Sayonara Japan

There are a ton of things i'm going to miss about Japan, and the closer it gets to me having to go home, the more things i realize i don't want to leave behind. Here are just a few of the ones i'll miss most.

7 i&holding: This is the Japanese version of 7 Eleven. It may not have the typical stuff that an American 7 eleven has, but i think it's so much better. They sell the most delicious meat pies for 110 yen, which my stomach will miss greatly. And their choices of ice cream are deliciously endless. Going back to 7 eleven in the States and only having choices of soda, hot chocolate and donuts will be a sad sad thing.

Icecream: I'm not quite sure what it is about Japanese ice cream, but it is the most delicious thing I have ever tasted. I've now become an ice cream snob and I'm not sure any other ice cream will ever satisfy me as much as Japanese ice cream does. I think what makes it so great is the fact that they mostly serve soft serve ice cream (which i absolutely love) but they make cool flavors out of it, ranging from apple mango to sweet potato. Sounds gross, but it's wonderfully delectable.

My Running Buddy: I've spent the majority of the last 4 years running in solitude because I can never find anyone who either wants to run with me, or who runs at the same pace or mileage as me. Having someone to run every morning with these past 3 months has been so much fun. It's been great to have someone to talk to and someone to push me when I don't want to go that extra mile or get out of bed at 5:30a.m. Plus it takes a special person to listen to my white girl rapping for 14 miles. And I'm definitely going to miss having someone sing Britney Spears to me while i run.

My 6:30 alarm clock: On the days that I wasn't up early running, I could always guarantee that i'd be woken up sometime between 6:30 and 7:30 by one of 3 wonderful little kids. Was i always happy to be up this early? No. But that's nothing a smile from one of my favorite nephews or niece couldn't fix. I'm going to miss these kids like crazy, they make me laugh everyday, and I love them to pieces.

The people: I can people watch for hours in the States, but i could people watch for days in Japan. Everything about them is just so interesting, ranging from the clothes they wear to the way they interact with each other. One of my favorite things about being here has been the opportunity to get to be immersed in another culture, one where I'm the minority. It's sort of awesome being the minority. I may even miss having everyone stare at me as I walk down the street.

I'll leave you with those for now, but i'm sure i'll be back with more.