After 6 years I finally got the chance to return to Tokyo. Immediately after my solo trip to Taiwan, Ke and I hopped on a plane to Haneda Airport. This was Ke’s first time in Japan and he was beyond excited. In college, I was able to study abroad in Tokyo where I studied Japanese and International Business.
During that time, I dedicated every waking moment to studying Japanese with the goal of one-day living in Japan. So when I returned, I must admit, it was really bittersweet for me and even a little nerve-wracking. Part of me was extremely excited to return since I treasured every moment I spent while living in Tokyo and the other part of me felt like a failure. After returning to America and moving to San Francisco, I forgot most of my Japanese and finally accepted the fact that I would not be an expat in Japan like dozens of my friends were.
However, throughout the 5 days I was able to explore and show Ke around, I slowly felt less and less sad. It didn’t hurt that a bit of my Japanese came back to me and I was able to stuff my face with ramen. I’m even more excited now for when we return and both get a chance to see Kyoto for the first time 😀
