Thank you everyone for your support despite my absence.

8,000 views! Wow. I'm flattered.

I know I've not been posting much artwork and similarly never updating my journal but I've been checking here everyday and am never-endingly surprised by the views and favourites.


Japan in an amazing place, but being here opens the eyes of the average Japan-Worshipper. The complexities and failings of any society exist here just as potently as anywhere else in the world. It's not a glorious world of anime and video games. It's a country of it's own and I recommend everyone who can to come here and see that for themselves. There is blatant sexism, conservatism, xenophobia, cultural 'superiority', bureaucracy and desire to be American.

The language becomes more and more ingrained in my daily life these days! It's shocking. I find myself unable to like quite a few of the Japanese students here though. I'm at a very international university and the odd mix of America and Japan colliding in such a focussed space can be shocking.

I don't mean to be negative though- this place is amazing and I'm sure I will miss it when I go back to England (all those months away, it seems so far away) and Akita is a rural and poor area so I feel like I'm seeing real Japan and meeting some amazing people in the older generations especially.

Maybe it's just not my nature to get on with people my own age. Especially girls.

I'm going to Kansai for four days this weekend. Expect some amazing photographs, everyone.

My love and best wishes to everyone until I post again. I hope your studies and lives are all going as amazingly as mine!