downside up girl

Some months ago, Jade was telling me about a famous Japanese folktale which I - never having been a child growing up in Japan- had never heard of before.  This is likely why I found the story so fascinating.  It was about a boy named Urashimataro who saved the life of a turtle, prompting the turtle to take Urashimataro on his back to a palace under the sea. There, the boy lived a life of luxury and decadence in the company of a princess.  After three days however, Urashimataro missed his mother and wanted to go back up to the land.  On his departure, the princess gave him a box and told him never to open it (of course).  Urashimataro took the box and returned to his native land.  There, he was shocked to learn that 100 years had gone by on the land in what had been only three days under the sea.  At this point Urashimataro naturally opened the box, which released a magic spell that turned the boy into an old man.

The folktale suggests that time passes differently in different places, in different environments or contexts.  I`ve been thinking about Urashimataro (whose name, when translated badly, means "upside-down-island-boy") a lot lately.

I was so much like Urashimataro that time 3 or so years ago when I actually attempted to move back to America, after spending quite a few decadent years in Japan just after college.  I came back and everyone had grown up and gotten real jobs and knew how to act like adults in this culture.  And it sucked.  So instead of opening Urashimataro`s box, I went running back to Japan.

But now, years later, the situation has completely reversed itself.  I feel as I have changes so much while living in Tokyo the past couple of years, but everything here has stayed the same.  I am the anti-urashimataro (downside-up-trench-girl?).  In the year-and-change I`ve spent sober, I`ve built a really stable life for myself back in Japan.  And it`s awesome.  I love my life in Tokyo.  But it just doesn`t exist here.  At all.  Having been drunk or high all the time has not left much of a life for me to come back to.  It is like early sobriety for me all over again. I feel like I have to build my American life up again from scratch.  But to be honest, I`m not really trying that hard to do so.  So much has been happening that I don`t really feel as if I`m here or there.

Oh yeah, and I got married last week.  It kicked ass. 

Comments

[Carlyn]

Congratulations !! Much happiness to you .

[Auberginefleur]

Welcome back to Japan! Post marriage pictures please! Weren't you also involved in some book promation activities while in the US? How did that go?

-AF

[Kate]

welcome back! congratulations! good luck with everything and take care of yourself and the life you love.

[Kathy]

Congrats! I just loved how you threw that marriage thing in there so nonchalantly. I didn't even realise you had a man! Obviously I need to go back through your archives with a fine-tooth comb.

k

[Bob]

Congrats!