Two weeks into the break between semesters I haven't really done much in the way of traveling and at this point in my study abroad experience, it isn't terribly exciting just to walk around looking at things anymore as I've gotten rather used to city life in Japan and I'm currently putting a good amount of work into the game I'm developing. I often spend a large portion of the day in the world of programming and am surprised when I step outside and remember that I'm living in a foreign country. I try to find new things to appreciate and sometimes I am reminded of things that I have started to take for granted.
I was talking to a friend of mine on Skype who is a fan of Japanese animation and goes to great lengths to get merchandise from his favorite shows. Talking about his recent purchases and how expensive they were to import and to ship, it occurred to me how nice it is that I can pickup anime merchandise at local thrift stores and if I'm looking for something very specific or rare, I can take a $3 train ride to the heart of the 9th largest city in the world and visit nipponbashi, the largest concentration of anime goods outside of Tokyo.
Growing up I remember having a sense that everything even vaguely Japanese was instantly cool and this attitude was shared by many of my peers. Now many of those things that seemed so cool and exotic are parts of my daily routine or at the tips of my fingers if I so choose. Looking back, this has been an amazing opportunity and I intend to put considerable effort into re-instilling in myself the passion and excitement I felt before I got here.
No comments:
Post a Comment