How many more Japan in my life?

Here I am back again in Japan. I am not sure how many times I have been here. Every time is different.

25 years ago: I played Tamiya

The moment I can hardly forget. Every Saturday morning at 9, I woke up to watch Let’s go brother with my dad. Times that I missed, we setup the video tape recorder. It’s a Tamiya toys that brought me into car enthusias and at the same time Japanese Culture. Couple of years after my parents brought me a 1/10 Tamiya RC cars from their holiday in Hongkong. It was a memorable moment coming back from school and built dampers, differential, painted the car, start the engine with dad. I like cars. I want to build cars and I am still is. I am getting closer to making it real but I am not sure yet how to get there?

11 years ago: I studied in Tokyo

Honestly I don’t know what to do after finished Computer Engineering degree in Thailand. I thought it would be nice to experience life in Japan. I did study Robotics in Tokyo. It’s a time when I met very good friends whom I am still in contact even today. I feels like the scholarship brings similar people together. I travelled a lot. A bit too much that I stop remembering where I have been to. By the time I graduated, I felt like I am completely done with this country. Didn’t mean that I like Japan less. I meant I was so exhausted by the stress but I feel like I wanna see somewhere else.

One thing that I got from my professor was never giveup mentality - you can do it, if you start doing it.

7 years ago: I worked for a Japanese company

Mitsui opens my eyes in many ways. The company values people and that reflects to all collegues in the same division (They all graduated from Japan). Learning sales is something I never thought I would be able to be comfortable with. The company gave me chances to travel to South East Asia countries. I got a 1.5 year post in Singapore which really push me to brush up my English. Working in a slightly international culture. Towards the end, I felt like no more Japanese companies in my life.

Did I try too hard to be Japanese without noticing?

3 years ago: I worked for a Dutch company

Oh gosh another Japanese recuiter contact me on LinkedIn. I was so so hesitate at first because I felt like I am so done with this country … The first meeting completely changed my mind. It has all the beauty that Japan has that I valued – today I realized that the term is called “Monozukiri”. European companies got so many things to offer in terms of working culture. In this hybrid environment, I got to do what I am passionate about – writing codes that matter.

Today: I am back in Japan in TICO

A month has passed so fast. Coming together with the family makes me feel more comfortable. I got more freedom than I ever had in Japan with the car to roam around freely. But the most important thing that was different this time was:

I am Gaijin. I will never be Japanese. I never talk keigo like you. I careless about trying to be Japanese.

This time it makes me a strong believer of Japan. They have got everything to offer, not only to the local economy but to the humandkind. They are just not as good at making it a HIT . . . Or until I run out of energy.

And then I am wondering to myself…

.. How many more times I gotta be here in this life?

.. What would be life be without Japan?