A taste of Oz

I left Japan from Nagoya, the cheapest gateway to Australia. The shinkansen ride there got a bit exhausting, not having been able to secure a reserved seat, I ended up standing in the corridor for 2 hours. Nagoya airport was nice enough though for a last coffee and goodbye calls to my friends in Japan.
JetStar is Quantas low-cost subsidiary and is flying from Nagoya to various destinations in Australia. I had opted for Cairns, for a taste of tropical Northern Oz. The flight was an uneventful 6-hours and brought me from chilly Japan to warm and sunny Australia.
I spent the 2 days in Cairns relaxing mostly. Cairns is a pleasant, smaller town with a distinct tourist character. I stayed in a budget hostel right on the beachfront which is made up of numerous restaurants, tour operator offices and budget accomodation to suit backpackers tastes.

There are a lot of trips on offer, from simply coach tours to 4x4 adventure tours to Cape York or sailing trips, but they were all pretty expensive packages and some too long for my short time budget as well. So I explored the vicinity of Cairns by public bus and spent some time relaxing on the beach in Palm Cove. I met a guy who used to live in Japan as well, Tom and we cooked some Japanese curry together and went for a dip in Cairn's public swimming pool on the Esplanade late at night which resulted in being told off by the security guards. I also enjoyed some hearty Aussie meals and noticed how much bigger portions are in that part of the world compared to Japan (also more expensive).
After this short 2-day glance I headed off to Kiwiland via Brisbane to Christchurch with Virgin Blue, one of the regional low-cost carriers. I'll be back in Australia in late November.

The sad word goodbye

I am about to head off for the airport now. And I can't say that I am too happy about leaving right now, although I tell myself I should be excited for the holiday in Australia and New Zealand that is lying ahead. But in these past four months in Japan I have really enjoyed being here and having taken the decision to come back here and try to live in Japan for a while, I don't feel like leaving. I'd rather focus on networking and job search onsite right now and really establishing my life in Tokyo. But it is what it is.
I am flying from Nagoya to Cairns tonight. I'll spend two days there and will then head over to Christchurch in New Zealand where I meet my sister. I'll go back to Oz after a 3 week holiday in NZ and will spend around 2 weeks there before flying back to Switzerland from Sydney. Actually sounds like a nice plan, eh?
So that's the plan for the next weeks, then I'll settle my stuff in Switzerland, say goodbye to everyone and head back around Mid-January. No, I don't have a job yet (my search hasn't been to intensive yet either), but I am sure I want to try this. Considering that the worst-case scenario is running out of money and having to go back to Switzerland, I think I can take the risk. I've wanted to work abroad for a long time already and this is the perfect time to do it. I didn't think it would be Japan, but since I feel really at home here and am going through the "pain" of learning this language, I want to give it a shot. It certainly isn't the best and easiest place to look for a job as a foreigner with limited language skills, but again, I won't give up before having tried it... I am ready to head off for the uncertain and trade in Swiss stability, good money and well-known surroundings and a great social network for something new. I have been thinking a lot about plans for the future during these past months and I've met some inspiring people too and I've come to realize that I fear remaining stagnant and being bored more than whatever challenge lies ahead of me trying to settle down somewhere new for a while.