Oh no this is another one of those "I don't even know where to begin" moments!!!

The last 5 weeks of my life have been almost indescribable, almost soap opera-esque, almost too overwhelming to even put down on paper.... but I will try.





where to begin?






Lets start at the bit where I was about to leave Tokyo the first time round:










Friday 27th July











So throughout the week I had been feeling a bit lonley. 2 weeks into my holiday I realised that it was because It was my first holiday all by myself. Normally it would have been spent with my buddies and I was missing their company. Luckily I was able to meet up with the guys I stayed with and Noritaka on their lunch breaks and friday saw us all get together for a delightful meal and then something of an all night party!











The main club we stayed at introduced me to a truly terrifying concept of having a four piece acapella group in ,brightly coloured clothes, singing old standards over the top of various kinds of thumping club beats.... crazy!!. However it soon gave way to some decent music and a fun time was had by all. Eating Italian at 6 in the morning was something of a unique experience for me.

However the most important thing that struck me from that evening was the concept of 'Bushido'. Discussing the mind set of the Japanese population Yasui san said that generally the hardworking and respectful qualities given to the Japanese nation can be attributed to Bushido, old Samurai lore which teaches honour and loyalty. Whilst it is slowly losing it's appeal, it was clear that the group I was with held it in a place of great importance. Noritaka, my tour guide of "young" Japan said that all his friends were all gentlemen, probably the closest English equivelent to 'Bushido' and whilst the UK seems to throw away any ideas about Gentlemanly conduct it is nice to see that Japan can still retain it.

Going back to Gunma the next day was something of a sad affair. Yasui san had been trying to get a Job at Bloomberg and had failed at the 5th interview, now unsure what to next, return to sendai prefecture or try again in 6 months time. Noritaka san was in a difficult position of having to take over his fathers computer business, when he has a deep passion for design and loves living in Tokyo, and I returned to some very unfortunate news.

Following Tokyo came a week or so of work, preparing the houses for the cucumber seedlings to be implanted. Incredibly hot temperatures and moving earth around by hand was a true test of endurance and I am thankful that the Japanese are at least sensible enough to have a siesta in the hottest parts of the day.

Also, another yet another BBQ took place where the guest of honour this time was none other than the brother of Colin the Australian, Darren with his wife and little girl stayed for only one night before heading off to see more of Japan. A fleeting visit, but it was still nice to have met him and hear about past vists between the two families, something I may or may not become familiar with in the future.

So I thought that was probably it for my holidays but alas I was mistaken. Otosan decided I could have a little more. So in two shakes of a rabbits cabbages I booked a Hostel in Kyoto for the following week and set off to Tokyo (again) for a week before with nothing but a backpack and a dream....