Though I was supposed to spend a year abroad in Tokyo, some things in life never go according to plan. In March of 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic began spreading rapidly across East Asia as well as the rest of the world, my study abroad program was abruptly canceled. I had spent nearly seven months living in Japan, had a job, friends and family, and now I had to pack up my life and depart within five days. My host family had just gotten permission from my study abroad program to keep hosting me for another semester, so they were shocked to learn the disappointing news. I didn’t have time to sulk, though, as there was so much to do and so little time!
First, I scheduled an appointment with a friend-of-a-friend, a tattoo artist named Jiro-san. I always wanted to get a hand-poked tattoo in Japan, and he was kind enough to squeeze me in before I had to leave. I asked Jiro-san to give me an image of a rooster and a bird of paradise to symbolize my parents, and he flat out refused me! Instead, he gave me an image of a sparrow sheltering under a winter camellia, and it will always symbolize my final days in Japan.
Next, I went to a neighborhood called Kappa-bashi with my host mother, where I bought some handmade Japanese chef’s knives as well as other cooking tools. I love cooking, so I was determined to get some gorgeous knives to bring back home with me.
