The End Of Our Trip As We Know It Joshua Schultz

Alright folks, it’s been a hell of trip and let me tell you, I am exhausted. It’s been maybe four days back in Canada after our psychotic expedition into the Japanese universe and between jet lag and not being able to hit a convenience store for anything but food poisoning, bankruptcy and crippling sadness, I’d say the majority of us are already planning how best to sneak back over to Japan, shred and burn our passports and live as homeless NEET (peoples not in employment, education or training) in the glorious land we’ve come to love. This idea, instead of being recognized as an incipient psychotic breakdown like it should be, is instead growing in popularity among the group with each passing minute and I fear for us all should someone actually attempt it. I digress however, as such things are unlikely at best and at worst unavoidable.  

So, beyond wanted to go back with every fiber of my being, what can I say for the country and everything that happened and all that I learned? First of all, Japan is not some flawless, glorious land of milk and honey. It has its warts and issues just like anything else on this beautiful cruel planet. For example, there was a mass killing which occurred just ten minutes away from where I lived at a busy train station. I had gone grocery shopping nearby just a little while before and frankly returning to a bloodbath and the sounds of screaming, dying children will probably never leave me despite a probable investment into intensive therapy. Furthermore, an acquaintance of mine made the mistake of thinking Japan was safe and harmless and was assaulted by an older man while she was touring Akihabara in the evening, and she will likely never recover from the violation that occurred to her. So it is safe to say that despite all the low crime rates and reports of the harmlessness of Japan, it is far from perfect and caution should be taken when there, just like anywhere else in our world. 

That is not to say there weren’t things to love about Japan. After all, there are so many of us that experienced such things and are still infatuated with the country like a horrible high school crush that there would have to be some sort of compensation for all the ill there was. Many of us found romance, excitement, and friendship. We met new people, tried new things, and learned to experience life in a different way from what we had for all our lives up until that moment. There were tears, certainly, but there were also smiles, hugs, kisses, laughter and countless indescribably beautiful moments shared between us that we could never in a thousand lifetimes forget. The time we spent there was not without its darkness: some of us nearly didn’t make it back to Canada, and there were other dangers lurking in bar room and alleyway like anywhere else in the world. But perhaps through this darkness, the bright and beautiful light that Japan shines was able to resonate even more brightly to us.