Alone in Kobe

After work ends, I do my errands and then return to my apartment. Hours of boredom soon follow. I was initially downloading TV shows/movies, but that no longer interests me. That's exactly what I was doing in Canada, and the thought of watching old TV shows on my computer while living in a country like Japan is too depressing for words.

So yesterday I headed straight to the train station after work and went to Kobe. What followed was a night of deep contemplation.

It was already getting dark by the time I arrived at the Sannomiya train station. I began wandering the streets of Kobe, going into the occasional shop. Kobe is a city of bright lights and throngs of people. Initially, I was quite happy exploring the maze of streets and alleys, but then I started to feel lonely. I shouldn't be doing this alone. I should be here with someone. I realized I needed to start meeting people, making new friends. I headed over to Tit Park (vulgar name, I know), a central meeting point located just outside Sannomiya station. And then I just sat down and watched the people pass by. There were many interesting people around me, both Japanese and foreigners. I looked at them and they looked at me. Please someone come talk to me. The first person to approach me was a homeless man who reeked of alcohol and wore old, dirty clothes. He said he was from Hawaii and had been living in Japan for 14 years. He started telling a rambling story of his life, probably filled with as much fiction as fact. I ended the conversation quickly and dejectedly moved to another part of the square. It was both incredibly depressing and funny, in a bitter sort of way, that the only person interested in talking to me was a bum. I continued people-watching and gradually started to enjoy the experience. There were people everywhere, from every walk of life, from all over the world, and we were all in Kobe together. I sat there under the demented gaze of a giant Meg Ryan Nescafe billboard poster and just soaked it all in. And finally, a young, normal looking Japanese guy came over.
"You want to go to bar or karaoke?" he asked. Not the most classy opening line, but it felt so good that somebody decent was interested in talking to me. I said no, I couldn't because I was meeting a friend (he was okay-looking but he had bad teeth). Bottom line, he was young and he was normal looking. I felt a renewed sense of self-esteem and hope. A street band started playing nearby and they were actually pretty good. The music further uplifted my spirits. I walked over and watched them for a little while, until I had to leave to catch the last train home.

Overall, I enjoyed my night in Kobe and I plan on going into the city more often. I sort of liked being alone out there, because it reminded me of why I came to Japan: to explore strange places, to meet interesting people, to be independent.

Taking the train in Japan

I was coming home on the train from Himeji and started looking at the random assortment of people in my train car. To the right of me were two young girls wearing matching Playboy Bunny sweat suites. To the left of me was a woman wearing an elaborate yukata complete with the traditional socks and sandals. There was a scattering of school-age students in their uniforms and businessmen and women in formal suites. There were young Japanese men and women dressed in trendy, up-the-minute fashion outfits. And then there were just a bunch of people dressed in casual, everyday clothes. Only in Japan can you see such a wide variety of dressing habits. I was dressed as I normally do, in jeans and sneakers.

The first post

So I've finally decided to start writing a blog. I'm still not sure why I'm doing this, but I'm going to try to be as honest as possible and hope that nobody I know actually reads the entries.

Where am I right now? I'm in the Kansai region of Japan teaching English at a junior high school.

Why am I in Japan? I'm a lost soul. I don't know what to do with my life. While I'm figuring that out, I might as well live somewhere interesting like Japan. I wanted to live somewhere as different as possible from Canada. Somewhere so foreign, it would feel like I had left the planet. While Japan is not as different as I was hoping it would be, I'm still happy here.

Some things you should know about me: I'm socially awkward, an extreme introvert, quiet, intelligent, and I have a somewhat twisted sense of humour.

My life sometimes seems like a series of bad jokes. It began when my parents named me "Suzanne." That may seem like a perfectly acceptable name to you, but it has resulted in a great deal of annoyance for me. I get called everything: Susan, Suzy, Sue, Suz, Suzannah, and the dreaded Suzy-Q. People spell my name wrong too, ie "Susanne."

I'm very tall and very thin (5'9", 125 lbs); I tend to stick out wherever I go. I've accepted this fact. If I'm going to stick out, I might as well do it full out in Japan where I tower over all of the women and most of the men.

This is my life. Its far from glamorous but there are a lot of funny moments. I'm sure there will be many memorable incidents here in Japan, which I will try to post on this blog.