JET Programme Series: A Trip around the Sun in Japan - Christian Jalim
2020/8/27
JET Programme Series: A Trip around the Sun in Japan - Christian Jalim
And just like that, 365 days have passed since setting foot in the country that inspired me the moment I saw “Japan Video Topics” as a child. The best way to describe this first year is a roller coaster. There are ups, there are downs and there are moments when your world is upside down but regardless, you loved it, you enjoyed the ride and definitely want to do it again (or in this case just stay on the ride and continue).
Experienced JETs tend to tell new JETs that there’s a “Honeymoon Phase” for approximately the first two months before life kicks in and you lose that sparkle in your eye to things around you, yet here I am waiting for that phase to be over. Every day is a new adventure and there’s something about life in Japan where even the simplest of things just makes you appreciate life, and the experience. I guess you can compare it to the way a “slice-of-life” anime can romanticise daily life by changing the perspective of something that can be mundane and tedious into something that’s simple yet beautiful. Furthermore, the changing landscape with every season brings something new to anticipate and look at, as you progress throughout the year; new flowers bloom, trees morph with the different seasonal changes and just the way the portrait of your world changes as time progresses is something that adds an extra bit of charm to life here.
Of course, the presence of COVID-19 has added a new aspect to life here and quite drastically changed the way daily life progresses. It was very interesting to see areas near my apartment like the Dōgo Shōtengai (Dōgo Strip Mall) which is usually bustling and busy, be the complete opposite, just devoid of life and energy.
And now, we’re back to summer where it all began. Maybe my least favourite season on the basis that I cannot be outside without being drenched in sweat. However, as I reflect amidst this humid summer heat, it feels very nostalgic. In a way the heat brings back memories of the adventure moving to Japan, witnessing many things for the first time and being a starry eyed youth embarking on the adventure of a lifetime and making a dream a reality. A year may have just concluded but there's still time and a lot left to experience in this country of wonder.
JET Programme Series: A Trip around the Sun in Japan (Japanese Embassy Facebook)
JET Programme Series Archives
Experienced JETs tend to tell new JETs that there’s a “Honeymoon Phase” for approximately the first two months before life kicks in and you lose that sparkle in your eye to things around you, yet here I am waiting for that phase to be over. Every day is a new adventure and there’s something about life in Japan where even the simplest of things just makes you appreciate life, and the experience. I guess you can compare it to the way a “slice-of-life” anime can romanticise daily life by changing the perspective of something that can be mundane and tedious into something that’s simple yet beautiful. Furthermore, the changing landscape with every season brings something new to anticipate and look at, as you progress throughout the year; new flowers bloom, trees morph with the different seasonal changes and just the way the portrait of your world changes as time progresses is something that adds an extra bit of charm to life here.
Of course, the presence of COVID-19 has added a new aspect to life here and quite drastically changed the way daily life progresses. It was very interesting to see areas near my apartment like the Dōgo Shōtengai (Dōgo Strip Mall) which is usually bustling and busy, be the complete opposite, just devoid of life and energy.
And now, we’re back to summer where it all began. Maybe my least favourite season on the basis that I cannot be outside without being drenched in sweat. However, as I reflect amidst this humid summer heat, it feels very nostalgic. In a way the heat brings back memories of the adventure moving to Japan, witnessing many things for the first time and being a starry eyed youth embarking on the adventure of a lifetime and making a dream a reality. A year may have just concluded but there's still time and a lot left to experience in this country of wonder.
JET Programme Series: A Trip around the Sun in Japan (Japanese Embassy Facebook)
JET Programme Series Archives