Alex Quinn's Japan Journal

4/6/2005, China trip day 14: Going back "home" to Japan

David kindly took two days to take the train with me back to Shanghai and escort me all the way to the airport.  It should go without saying that David is a really good friend.  He is the main reason I went to China.  I owe him and Akemi a lot for this great trip.

We woke up around 5:00 AM so we could get to the airport early for my 10:00 AM flight.

Here we are at the airport.  We were both pretty tired.

We saw some unrelated Japanese tour group in the airport.

Here are a few pictures of the airplane that brought me back "home" to Japan.

Shanghai Airlines plane that brought me back to Japan.

Shanghai Airlines plane that brought me back to Japan.

Shanghai Airlines plane that brought me back to Japan.

Back "home" in Japan

I keep putting the word "home" in quotes because it was striking how Japan felt like home after visiting a place much more foreign and unfamiliar.  When I finally got back to Japan, it was relieving to hear people I could understand, even though I don't understand all Japanese I hear.  It was nice to buy some ice cream and be able to communicate well enough that I didn't need to resort to gestures, pictures, or cherades to get my point accross.  It was nice to grab some food and not worry about the safety of it.  It was nice to be able to hold the handrail on the train and not worry about catching nasty diseases.  People in Japan are much more polite, too, although they can be shy or chilly at times.  It wasn't nice to spend $3 on my ice cream after spending 12 go 37 cents in China for 2 weeks.  And, I will certainly miss all the exoticism of China.  Everywhere you go in China, there are interesting things to see.  China is busting out with history and natural beauty (in the places that haven't been hit by industrialism).  But, it does feel good to be back "home" in Aioi, Japan.

By the way, I'm thinking of taking another international sightseeing trip this summer - to a city called Seattle, on the west coast of the United States.  Really, taking a trip from Japan to another country really made Japan feel more like my home.  But, of course, Seattle will always be my hometown and my real home.

<Previous     -     Index     -     Next>