Golden Week: The End

No matter how great the trip, or how much you’ve enjoyed it, all adventures must come to an end. Today we would take a day trip to my apartment in my small town in Ibaraki. My parents would go back to Tokyo, but I would have to bid them farewell. As excited as I had been for them to visit during Golden Week, I had been dreading saying goodbye once again. 

We had rented a car for our day trip, which was a bit of a relief. I normally have to take two long trains and then drive, or take the bus to get back home from Tokyo. Which we could do, but would be a lot more work traveling as a big group, especially with a toddler. My brother-in-law wanted to try driving on the other side of the road, so I didn’t have to worry about driving an unfamiliar vehicle either. 

I had been complaining about my mattress at my apartment, so as a bit of a birthday present we decided to stop at Ikea. We could do a bit of shopping and have some lunch as a way to break up the drive. I’d been to Ikea here in Japan before, but never really done any serious shopping. The mattress itself isn’t too bad, but I can really feel the springs while I’m trying to sleep. Rather than replace the whole mattress, I figured a mattress pad would probably do the trick. 

We found a parking spot, and started strolling through the rather busy Ikea. We browsed the different areas as we slowly made our way to the bedroom section. It’s always a bit of a novelty checking out a store you know well in a different country. My family probably did as much shopping for themselves as they did for me, but that was half the fun. 

When we got to the bedroom section the browsing became a bit more serious as we tried to recall what size would be best, and started comparing all the different options. Once we decided on a mattress pad, it was pretty easy to actually find and pick it up from the warehouse rows. 

With our shopping done, it was time to grab some lunch. This area was pretty packed, so it took us a while to make our way through the lineup. We each got whatever meal sounded the best to us, and I think even my dad had some options available. 

We got seated, had a nice meal together, and then let my nephew run around in the play area. I've gotten used to going on shopping trips by myself, so I’d almost forgotten how much more fun they are with people you care about. Back home I’d come to enjoy running errands or just window shopping with friends. It’s often less about the activity itself and more just about spending time with loved ones. 

Eventually, we got my new purchase loaded up in the car, and got settled to finish our trip to my apartment. We didn’t hit much traffic, so the rest of the drive went pretty smoothly. I didn’t have any parking available at my place, so I had us park at the nearby library/music hall. It was only a short walk from there to my place, but it was a bit awkward since we had to carry the mattress pad. 

As we got closer to my apartment, I couldn’t help but get a bit nervous. I had tried to clean things up before I left, but I was sure it wasn’t enough to match the standards of my mom and sister. I’ve lived with roommates before, but never totally on my own, and I’ve still got a lot to learn about keeping a tidy house. 

Thankfully, they went pretty easy on me, and aside from bits of advice about washing my rags, they mostly kept their thoughts to themselves. My nephew got into some mischief, grabbing whatever was in reach and dumping loose change on the floor, but nothing too major. We set up my new mattress pad, changed my bed sheets, and changed my nephew. 

There wasn’t too much to see around my small town, but I figured I could at least take them to a local park. I’d only been to this park about twice, so I really wasn't that familiar with it. So it was a nice surprise when we discovered there was a dinosaur themed play area for my nephew to explore. He even started to make friends with another local toddler. 

They communicated in a way that only toddlers can as they ran around between the different dinosaurs and went down a tiny slide. We spent maybe a half hour at the park just letting him run around. It felt just like a typical family outing, just in a different country, and that felt fitting for our last day together. 

Finally, it was time to say goodbye to the dinosaurs, and get some dinner. I thought my local conveyor belt sushi place might have some options for my dad. I had seen they had allergy settings on the menu, so those would clearly display what my dad could and couldn’t eat. What I hadn’t looked into beyond that, was what options would remain. 

As I learned the hard way, once you turn on that setting, your options become exceedingly slim. My dad really only had some colored dango from the kids menu, and some fruit available to him. I felt a bit sheepish since this place had been my suggestion, but I’m not sure anywhere else would have had better options. 

Dad was a good sport as always, and his meal became a bit of a joke through our dinner. Everyone found some sushi they could enjoy, and had a few cups of green tea to wash it down. I couldn’t help but think about how this would be our last meal together, but I tried to enjoy it nonetheless. 

Inevitably, it was time to drop me off and for my family to be on their way back to Tokyo. The traffic would get worse the later it got, so I couldn’t keep them any longer. We went back to my apartment, made sure they had all their stuff, and began the final round of hugs. 

I hugged everyone tight as tears pricked the back of my eyes. It had been a great trip, which made it all the harder to say goodbye. I waved them goodbye as I watched them turn the corner and drive out of view. This goodbye felt so much harder than when I left Canada. 

When I left I was excited, it felt surreal that I wouldn’t see these people again for several months. When I saw them again in Japan, it was surreal in a different way, but after a few days you realize just how much you missed having them around. Saying goodbye to them in front of my new home in Japan really drove it home that I’d have to live my life without seeing them for a while longer. 

Being able to reflect on my Golden Week trip has been a great way to relive my time together with my family. Much like the trip itself, it’s time for even this reflection to come to an end. At least now I can return to this recollection of our time together when I’m missing my family back home. I’m grateful for my experience here in Japan, but that doesn’t mean it’s been easy. 

Bittersweet as it may be, it’s time to finally close the book on my excellent Golden Week, spent alongside people I love. I’ll continue to do my best here in Japan, and look forward while keeping these memories with me for when times get tough.