The Logistics Of Leaving
Last week, I had a two hour long zoom meeting talking about all the different things to consider for those leaving the JET programme. As we went through all the various topics, it finally started to set in. I'm going to be returning home in 6 months.
When I made the decision not to renew my contract, I still had almost 9 months left, so it didn’t feel very immediate. In a lot of ways, it still doesn’t. They recommend creating around a 3 month timeline of all the different things to do and forms to fill out, but before I can even create that plan there’s a lot I’d like to know.
Ideally, I’d first know if I have a successor in the JET programme. Do I have someone to leave my apartment, my car, and my position to? Or do I have a successor, but from a different company, and can I still leave my things for them, even if it wouldn’t be for a few months?
Assuming I don’t have a successor, which will probably be a lot more work for me, what would my landlord like me to do with my place? Almost everything was left to me by the previous JET, so aside from my TV, I’m happy to leave everything for the next tenant. My TV was the priciest addition I made, and I’d like to get back at least some of what I paid for it, but also not the end of the world if I don’t.
Once again, assuming it’s the option that requires the most work from me, I might have to get rid of basically everything in my apartment. I’m really hoping that won’t be the case, but it's always good to prepare for the worst, right? Sadly, this possible reality would take a lot of time, and probably, a bit of money.
Getting rid of things in Japan is a lot more difficult than back home. Back in BC you can schedule a large item pick up for free, which is fantastic. Here in Japan, you can schedule those pickups, but it seems to cost you based on the size of the item. I can also assume scheduling that pickup is only done in Japanese, which means I’ll have to rope in someone to help me.
If I don’t have a successor, I’m hoping I’ll be able to sell my car back to whatever lot I bought it from, which was arranged through my supervisor. In general, a lot of my leaving process will require the aid of my supervisor. Which is why when she made an off hand comment about maybe not being able to stay at my base school, I got a little worried.
I get the sense she’s worked with a number of previous ALTs, and seems familiar with the process. If I have to navigate this with someone who’s never done it before, well that’ll make things a bit more complicated.
In addition to my car and apartment, there’s also scheduling out my final bills. I have to pay all my utilities in advance, my final rent payment, my phone and internet bills, all while also closing down my Japanese bank account and withdrawing my entire balance. Frankly, I’m not quite sure how all that’s going to work out.
There’s also my Japanese taxes, which I’ll need to have a copy of my 2025 earnings to file in both Japan, Canada, and in my case, the US. I also have a Japanese pension that I’ve been paying into that I can claim, although thankfully, that’s best done once I’ve already returned home.
Of course I’ll have to fit my entire life here in Japan back into two large suitcases and a carry on. I had a lot of room when I came to Japan, but I also had plenty of help. I’m not a terrible packer, but I doubt I’m nearly as efficient as my mom.
The logistics of all the different things I’ll need to figure out feel crushingly real, even if they’re still pretty far off. I even got an email asking roughly the date I would like to leave Japan. As long as I leave within 30 days of my contract ending they’ll reimburse my flight and travel to the airport. I’m not even entirely sure what my final working date is.
On the other hand, how I’m actually feeling about it all, the emotional reality of leaving Japan doesn’t feel real at all. 6 months still feels like a long time, and I’m just thinking about what I’m going to do next weekend. I haven’t really thought about what things I still want to do before I leave Japan, the things that I haven’t gotten around to yet.
My sister asked me when I visited home for the holidays if there was anything I wanted to do to feel satisfied before I left Japan. It was a great question, but I didn’t have a good answer. There are a few places I’d love to see, sure, but I haven’t had any burning desires like when I first arrived. Honestly, I think the reason to return home was an easy one because I already felt satisfied with my experience here in Japan.
I’m sure my feelings about leaving Japan will flip flop a lot more as I get closer to actually leaving, but for now, I still haven’t had a big jolt of motivation. I’m still doing the same routine I’ve been doing, and trying to enjoy each week. I certainly am dreading the logistics of moving back home though, but I’ll try to stave off that dread, at least until I have a few more details.
6 months is both a long time looking ahead, and not very long when you look back. I plan on making the most of it, and when I can figure out what those plans actually look like, I’ll be sure to let you know.
