Natalie Goes to Japan

40 year old very married blonde woman having a midlife crisis who heads to Japan alone to follow her dreams. Be careful what you wish for ... you just may get it.

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Blog Going Away Party

Thanks for coming to my Blog Going Away Party. Here, have a drink. Have you met my mother, she makes the most comments on my blog. Or have you met An Englishman in Osaka, he's a blog neighbor.

Okay, all you lurkers, and non-lurkers. This is your last chance to make a comment, as I leave in a few days. I'd love here what your favorite part of my blog was - a picture, a story, my witty descriptions of life? No need to tell me your least favorite bits, as blogging is soon to be a thing of the past for me. Blogging was a real experience for me, and turns out I am not a writer. I always liked doing the photos though, so maybe I'm a photographer. But writing it not easy, nor particularly enjoyable for me. This actually came as a surprise to me. Nonetheless folks, let's here from you. I'm a little on the bummed side, so I could use some uplifting of my spirits.

14 Comments:

At 12:50 PM, Blogger Christine said...

I enjoyed your travels around the country. I also really liked hearing your perspective of life in Japan. I'm going to miss this blog! Good luck with whatever you do next!

 
At 1:24 PM, Blogger Brooke - Little Miss Moi said...

Hi Natalie. I just loved reading about Japan - always wanted to live in Japan, not sure how we ended up in Ukraine! I hope you enjoy your going away celebrations and have a safe trip home!

 
At 10:55 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello Natalie, I've lived in Tokyo for 3 years now, and I've enjoyed your blog and photos a lot. Even visited one of the places near Hakone you'd went too, based upon your blog and photos.

I hope all goes well when you rotate back home.

It would be nice to read one more post about what type of things have given you reverse culture shock when you've moved back home, after living in Japan for so long.

Regardless, thank you for such a nice blog over the past year.

Hayden.

 
At 10:29 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Natalie, I only recently stumbled upon your blog and I love it. It has an irreverent style that's both easy and enjoyable to read and your photography is great.
I only wish that I knew about your blog earlier as I live in Shinzu-cho (near Sukenobu station).

Your incite on life as a foreigner here in Hamamatsu is a joy to read (I'm reading it from the beginning) and your devil may care attitude is refreshing.

I wish you all the best and hope that your experience here in Japan helped you in some small way to find what you were looking for in life. Please let us know how you are from time to time.

Ogenki de!!
Glenn

 
At 10:58 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Natalie,
Was nice to see you at Junk the other night, sorry we didn't get a chance to chat. It's interesting how when I see you I feel like I know you well, yet from your point of view I'm a complete stranger.
Really gonna miss this blog of yours, the photography was excellent. That's definitely a hobby you shouldn't give up. Would love to see at least one more post like another reader said about coming home, reverse culture shock, your feelings & reflections.. anything really. You've done & seen so much over here in such a short time.. it really must make your head spin. But I guess that's what life is all about isn't it?
Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
Take care, all the best,

Chris.

 
At 7:21 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think the teaching bits and the photos of the cutie pie kids were my favourite bits. Actually all your photos are great, your new camera is fantastic too.

I lived in Japan in 2001-2002 so your blog has made me feel very natsukashi at times.

Iĺl miss your blog and your adventures - all the best back in the States. One thing I would love to know though is why you decided on Japan in the first place i.e. the Natalie background story.

All the best

Sharon
Melbourne, Australia

 
At 2:54 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You know, you could just change the name of the blog to "Natalie returns from Japan" so we could know what it is like to go through reverse culture shock. Northeast Georgia is going to seem really strange for a while, I bet. Plus, us lurkers wouldn't have to miss your posts and could avoid the Natalie DT's, which one imagines are terrible to suffer.

I have enjoyed your take on living in Japan, particularly the posts that were about difficulties of living abroad in general and in such an alien place in particular. The posts that I remember the most are the ones where something major happened at home (the loss of your dog, various operations on loved ones) while you were stuck on literally the other side of the world. And the kitten. It's very easy to find chamber-of-commerce type information about a faraway place, but rare to find out what a real person candidly thinks.

I will be archiving your blog so that I'll have it on hand when I eventually get to Japan myself. Thanks for the effort, and for being willing to let strangers into your life.

One last thing: So how is the midlife crisis going? Did Japan help?

 
At 3:00 PM, Blogger Wallflower3 said...

Natalie,
I also found your site by accident but I am so glad I did !!!
Even though you and I have never met, you really have been a great source of inspiration for me. Your courage and strength made me realize that getting out of "Smalltown America" can be done. I admire your determination; I would have packed it up and went home at the first crisis, but you hung in there through it all.

I disagree with your statement about you not being a writer, I really liked your writing style - in fact I was hoping that you might write a book about living as an American in Japan. Trust me, there IS a market for such a text.

I have enjoyed seeing the world through your eyes, and because of you and others like you I can't wait to start my own adventure.
Thank you for being so brave.


Melanie in Texas

 
At 11:09 PM, Blogger the englishman said...

Hello Natalie. I remember stumbling across your blog BEFORE you arrived, and thinking, yes, this'll be a good one, and I was right! I've enjoyed dipping in over the last two years; you were always honest in your posts, and I liked that. All the best.

 
At 12:45 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello Natalie,
I started to read your really pleasant blog almost a year ago.
I'm 28 and sometimes I feel like time for me is passing by so quickly, I have to please myself with what life has given to me and live with it.
I would like to thank you because I've understood that life gives you always a second chance and a new path to follow, there's always time for our dreams.

I wish you all the best,

Meggy from Italy

 
At 8:29 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why did I like "Natalie goes to Japan" so much?

Besides the fact Natalie is a great and honest blogger, the most important reason I had to check your blog daily is the fact that you provided such a fascinating perspective on life lived immersed in another culture. It wasn't just the stories of teaching English to Japanese students of all ages, but that your spare time posts fantastically reflective content regarding the real-life people of Japan and the world they live in.

Not the fantasy "anime/manga" world of Japan, not the technology-embracing world of Japan, not the kooky-crazy pop-culture of Japan. The Japan who are neighbors, and friends and students, and just normal people like us...differently the same.
Refreshing.

Thank so very much for sharing your perspective to enrich and expand my own.

I also second a vote for a re-branded blog "Natalie returns from Japan."

Cheers!

 
At 4:48 PM, Blogger Andrew / Andy said...

Hi Natalie,
I'm one of the lurkers you mentioned. It was interesting reading about another person's perspective about living in Hamamatsu. Sorry it took this long to actually write a comment. It been enjoyable reading about your adventures over the past 2 years. Best of luck with whatever you do when you get back home.

 
At 4:08 PM, Blogger Z said...

i JUST realised the existence of this blog and i really regret not knowing about it sooner. =(

i love your photography a lot, it's definitely something you should continue doing! and i also especially like about how honest you arein your entires. life in japan seems a lot of fun!

well, i'll be lurking around your past entries now.

all the best in life, ja ne~ =)

 
At 2:02 AM, Blogger Unknown said...

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