Greetings!
I’ve become terribly comfortable with my home away from home so far! Traversing the roads around my neighborhood has become second-nature, even if I still find their narrowness and lack of dedicated sidewalks somewhat daunting if I think about it too long. I have come to really love the quirks of this neighborhood, like the dogs and cats you can find basically any time you go outside. The dogs are typically being walked, obviously, and will typically give you passing glances or get excited when you pass, but the cats are almost always on their own. I don’t know for sure if they are strays, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Most of them are skittish to the point of running once you make eye contact, but I have managed to build a small friendship with one. She’ll bug me for attention when we cross paths, but she doesn’t want food from me apparently, since she wouldn’t eat it when I offered. Weird cat, but it always brightens my day to hear her meow at me from a bush or something when I pass.
Close to the dormitory is Komazawa Olympic Park, which is beautiful on sunny days and makes for a great way to commute to and from campus. Walking through it every day is a blessing and makes me feel somewhat like I’m at home. Though, it has surprised me how often there is room set aside for trees and other greenery around here. I guess my idea of “big city” did not include plants before moving here. It is a nice way to get away from my room, though, which is nice since my hobbies of staying inside to read, write, and use movies and games for inspiration have followed me to Japan.
This is the only problem I’ve run into so far in my time here: I’ve become too comfortable in my little space. Now that I’ve become more accustomed to “home,” I need to branch out into new places. But that will be easier than it sounds, given how far a train can take you here.
– Titus
