So, Why Did You Come To Japan??

Here’s a question I’m asked constantly, and while I suppose it’s a legitimate question, it really does make me want to punt a kitten whenever it’s asked of me.

Whenever it’s asked of me, I think my face just goes blank. Then I stare the person in the eyes and calmly say, “Stop fishing for conversation and ask an intelligent question you fucking predictable dunce.”

OK, I don’t. But my eye twitches as I’m forced to hold back that natural response and fulfill my part of the social contract, as I answer with some light and trivial bullshit. Because let’s face it, the person who asks that question is likely a total assclown and won’t listen to any serious answer anyway.

But, as I said, I suppose it is a legitimate question, so I suppose it deserves a legitimate answer.

And like most questions like this, I really didn’t start thinking about an answer until I was already here. And very likely, my answer will change even after I’ve left.

I think I’m here because I see this as the Last Hoorah before effectively ending my life and going to Medical School. Once medical school begins, any spontaneity my life had, or could have had, is ended. Permanently, until maybe retirement. But by the time I retire, I may have the money to do all sorts of cool spontaneous things, but I will be missing something even more important: My Youth.

Which brings me to point two: I came to Japan as a Last Hoorah of my Youth. Not to be dramatic or anything. But really, I will be pissing away the best years of my life in medical school. The years when I have the most energy, am the most attractive, and can generally get anything I want. This is my only opportunity to be both young and (relatively) rich. It is the last time I’ll have no responsibilities, no expenses besides what I choose to spend my money on, and the youth, energy, and time to have a healthy social life.

Reason three: This is likely my last chance to spend any extended period of time abroad. After this, the realities of life demand that I settle down. That’s just the way it is. It’s a little difficult to establish a career, not to mention a career in medicine if you’re constantly moving.

So really, the bottom line is that Japan is my last chance to be young, stupid and fun, and I honestly can’t think of a better place to get it all out of my system. This is the society that pretty much invented escapism after all.

It’s going to be a year of pure hedonism and though most JETs save quite a bit of money in their time here, I plan on going back just as poor as I arrived. I will consider it a personal failure if I leave having saved any substantial amount of money, as it will be money that should have been spent getting trashed and doing my damndest to have a good drunken time. And besides, what will I need money for when I get back? I’ll be living on loans and taking out a cool 400K in loans (that’s right folks), so I don’t thinking having an extra 10K is going to improve my standard of living too much.

This year of hedonism needs to make up for the next 12 or so of pure shit. That’s a tall order, and you can imagine the unspeakable deeds that need to be accomplished to achieve such a goal.

Obviously I have lots of specific things I want to do, see, and be a part of, but it all basically comes back to those three main points.

So there, that’s why I came to Japan. Clearly not the kind of answer that should be tossed around during trivial, get-to-know-you conversation.