Settling in

Well here I am then.

I’ve been in Japan for fully a week now and it feels like months already.

There’s something odd about travelling to Japan: one the one hand, it’s exciting to be getting on a plane and going to another country; on the other hand, having lived here for five years already, Japan is utterly familiar to me. This country is so very different to Australia and yet I feel totally at home. And right at the moment, I love the place:

• It’s nice and cold (with apologies to those in Melbourne who have just endured a disgusting heatwave)

• Eating out is cheap (needless to say I haven’t cooked myself a meal yet, other than toast)

• There’s a Mr Donuts (the best doughnuts in the world in space, no argument)

• There’s an enormous two-story ¥100 shop (like a $2 shop but for approx. $1.15 at current exchange rate)

• Our new house is wonderful, full of tatami mats and sliding doors, with a view of the sea and a garden to boot (more on the house later)

• And, I’ve been shopping. Boy have I been shopping. I think I understand what they mean by retail therapy.

It’s been a busy week:

• On Saturday I got the keys to the house and went to choose a car at my friend’s parents’ car yard up in the mountains

• On Sunday I bought a fridge, washing machine, oven, toaster, rice cooker, vacuum cleaner and bread maker, and also did some damage at the ¥100 shop

• On Monday I toured the second-hand shops and bought a desk, some light fittings and other stuff, then went to the local Nitori (like an upmarket Ikea) and bought futons and blankets for the family

• On Tuesday I went and registered at the government office did other procedural things, then started cleaning the house (which has been empty and collecting dust for a couple of months)

• On Wednesday I spent the entire day shopping for house stuff at the local home centres (= Bunnings) and supermarkets, and did some more damage at the ¥100 shop

• On Thursday I went back up into the mountains to complete some registration procedures (and saw snow!) then came back for a bit of lazy shopping

• And on the seventh day (that’s today), he rested. I plan to have a leisurely breakfast at Mr Donuts followed by, oh why not, a spot of shopping. But at a more leisurely pace.

Although shopping has been fun, there is also something a bit scary about spending all that money in such a short space of time, a vague sort of “am I doing the right thing here?” sensation. Actually I’ve been having quite a few of these moments lately, as described here. It sometimes seems to me that life is just one long succession of am-I-doing-the-right-thing moments. Like when you come home from hospital with your first baby and no instruction booklet.

Anyway, whatever, tomorrow is the weekend, and on Monday I’m seriously tempted to go skiing for the day. Problem is, the tour bus departs at 6:00 a.m. sharp. I guess I’ll have to wrestle with that one over the weekend. Meanwhile, the family arrives on Tuesday night so I’d better have the house looking good.