Time to Go

I’ve done it. I’ve made the decision to leave. I’m actually going to pack my life up and leave Japan….. and I can’t quite believe it…

While the first year of living in Japan, leaving wasn’t an option; it is something I have feared/fantasized about (depending on the day) on a regular basis over the past couple of years. Coming to Japan with an indefinite departure date allows one to be open to the opportunities that present themselves here, but for most of us, there comes a time, when opportunities from other places are also attractive. I have felt particularly over the last year increasingly ‘ready’ to leave and thus when an opportunity came up for me to experience another foreign land, my feet became even itchier.

What I always loved most about Japan was the challenge of the place. Everything was harder – even the simplest things are made more complex and therefore more interesting from the simple fact you are in a foreign land. Having been here for years now, these challenges don’t exist as much, and while I could never say that the place has become less stimulating (not possible in a place as fast-moving as Tokyo), I am ready for a new ‘deep end’ of sorts.

Of course, career opportunities come in to it as well as general lifestyle. I have always looked on the positive side of being so unique in Japan’s corporate world – it has opened many doors and let me to achieve many things I never knew I would as soon as I would; I have also gained access to some incredible senior businessmen and women that have become mentors as well as friends – this may not have been possible in a bigger pond of foreigners….. but upon finding myself at a bit of a career crossroad, the thought of a more competitive environment due to being less unique was actually an enticing element of the consideration to move on….

So, I am off to Hong Kong - for many, the entry point, for others the departure gate of Asia. It seems to offer a good combination of a challenging new world, yet with more home comforts. It seems to provide a happy medium of the Asia that I will always love, and the home that I always miss. Career-wise, opportunities are abound, and I am excited about where this move will take me professionally. There is nothing like a change of scenery for a refreshing sense of newfound motivation.

In many ways, I feel now that the decision has been made, the hardest part is over. I’m looking forward to so many things and focusing on these, rather than what I am leaving behind… although I know the most difficult part is going to be those farewells. In the meantime, I won’t have the time to think about these – I have subscriptions to cancel, accounts to close, items to get rid of, and a myriad of other things likely to keep me busy.

It’s hard to define the moment you know it’s time to leave – for me it has turned out to be after four and a half years in this grand city, five and a half years total Japan time. I think the optimal situation is to balance it well enough so that you are ready enough to leave, but not so ready that your earlier experience is tarnished. I am happy, and in a sense relieved that I feel that at this time.

So looking forward, the next few weeks are going to be crazy. Full of sayonaras and, knowing this place, lots of filling out of forms. As I transition in to ‘make the most mode’ and start realizing the ‘lasts’ of everything, I have the intention of keeping stress at bay as much as possible - my time in Japan has been an incredible experience and I intend to make it even more so while I still have the time.