Since climbing Mount Fuji I have been busy packing, giving farewell speeches, leaving Iiyama, having a blast at Fuji Rock, singing karaoke in Tokyo and then finally boarding the BA flight home to Scotland!
Me with some 3rd years, just after my last lesson.
Saying goodbye to Iiyama, the students and my friends there was harder than I had anticipated. My speeches in Japanese went well (thank you Makoto) and when I finished, some students presented me with some money and then the audience parted and had me walk down the middle as the cheered, clapped and even cried! Waiting for the train to arrive on the platform for the very last time sent butterflies jumping around in my tummy. Once the train pulled away and my farewell party was out of sight, I travelled past my apartment only to see some students standing outside jumping and waving at the train. Needless to say, I continued bubbling away to myself all the way to Nagano!
Iiyama
Dinner with Makoto, Tamie, Jo and Matt.
Leaving enkai with school - Yumoto Sensei and I murdered a Michael Jackson song!
Still, there was no time to dwell on everything and be sad because the very next day Belinda and I were heading to Fuji Rock for 3 days to see some live music. The line-up was amazing and I managed to see Jarvis Cocker (who was VERY rude and smelly when I met him after), Groove Armada, Muse, Kings of Leon, Ocean Colour Scene, Kula Shaker, Kaiser Chiefs, Lily Allen, Mika, G Love and Special Sauce, Beastie Boys, Pigeon Detectives plus some Japanese bands (including Boom Boom Satellites... google them, they were brilliant!) and a few randoms like The Cure, !!! (Chk Chk Chk) and Juliette and the Licks!
Bel and me with the "tresspassers"...
Muse
Grove Armada
The campsite was spread over a ski run and a golf course, so flat ground was actually hard to find!
Festival food on offer...
... including fish and chips!
Bel and me just before Mika
At the end of the festival, the rain closed in!
The weather was amazing (a bit too amazing for my factor 8 as it turned out...) and only rained as we were packing up to leave. The site was spotless, the toilets were clean and there was even an onsen. We had a fantastic few days.
After Fuji Rock, there was just enough time to clean our clothes before I jumped on the shink to Tokyo for the very last time. Bidding farewell to the mountains, I started to get really excited about going home - and there was still 3 days to enjoy in Tokyo first!
Kat and me moments after going blonde at Tony & Guy!
Me, Kat and Bel just outside Pizza Express for the last time.
Last ever Japan karaoke session!
Bel and Kat on the Metro
Shibuya
Kat, Bel and I stayed at Jimbocho for the first two nights before Bel caught her flight home to Oz for a wee holiday, and then Kat and I met Kyla for my last night for a quiet evening and Falafels! My flight was delayed by 3 1/2 hours so I had to hang around the airport for a while before I finally left Japan. I got a little bit emotional when I handed in my "gaijin" ID at immigration when the man asked me if I was returning to Japan and when I said no, he stood up, bowed and said "sayonara"! The flight itself was uneventful, with plenty meals and movies to keep me occupied on the rare moment I was even awake. I landed in Heathrow first, before my connecting flight to Edinburgh where David was waiting for me with a "welcome home" banner!
I have been home a week now and it has been great. I have been super busy with job interviews and hobbling around Glasgow and Edinburgh in high heels ( a year in the mountains has killed my ability to walk in pretty shoes) and even managed to squeeze in a Taiko drumming performance at the Edinburgh Festival.
