Sasayama

Sense & me with the bread i baked using the wood-fired oven he built. I have really enjoyed hanging out with Sense, his knowledge about cooking and hunting is inexhaustible, and most of all, he doesn't take himself too seriously. 

Yuko, Haluko San, Sense, me & Hanako, Kuwa Monpe sessions. The gang at Kuwa Monpe (an Italian resteraunt) started by Sense & his wife Haluko San, along with the waitress with the best smile in Japan, Yuko.

Its getting close to the time for me to leave Japan, and what a year it has been. Before coming here i was intending to connect with people in the countryside somehow, my image was me on a bike stopping to ask people in their fields for a place to stay and food in return for some help with their work. That was until i discovered that Japan has a WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms) program. I knew about it from Australia, but was stoked to discover that Japan had the program as well. It was going to take the hassle out of me having to do sign language to the old farmers in their fields, and better still, the program is based on organic principles so was more likely to introduce me to people that have the same kinds of views on things.

That it did.

I have been living with the one wwoof host for over a year now, i feel so lucky to have met them and so thankful that they opened their house and hearts to me.

Staying in one place has had its benefits. i have gained a lot, from knowledge about all things farming to problem solving and learning more about myself. This place and its people has had such a great influence on me i even considered living here at one point.

There are many things commendable about Japanese people, one is their pure hearts. I have been reminded time again how much we should value honesty and honor the things around us. Japanese culture is very different to mine, and remarkable in so many ways (too many for me to even start writing about on a blog). But one of the more obvious facets of Japanese culture is respect. I was having a conversation in English with a Japanese friend from down the road, and we were talking about this same thing, after she asked me why i liked Japan so much. I gave the example of if there is an elderly person driving really slow on the road, the typical response from someone i know at home is `get off the road you stupid old coot`, `here` my friend said, `we just wait`. It is so true.

Lee San, not going to be annoying fellow road users by driving too slow in his ultra fast (& ultra bumpy) black machine. Lee San has enthusaism for life like none other. From climbing up mountains on his hand built racing bikes to spending 2 whole days building me a new front tyre for my bike, he loves a challenge as much as he loves heavy metal music, his lust for life is infectious.

I really appreciate the time people have taken with me trying to help me understand something or teach me something, or even just sharing a laugh even though neither of us share the same spoken language.

I could probably write a small book on the things i like and find interesting about Japan, but i just wanted to try to let you understand why i have chosen to live in one place for so long; not to mention it is a real holiday not having to worry about a boss barking down your neck for working too slow, because after all there is no money being exchanged, just good old fashioned bargained agreement.

Thanks Gen, Anna & Midori for letting me share and be part of your lives for the past year, you will be part of the rest of my life in some way. Ill start repaying you by travelling to Mexico next month to start another journey of a lifetime.