Anniversary

[flemmings]

And here we are, the twelfth of May again. Thirty years ago on this date I landed in Japan for the first time. Splendid days, those two weeks of discovery. And two years later- which was still a lifetime then- I came to dirty muggy humid Tokyo for (certain values of) good. Ie I spent the first four months telling myself 'I'll go back home next week.' Well, it worked.

Today is as unlike those two days as it's possible to be, unless it was actually snowing. Bumped the heat up to 20C and kept falling asleep all day, while the wind rattled the panes and rain plopped onto the window AC and petals began to scatter in the garden. Eventually forced my aching self out to the store for soy milk, but mostly stayed in the side room where all the comfy flannel-covered pillows are, and did double crostics.

I've had a copy of As I Lay Dying in the living room for the last three years, having started it one February and then forgot it. Rousted it out and started again, got a third of the way through easily enough but had an uneasy 'this cannot end well' feeling, so went and googled it. How lucky I stopped where I did because oh the oogies that await. Shall dispose of it and its accompanying Sound and Fury in some wee free, and return guiltlessly to genre.

Comments

[heliopausa.livejournal.com]

That's pretty major - thirty years of engagement with Japan and Japanese culture, one way or another - language, residence, manga... Salute to your anniversary!

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Thank you. It's been on again off again for the last ten years or so, but yes, one of the constants of my life, along with babies.

[mvrdrk.livejournal.com]

Yay for genre! I'm envious of your adventurous spirit.

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Oddly, I drag my feet on my English genre reading (Seraphina) and jones after depressing mainstream stuff like Joan Didion instead. The upshot is that I go on rereading Ima Ichiko, which is probably better than either.