After four years I wasn’t sure what to expect from my trip to Japan: would it make me feel sad and just miss it more? would my friends remember me or care that I was there? It’s not like we kept in touch very well by email. Would I remember how to get around and where things were? Well it was all great. I loved being there, my Japanese started coming back after only a day or two, and I saw so many wonderful friends that I missed. One of my ex-students has met the girl he wants to marry, another few friends have had kids since I left. A couple of bands I really like had broken up, but I saw three I like and it was awesome to see them live after so long. I also finally got to visit the Budokan, something that would have been on my list of 43 things when I was 15, if 43 things had been around then. Going back to somewhere you lived and loved is a wonderful experience. I highly recommend it.