Reflection of living in Japan

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Four years – really do not seem like such a long duration.

As I continued to go on with an absolutely normal life in Japan, having a full-time job, travelling via train daily on weekdays to office, relaxing during the weekend. All these were taken for granted when I was back in Singapore. How did I manage to overcome those shittest situation to where I am now? Most of the time, these memory just parked at a corner of the archived mind.

 

There’s a saying or somewhere I have heard before

“ You will never know till you take the first step.”

 

Taking the first step is the hardest.
And to continue the next step, when you only see an endless of uncertainty down the lane, the fear just consume oneself, unwillingly to move on.

 

“What is hard anyway? What is so difficult? Japan? Isn’t that nice? You must be enjoying so much.”

 

Oh yeah, I did. As a tourist. I did enjoy. Japan sure welcome tourists, who could boost the economy, increase expenditure, why not?

Living in Japan – that is quite a different story. Japan is generally a homogenic state. You have to speak their language to survive daily situation of buying groceries, shopping, asking for assistance, applying for anything – you just need that language.
And to find a job, yes, you can’t run away from that language.

 

Business Japanese is just like a whole topic for itself, Japanese or foreigners who want to work in Japan, has to at least obtain minimal understanding of business Japanese manner, working style (which could be very cumbercent in most situation). You question the why? But you could not say why? It is how it is the way it works.

 

Typing a typical business email, weaken my soul a little every time. I got to researched on how to sound polite even when I am rejecting. I got to apologize first (even though I did nothing wrong) to ask for something, probably the mistake from the party. Yet, you just have to apologize to ask the person to do something about it. And after apologizing, you got to say thank you for all your trouble for your help, and thank you again. How could my heart not died a little? Sigh deeply.

 

So much so it seems like I have more negativity image of living in Japan, it is not exclusively negative either.

 

Service is definitely better like going to a restaurant, hotel or ryokan. You feel you paying for the money worth. I wouldn’t say likewise when we are back home.

 

Enjoying four different seasons. A total life-changing experience. From cold to cool, to warm to hot and back to cold. One could just anticipate different scene and temperature. I couldn’t ask for more for such memorable experience.

 

Ending with life is just a fleeting moment. It is short, it is fragile. While our mind and physical body exist on this earth, it is just us human, living for a few decades, that’s quite sums up about it. And no matter where we are, we are still on this earth, living as human till the day we bid farewell.

 

Featured image Daryan Shamkhali