Back in early 2018, when I received the call from the Japanese General Consulate in Naarm that I would be participating in the JET Programme, I thought I would be back home after a couple of years, three if I did a good enough job.
One ongoing pandemic later, and I’m coming towards the end of my fifth and final year of my rolling contract. They say that time flies when you’re having fun, but “they” didn’t account for a pandemic-enforced routine as another possible reason why time can go by quickly.
It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Sticking around this long allowed me to make three wonderful new friends, which in turn allowed me to discover new things about Nagasaki (and to a lesser extent, Fukuoka) so that I could help them settle in.
Case in point - helping my vegetarian friend eat his very first ramen allowed me to discover a place that serves a really ripper vegan ramen in Fukuoka City. I’m not going to argue with that.
Of course, all good things must come to an end, and my time here in Japan as a foreign resident is no exception.
I won’t be going back immediately. I have the option to switch over to a tourist visa and use it for a maximum of three months.
I’ll be spending August destressing here in Nagasaki before doing some travelling around Japan. I still need to visit three more prefectures over in Shikoku, and perhaps make a trip up to Hokkaido as well while the weather is still pleasant enough.
As for what comes next, one of the first things I’m going to do when I’m back home in Naarm is to take the train down to Oakleigh Station and make my way to Kalimera Souvlaki Art.
It’ll be a glorious reunion betwixt man and food.