i am my own passport

One of my concerns when I moved here was how I would make friends. I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I probably wouldn’t be meeting any people I felt inspired to be friends with in any real depth. Tokyo orientation pretty much confirmed my suspicions. Besides which, I would no longer have my ‘passports’ into the sort of social circles I like to be involved in. All my life, I’ve felt like I’ve needed other people to introduce me to the people I want to be friends with.

Mum was my passport to the world of artists, Tracy was my passport to high school cliques (and that turned out _so_ well for both of us!*voice saturated with sarcasm*) Wendy was my passport to goths and alternative friends in Melbourne, Sean was my passport to roleplaying circles and most of my friends today. I’ve even done things deliberately to help open up worlds to me – I started life modeling partially to get that connection with the world of artists after leaving home, I taught myself to smoke so I could join the people in the gutter (Mum always seemed to meet interesting people smoking in the gutter!)

In coming to Japan I was leaving behind all my links, all my passports to the worlds I gravitate towards. Not only that, but I was coming over a somewhat pared down version of myself, necessitated by the 20kg luggage limit and the work oriented stuff taking priority. I did not imagine I could possibly meet the sort of people I wanted to in such circumstances.

However, I found passports here too. Blair was one of my first passports, into a group of people who are quite quirky and inclusive of newbies. Shanta was my passport to the Kaiso ALTs, Ches my passport to Wacho ALTs and AEGs. But in recent months I have become my own passport. I have made friends off my own bat. I have met people at Bagus and in Osaka, all by mineself *voice coloured with wonderment and delight*

What on earth precipitated this realisation right now? I just received a postcard from someone in Osaka. He is the manager of a jewellry shop in Amemura, Osaka. I first met him when showing Neils around earlier this year. We got talking tattoos, then music (he learns didgeridoo) and he was the person who took us to the didgeridoo shop. He is definitely not the typical Japanese salaryman – he has shoulder-length hair, piercings, tats and a goatee. Suitably intriguing! Every time I go to osaka, I drop into the shop to say hi, usually with friends to ‘show’ them the store 😉 Last weekend I went up to osaka to buy a backpack for my laptop and to look at camera backpacks. After having no luck, I dropped into the shop, Vault, to get a new nose stud. I’ve been in so many times, I vowed the next time I go I must buy something! An hour and a half of talking with him and two others later and they invited me out for drinks after work. So I left the shop and went back around 9 (so much for going home around 6ish) and hung out with them until last train time. Incidently, he has a wife and child so nothing going to go on there. (on my way to the train, I ran into a couple of Wakayama ALTs who quickly convinced me to stay out-but that’s another story)

Anyway, I get home today to a postcard from Vault, announcing some event this weekend, and a handwritten note saying I must drop by and go drinking with them again after I get back from Vietnam. This is just one of many such satisfying, chance interactions I’ve had in the past couple of weeks. It feels good. Suddenly I have confidence that wherever I go in the world, given some time, I will meet people I can relate to. Yay!

I am my own passport.