Sayonara, Germany

The day I've worked so long for has finally arrived. For four years I've been looking forward to finally returning to Japan, and in three hours I'll be on my plane.

My first week will be spent at a friend's place in Tokyo. After that I'll move to Chiba, where I'll take up residence in a (probably tiny, but subsidised!) student apartment until the end of January.

It's hard for me to leave Germany, of course. When I got here I was just an exchange student with a German girlfriend, but now I have a wife, a home, the beginning of a career. I'm so, so excited, though, to finally return to Japan, to speak and read and hear and eat and dream Japanese without pause.

I'm ridiculously nervous today. I've had disasters in the past - I've missed planes, forgotten my passport, taken the subway the wrong way for two hours before realizing that I wasn't on the way to the airport. I've checked five times this morning that I really do have my passport in my suitcase, and my wife has just reminded me to make sure I take my suitcase with me. Which sounds funny, but I've forgotten things like that before.

Hopefully, though, everything will go well, and you will hear from me next from Tokyo. Wish me smooth skies!