Farewells Part 2
Posted on Aug 02, 2010
It is the last week of internship, and I'm not even sure what I am supposed to feel. It's a mixed bag as always, but I know I am getting (or will get) a sense of closure. I am saying goodbye to all the food, places, people, and fun.
Mono no Aware (物の哀れ)
I spent Saturday evening seated on the curb of a gated area in Asakusa. For 1.5 hours, fireworks filled the skies, and over a million people converged upon the Asakusa area. The heat was unbearable with so many people left and right, especially with everyone dressed in yukata. Following the Sakura House hostel group, we found seats and watched the fireworks from behind the fence. It drove me insane that we had to watch from that view, but it was nice to be that close.
Roughly translated as “the pathos of things” or “sensitivity of ephemera” or “empathy toward things,” this Japanese philosophy is the background to the traditions of cherry blossom viewing (Spring) and fireworks viewing (Summer). I find this to be such a Zen way of mindfulness. To appreciate the fleeting is something we all seldom do. And to make a ritual out of it gives us all a well-needed opportunity to do so each year. It’s both beautiful visually and philosophically.
And that is just the reminder I needed for the end of this experience. It came and gone so quickly, but there is so much to savor and hold on to for longevity. Nothing lasts, but it's our prerogative to keep whatever we value alive within us.
My company also threw me and my co-intern/worker a goodbye party at a nearby beer garden in Shinanomachi. There is nothing better than nomihodai/tabehodai (all you can drink/eat) yakiniku and beer. It was great to see everyone break loose outside of the work environment, and I was really glad we could celebrate together as a company. Though many could not actually attend, there was a reasonably big group. I cannot believe my internship at the company is ending because I feel like I've just only begun to acclimate to the business environment and what it is that RJ does. I am honored, however, to be featured on both their blog and future magazine publication.
Quite possibly one of my favorite dinners in the world. Korean BBQ is also popular in the States, so this Japanese rendition was definitely a reminder of home.
Self-explanatory.
This journey has not only made me stronger on my own two feet, but it has made me really confront a lot of fears I've had about being independent and working in the "real world." The "real world" is what you get out of it, and through the work that you do and the people that you meet, you craft your own sense of reality. Japan has a way of disappearing into the fantasyland of consumerism and cultural intricacy, which makes the task that much harder to ground yourself. But it is deeply rewarding to find yourself adapting and surviving in this otherwise homogenous society. Who knew I could find my way around the circuitous system known as the Tokyo JR/Subway/Metro? You learn so much about yourself and what it means to be you when the environment is so foreign. I know more than ever that my Western ideology dictates and dominates how I think and act, and Japan has shed some crucial light on my way of life. Though I will be returning to my comfort zone, this space for growth was well-needed.
Cheers, Japan. Thank you for everything that you've given me. I can only hope that I've given back in whatever little way I could.
さようなら!
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