December 2005

Jane Curbishley

Even from a distance I feel oddly connected to the WIN International Newsletter and certainly saddened to know this is the final edition. It was 11 years ago that I arrived in Wakayama excited at the prospect of living in Japan again for a year. At least that was my plan. Five years later I finally picked up and moved on but not after some of the best experiences of my life.
I think back on that time fondly and miss many of my friends. What are my memories? Of playing taiko drums all around Japan and then representing Wakayama overseas as well. New Year's Eve at the beautiful Kimii-dera with the kimonos, the monks chanting, incense and making a wish...... Sitting in the Saki no yu onsen at Shirahama as the waves lap at the rocks around you,. Oh onsens they are magnificent and I would love to find one so close to home again. Strolling through the hundreds of temples and cemetery at Koya-san and feeling introspective. Of attending my first Japanese funeral and also my first Japanese wedding. All very spritiual experiences. But I can't forget my first day and wondering after studying Japanese for 15 years what language they were speaking in Wakayama! Not to mention my TV and radio appearances and of course karaoke!! Finding a love hotel to sleep in after missing the last train home from Osaka. I remember many of the WIN parties which were always fun and Nakatani-san features in many of my fondest memories. It is the people who make all of the experiences of Wakayama so great. The taiko drum team were and still are my family. The many friends who have sat in those onsens and solved the problems of the world....well our worlds anyway. The friends who haven't made it to celebrate life's best birthdays. Brazilian dancing at Marina City. Eating fabulous food. My many students, bosses and colleagues who taught me more about the real Japan than I thought was possible.
Japan is an amazing country and Wakayama is a special part of it. Thanks to the hard work of Nakatani-san and WIN who have brought so much of Wakayama to its visitors as well as the visitors to the people of Wakayama. Congratulations on a job well done.

Posted on December 2005 in the following categories: People