Welcome to my last post of 2016.
I am writing this in Japan. It has been one of my long-term goals to get to Japan. It has, in fact, been a dream since childhood. It hasn’t been an obsession but it has been a major facet of my life. I have made friends from Japan and learned some of the language. So much of my everyday life has centred around Japanese media. I just naturally gravitate towards things like anime and video games, music, and films and that has matured into high culture and a vague goal of becoming a part of Japanese society in some way. I have been doing that from Britain with the nebulous plan of getting to Japan. Now I am finally living in Japan. Following dreams really does work!
The resolutions I made for 2016 were mostly about one dream and staying positive and taking any opportunities that I could get
My resolutions for 2016
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I will go to Japan,
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I will continue to review films.
I achieved all of my resolutions. I kept it simple for 2016 and I finally travelled to Japan. I also kept the film reviews coming although they slowed down to a trickle over the last four months. This, during the year when I became a contributor to V-Cinema! I’ll try and increase the output and make my writing more interesting. If I had to highlight film reviews worth reading I’d select these:
I don’t know about the quality of the writing but I’d like to select them because of the strong memories I have attached to the process of watching and reviewing them and because I want to highlight these works as genuinely great films worth your time, or, at the very least, they are interesting.
The reason they have slowed down is because I have been doing something every day.
I’m in a new country. I shouldn’t really sit in dark rooms all day every day watching films!
I haven’t. I am exploring Japan a lot!
I have two jobs as an English teacher, I am helping to make a documentary, I am involved in an art project, and I am constantly going out and exploring, meeting new people and having fun. I haven’t really had time for films but I have been to Japanese cinemas and I attended the Tokyo International Film Festival 2016. I have lived in a Japanese style in parts of the country I have never heard of and I have eaten food that is unique to those regions. I walk through Tokyo with some confidence since I am becoming familiar with the city due to my solo explorations, trips to art galleries and the times I hang out with friends at interesting places. Throughout it all I have met great people who are kind and generous and who have made me think so much about life.
I hope I am growing as an individual!
I hope I continue to grow!
It has been an amazing experience!
I finally made it and there’s still so much for me to learn and do. Next year, I will be going to Osaka to help out at the Osaka Asian Film Festival and I will do more travelling. I wouldn’t have got here without the help of others and so I’d like to take the time to thank them. I would like to thank family and friends who encouraged me to go and gave me all sorts of support. I would like to thank my bosses at work who okayed my trip and the people who interact with me on Twitter and through this blog. I write this every year but I really mean it…
I would like to thank everyone who has visited my blog and commented on it and I hope you continue to come back and share your opinions and film experiences with me plus your support. It means a lot.
So, I am about to leave the place I am staying and head to Sensou-ji to meet a seriously sophisticated and beautiful lady-friend (and fellow JoJo’s fan) to see in the New Year in Japanese style but before I go…
My resolutions for 2017
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I will travel across more of Japan,
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I will learn to speak, read, write and listen to Japanese to a much higher level than I currently do,
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I will write down more of my adventures,
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I will improve my writing style,
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I will continue to review films.
2017 is on the horizon and I hope that there’s more peace and harmony and happiness in the world and we can share it along with great films. I hope I can make the most of my time in Japan and I continue to make friends as well. I hope good things keep happening. The journey continues!
Goodbye, 2016, goodbye. I have had a lot of happy memories this year and I hope to make more next year in 2017.
Happy New Year!
Genkinahito 
Congrats on attaining your goal to go to Japan! That’s so exciting and you sound very happy for doing so. And boy are you busy! Two jobs teaching and many other activities. But i agree. You’re in a new country that you’ve striven to visit, might as well get to know it and its people. I hope 2017 brings you lots more joy n adventures!
Thanks for commenting and apologies for not visiting your blog in a while.
When I got your message, I was in the middle of celebrating the new year with two Japanese friends in a Japanese style and I hope to continue doing amazing things like that in 2017!
Your welcome. And no prob! Enjoy your stay in Japan!
Kino’s opening theme is one of my favorite songs. But isn’t the end theme “The Beautiful World” always playing in the background when you are out on your travels?
: )
Thanks for being a regular reader, Denny!
The OP will always remain in my top five. The lyrics fit what I’m doing, I love the images and music, and the overall mood!
Happy New Year! 🙂
Hope you continue what you’re doing into 2017 and continue achieving your goals – and perhaps meet a kawaii waifu while you’re out there in Nippon too! 😉
Thanks! 😀
Happy New Year to you, too!
I hope I can do all sorts of interesting things and meet interesting people. If romance is involved then I’d welcome it. Every experience is to be treasured.