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Nihon News Part XI

"If there is changing beauty, there is constant beauty."

Part XI?  Yes, Part XI, to my shame.  Part VI is in the making and will
recount a normal day in Futtsu at Nippon Steel Corporation.  In Part VII
I hope to tell of my summer vacation (yes, I'm that backlogged) in
Hokkaido, and in Part VIII talk about various smaller outings and the
tortuous way in which I found the church I've been going to.  Part IX
represents a noble endeavor to catch up at least temporarily, but I
didn't yet manage to put to paper more than three quarters of my winter
vacation.  Part X will wrap up my tales of Japan while working at Nippon
Steel, focusing on more day trips and the farewell parties of this last
week.  So instead of having everyone wait even longer because of my lack
of diligence, I chose to write Part XI as the first installment looking
forward rather than back.  I will post this instalment on my homepage as
well, though for the time being only as a text file.  (A few additional
pictures of Japan may nevertheless be worth the visit.)  Here's where
you'll want to go:
http://www.geocities.com/thduggie/japan

My trainee visa for Japan expires on April 14th, so that's the date I'll
leave the country on.  Until then, I will make a small loop through
central Honshu, first visiting my host family, the Takatas, in Kanazawa
(the fourth and hopefully not last time I return), then heading down to
Osaka, where Stefan and Olivier are still working.  Stefan has decided to
prolong his stay in Japan in order to obtain a Ph.D. while working at
Koyo Seiko, whereas Olivier's trainee program lasts a whole year, which
means he's still got three more months to go.  I hope to visit the cities
of Himeji, Kyoto, Osaka and Nara in this area, before I return to Tokyo
for visa purposes.  

It might seem odd that a Swiss citizen returning to Switzerland would
need a visa.  Perhaps it makes more sense if I add that on my journey
home I will not set foot in a single plane.  Indeed, on April 14th, I'll
board a boat in Shimonoseki, on the southernmost tip of Honshu, for a
two-day trip to Qingdao.  From there, I'll take the train to Beijing,
where meeting my friend Lenny will be the main attraction.  I'll have
nearly a week there before my train leaves, on April 23rd, for Ulan
Bator, where I plan to write "Roger Wilco was here" on the door of a
public bathroom.  The travel agency I booked this trip home with, the
German-based TSA Reisen, has organized a homestay in every city I stop
at: Ulan Bator, Irkutsk, and Moscow.  I will arrive in Berlin - if I get
those visas, that is, for China, Mongolia, Russia, and Belarus - on May
7th.  How I travel home from there will depend on my funds.  

Knowing such an experience awaits me, and knowing friends and family
await me back in Switzerland, makes saying goodbye to Japan easier.  I
have grown attached to this country and it hurts to be uprooted - I
wouldn't have to emphasize this if I had written my Nihon News
diligently, because then you'd be acquainted with my friends foreign and
Japanese I must bid farewell to.  I hope to return for another longer
stay, for now it feels too early to leave: my language learning curve is
still steep, and just recently have I begun to feel I know the ropes
enough to discover what the casual tourist doesn't.  Time will tell.  

I have a second reason for writing a Part XI detailing my future plans. 
Quite simply, for the first (and quite probably last) time I'd like to
specifically ask those of you who pray for prayers for my safety on this
trip.  I know many would have prayed anyhow, and I'll also take this
moment to thank you for your prayers throughout the year.  

Happy Easter,

Stephan Stuecklin