I have been living in Ichikawa City, Japan, since December of 2008. Actually, I have spent more than half of the time since April of 1999 living here. There are many things I really like about Japan and the Japanese.

As I stood at the top of the steps of Ichikawa Station this morning waiting for a friend, I thought about how much I like traveling by train, and how much I enjoy not having to own, drive or take care of a car.

I'm scheduled to return to Florida this autumn so there will be many reflections in coming days on the things I will and will not miss. Things I will have to get used to again, things I will leave behind. So, a bit like an astronaut who has spent more time than she planned in the ISS, I will spend the next few months preparing for re-entry into American life. It's more than a change of location. Culture, food, climate, work, language, shopping, friends, are all factors.

One of the big jobs ahead is deciding what I want to bring home with me. The cost of shipping is high and the luggage allowances are low, so I will likely need to be more ruthless than I'm accustomed to being. For the most part it's just stuff, but some of it is valuable to me. 

As I watch the snow falling outside this evening, (it generally snows two or three times a winter here) I realize that I will need to get used to the heat in Florida again.  Re-entry indeed.