I just felt stuck.
Also, while Hokkaido is a beautiful place to live in, I was so sick of the snow.
After crawling through a horrible blizzard to get home to my apartment one night, I decided then and there that I’d leave this frozen cr*phole and move someplace warmer!
Working at my old workplace wasn’t a walk in the park but it was comfortable, so it was quite hard for me to actually get things running for my “move”. I was also worried because I would be leaving all the friends I have made behind.
I ended up going for it and sent out applications. I was offered a job at small city in Shikoku. Basically the boondocks.
I was also offered a job in Osaka but I had such a nice time talking to my would-be-boss in Shikoku, that I accepted the offer even though I had originally wanted to move into a bigger city. The (much much) higher salary helped a bit with that decision. lol. Also, the workload is lighter than in my previous job.
NOW, this place was completely different from snowy Hokkaido. It was warm. You can see the sea from my apartment. It was so refreshing. The first time I opened the car door, I was instantly hit by that sea smell. It was a bit fishy too. I mentioned this to my boss but she couldn’t smell it. And after living here for a while, it soon became the norm for me too.
Anyway, it’s an interesting city for sure. A lot of history compared to my previous town. Hokkaido is relatively “new”. I mean, technically, it’s just about 150 years old (depending on who you ask).
So, it was nice to see old houses– traditionally tiled roofs, old buildings, shrines and temples. Not to mention a castle, which can also be seen from my apartment.
So, now that I’ve moved, I was on the way to making a more…[insert adjective] “life”. I wanted to change something.
At this point, I was only planning on staying in Japan for one more year and maybe move back to the Philippines or go to my family in the US. I didn’t have a concrete plan at all.
So, for my last year in Japan. I wanted to just experience something else that I haven’t experienced yet in Japan.
And..I did.
Just imagine that it’s playing in your head ala montage
I was really happy that I could go to all these events and places. And to finally see a fireworks display at a festival in Japan!! I was always working until 10:30pm everyday and they always held the fireworks display whenever I had to work! I always used to sadly listen to the loud booms and bangs while teaching.
It was also at this time that I decided to not be a shy wallflower anymore and actually go out and meet people. OUTSIDE OF WORK.
It was difficult because my Japanese is okay but I wasn’t very confident about it because I only studied Japanese by myself (not that I actually studied much).
I never really had a relationship before this. I had a few romances in the Philippines which never turned into anything concrete but never the real thing.
I was asked out by some guys in Hokkaido but I was really shy when it came to the opposite sex. It didn’t help that I had body image issues because I was overweight in a skinny country. So I always refused or changed the topic. Also, I wasn’t that interested. I had hobbies and friends who I poured all my attention to.
But I wanted to try meeting someone this time. So, I started dating. I decided to throw away my goody-goody-two-shoes-wearing-catholic-girl mentality to the proverbial wind.
I met a few Japanese guys, but I never really clicked with any of them. Just ended up being one night stands. Met some foreigners, too. But some lived too far away for a relationship to happen or I didn’t really like them so much.
Surprisingly though, I ended up dating a Korean guy. Who was living in Seoul. It was crazy considering he lived in another country! But he was my ideal. He ticked all the boxes (although later on, I would find out that he didn’t tick the most important box).
He flew me there often so I could meet up with him. The first moment I saw him in real life, it was really like electricity was flowing through my veins. We almost tore each other’s clothing at that small coffee shop.
It ended up being a very toxic and crazy relationship. After that, I decided to just date around. Play around, whatever you call it. I wasn’t expecting anything at all and I was actually enjoying my slutty carefree life. I had completely shed off the conservative filipino girl that I was.
I was nearing the end of my contract though but I was having so much fun that I decided to stay one more year.
Then, I decided to meet up with a local Japanese guy. He lived an hour and a half away from me but he wanted to meet up. So, we decided to meet at a fastfood place near my apartment for lunch.
Physically, I prefer the more bookish, “majime” look, usually with glasses. So when I first saw him, I was a bit disappointed. Not that he looked bad or anything! He was quite…wild looking. I don’t mean his hair or his clothes. There was something about his face. I can’t put my finger on it. He had very kind eyes though. Then, when he started talking, I could see he had a really pronounced gap tooth. My mother is an orthodontist so it was my first time to see that.
I didn’t feel anything particularly negative about it but I guess he looked different from his photo. Like I said, not bad, just different.
He told me we should move to a cafe that I liked. There aren’t a lot of coffee shops in my town and I didn’t know my way around the city since I had just moved there so I just told him about the cake/cafe shop near my apartment. It was literally a 4-minute walk.
It was amazing. We had such a great time. Our conversation flowed so well. It felt so natural. I really felt like I was talking to a friend I’ve known for a long time. We started talking about our travels. My internship to Europe and visits to other countries. His, to various countries and his gap year in the US. At this point, I wasn’t really sure if it was a date. Many Japanese people use Tinder to meet foreign friends or for language exchange. I am usually fine for either. So, I asked him point blank. He said he wanted to meet friends. So, I was like. Great! Finally a friend with the same hobbies and likes that I can get along with.
We started talking about video games. And about VR. I mentioned that I actually had a VR headset (PSVR). He seemed really excited so I said, “Well, my apartment is like down the road so if you want to, you can try it out.”
We moved to my apartment and tried out a few games. It was really fun! I hadn’t had time to play with the VR yet coz I had just bought it but it was fun to play it with another person instead of by myself.
After a while, he asked if we could watch a movie when I mentioned that I had Netflix. We started to watch Tomb Raider. He made a move around the scene where Lara Croft’s mansion was getting invaded. Lol. I have no memory of the rest of that movie. He stayed the night in the end. I asked him afterwards what happened to the “friends” thing. He said, he really liked me but he’s Japanese and he can’t say that kind of thing so directly to my face.
We’ve been married for almost a year now and have just moved to a house in that very same city. :)
P.S. I am in love with his gap tooth now.
sakura shades 