2014 in Review and a Look at 2015

I did a post like this at the end of 2013. Let's see how things have changed in the past year.

My third year in Japan was certainly less exciting than the prior two.

I took two international trips, visiting three different countries: Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore. I had a fantastic time at all three places, especially focusing on local food in addition to checking out the sights. In Korea I got to go to six baseball games at six different stadiums in a week. Singapore's cuisine stands out as the best, though all three places have great dishes. And Hong Kong Disneyland was my first international Disney park; yes, I still haven't made it to Tokyo Disneyland or Disney Sea.

My summer was spent on the island of Shikoku, on my most active trip yet. I hiked a few mountains and spent most of the time outdoors. I even randomly came across a baseball museum while sightseeing near Okayama!

But other than my major vacations, I mostly fell into a weekly routine. Take the train to Akihabara, walk around for a little while and have a kebab don. Then, scoot over to Kanda, Takadanobaba, and finally Ikebukuro for a snack with a friend. I love to walk around Akiba, but I didn't take any day or overnight trips that I had planned on taking. I did get to Nagoya for a weekend.

I got on a bunch of new roller coasters this year, both in Japan and in the other countries I visited. I only saw one baseball game here in Japan, though.

I had hoped to be in the US for New Years, but the cards weren't in my favor.

Blogging was a strong point for me this year. I didn't get something posted every day like I had hoped, but I wrote 282 posts in 2014!

I didn't follow through with either of my 2014 resolutions. I think I might weigh a little bit more than I did one year ago. And I studied a lot of Japanese but I didn't attempt the JLPT test.

So what's going on in 2015?

I'm going to book a ticket as soon as possible to go back to the States at some point. I'm looking at June as a possibility, though it would be nice to spend the holidays with my family - if prices work out I might go around Christmas/New Years instead.

The other two or three long vacations will keep me in Japan. I'm looking at western Japan and/or Kyushu for Golden Week and Tohoku and/or Sapporo for summer vacation.

I would like to continue experiencing things in Japan. There are plenty of dishes to sample and several places to try traditional crafts. We'll have a new foreign teacher at our school soon who might be interested in doing some of this with me.

And I'll carry over my two resolutions from last year: lose some weight and pass the JLPT N5 exam.

Any thoughts?

2013 in Review and My Goals for 2014: Less Chaos, More Kanji

What a year.

Where my 2012 was about travel, 2013 seems to have been about experience. I did plenty of sightseeing, but I spent less time at museums and more time really getting to know a lot about Japan.

In my post about goals for 2013, I started by mentioning that I wanted to see more of Japan. Well, I did. I "did" Kansai (Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe), Sapporo, Matsumoto and Nagano, Matsushima and the rest of the Tohoku region, and Nagoya again. I visited a bunch of new baseball stadiums, including the remaining seven home stadiums for the NPB teams. I went to many more amusement parks, and rode my 100th roller coaster in Japan.

I didn't take a trip every month. I still want to go to Okinawa, Shikoku, and Kanazawa. I want to return to Matsushima, Nagoya, Kansai, and Nikko. There are another 100 coasters in Japan to ride and lots of baseball to see.

In 2014, I expect to return to South Korea, hopefully take more overseas trips - Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam are on my shortlist - and I plan to take some more long-weekend trips for more sightseeing around Japan. I also expect to go back to the US for New Years next year (I have a full week off).

My second goal for 2013 was to try more Japanese food. I did pretty good with this. I had my first real sushi and sashimi, tried more ramen variations, and sampled some of the local specialties. I ate fugu! Japanese food is fairly mild and I've liked almost everything I've tried, though I don't like seaweed, especially in nori form - the dark green paper-like wrapping found on sushi rolls and onigiri (rice balls). I might eventually develop a taste for it, though I don't see it happening anytime soon. I also don't care for the chewiness of octopus in takoyaki, though the taste is fantastic. I'll probably give it a third (final) try before dismissing it for good. The best food in Japan seems to be the unhealthy stuff - curry, sweets and fried food are fantastic! My favorite is kushikatsu, fried food, like chicken, beef, and cheese, on sticks served with a sauce, as seen in the photo above.

As for cooking more at home, I didn't do too well with this. Changing requirements at work has left me fairly tired and I get home later at night - both causing me to lose interest in doing anything more than putting something in the microwave. I am eating healthier though, as I'm paying more attention to my diet. I hope to cook more at home next year.

I wanted to post more this year. I had 124 posts in 2012, and only 89 (this will be number 90) in 2013. I had a good run while I posted about last year's Taiwan trip. But getting in a reliable posting rhythm has proven to be quite difficult. Again, I hope to post more next year, as I have plenty of travel and experiences to write about from 2013. I have noticed that I have readers - it seems that my travel posts are quite popular with people who must be researching for their vacations. (Thank you for reading!)

I renewed my contract for 2014, so I'm in Japan for at least another year. But again I have to decide what to do next. After being here for two years, I can even more confidently say that I enjoy living in Japan. I could certainly settle down here forever. There's also a lot that I really want to do and experience and that I miss in America. Again I face a big decision. I suppose it all depends on how things go for the next six months...

However, I have two resolutions for this year: lose weight (I have about 30 pounds to go - I've lost about 20 in the past 2 years including 10 in the past few months since changing my diet), and learn Japanese. I have a specific goal that I have already begun studying for: pass the JLPT N5 test. It's supposed to be pretty easy, and it's entirely possible I'll be ready for it in only a couple months. It involves knowing hiragana, katakana, about 100 kanji characters, and about 800 vocabulary words, in addition to some grammar, expressions, and listening skills.

Here's to another great year in the Land of the Rising Sun!

Not Quite Resolutions: Goals for 2013

I had half of this post typed up in my iPhone but it disappeared. Let's see how it goes when I do it again...

As far as my life goes, 2012 was amazing. I took a huge leap - all the way across the Pacific Ocean, starting a new life in a new country full of new experiences. Surprisingly, I went through very little culture shock, probably because I like a lot of what current Japanese culture is about.

I traveled to Hiroshima, Kyushu, Taiwan, Korea, and dozens of places around the greater Tokyo/Chiba/Yokohama area. I took thousands of pictures, tried plenty of new food, and made a bunch of friends.

As I approach my one-year anniversary of touchdown, it's time for my goals for year two.

God, has it been a year? On January 10, I touched down in Tokyo. Most of that first week or so of training was a blur, but there are still a bunch of distinct memories. But that was a world away.

For 2013, I want to see more of Japan. I spent most of my weekends last year traveling around Tokyo, but this time I want to reach out further. So my first goal is to take a trip every month. Most months, I'll probably go on a one-day trip or spend the night for the weekend. But I'm hoping to take a four-day weekend in Osaka in March, spend summer vacation in Sapporo, and create my own five-day tour of Kyoto and Kobe. If all goes to plan, I'll see pretty much everything but Okinawa and Shikoku. (Did you know that Shikoku has its own independent baseball league? I didn't until now! I might have to make a trip there eventually...)

I want to continue trying more Japanese food. I haven't been too good at this, though when someone has put something in front of me I've tried it. I have had a couple pieces of sushi, but still no real meal. Conveyor belt, here I come!

Speaking of food, I want to cook more meals at home. Bentos are fantastic - under 500 yen, filling, and easy - just microwave them (or have the store clerks do it for you). But I'm sure I can eat a little healthier and possibly a little cheaper if I cook at home during the week. I lost some weight (20-30 pounds, I think) this year, and I'd like to lose more; eating healthier foods by cooking them myself and using smaller portions will help. I'd really like to lose my belly by this time next year.

I want to write more posts this year for this blog. Last year, I went silent for months at a time. Those were pretty dark times, actually - I was tired, stressed, frustrated, or anxious for some of that time. Once I got into a groove in writing these past couple months, I've felt a lot better. I know most of my posts are about travel, but that's what I came to Japan for. So it only makes sense that I write about my travels! That said, if you have any suggestions for other post ideas ("Hey Ryan, what is the deal with the subway system in Tokyo?" "Have you ever gone to karaoke?" "What are your students like?" etc) then leave a comment or send an email. I'm always looking for inspiration for other ideas, though I've been going ahead with the travel posts. I'm so far behind my travel posts (I just finished my May trip to Kyushu) that I have plenty of material there...

I need to decide in about six months what 2014 will be like, as it will be time for contract renewal again. I really love my teaching job, mainly because of the students. But teaching for an eikaiwa means very little vacation time and not much spending money. There are so many choices: stay where I am, look for a promotion of sorts (emergency teaching, head office position, etc), find a school position in Japan, or even look for a job in Europe or Australia. I'm sure I'm not ready to move back home yet, and actually Japan feels like home. I may not speak the language, but so much of it fits so well. But there's much more to the world out there, and I want to explore more of it.

A big part of that decision will rest on my relationship status. I'm not sure what'll happen in the next couple of months, but if I'm no longer flying solo my choices will narrow a good bit. I'd like to say I have a goal of getting into another serious relationship, but I can't look at things that way. I've learned that trying to plan my life makes things more difficult when options come up. So I'll just say, "We'll see."

I guess that is a good reason why I don't have many goals. Every time I've set long-term goals, they've blown up in my face. I'm not upset about that, in many ways. But I've found that planning for the best case and being flexible when things differently has been beneficial.

So maybe my one and only resolution for 2013 should be: be more flexible. I've received comments at work that I've been extremely flexible when schedules change or problems come up, so I guess it's something I'm doing already. But I want to be better. I dunno.

I feel like I've got some weak goals and a weak resolution. But I can't think of anything better that I could be sure I'd be able to follow through on. Thoughts?