Aaron + Michael Go To Japan: Sayonara Nihon, Hello America from Joe Smith on Vimeo.
Happy one year anniversary or so! It’s true, friends. One year ago, Aaron and I were in Japan, freshly graduated, and poised for adventure! We were soaking in the rays and enjoying our days. Then it all came crashing down. Crashing, crashing, crashing into the bosoms of reality.
Back in America, we found little time to edit video, blog, or even eat. Life eked on. I started a new blog here in Japan for my JET experience, which I have barely kept up with despite people really liking what I write. What a fool, I am!
What can I say? Life catches up to you quick. Plus, once you get a lady in the life, it takes up a lot of time. In a good way, of course. So good, in fact, that I’m marrying the fair maiden. Aaron got on with his life too, winning the ASC award for best cinematographer to set foot on earth. After that, he realized he hates movies and loves to be a man! So he joined the army.
As of four days ago (or so) Aaron graduated from boot camp with crazy honors and is now somewhere near the rank of General. As a present for his efforts, I decided to take two days off of work to put together the last “Aaron + Michael Go to Japan” video. However, it took me four days to complete. Aaron finished his last video sometime in April this year, and asked me to get on task!
I, of course, was too busy figuring out how to propose to Katie. And being a nervous wreck, I’ve found, takes up a lot of time. So no go there. After proposing, life was filled with the usual teaching of punks and the new planning of a wedding. THAT alone is a full-time job.
But now, the circle is complete! With this last video, our adventures in Japan have been fully compiled (all the interesting bits anyway), and set on the Internet for all eternity, or until vimeo goes bankrupt.
So, I do apologize for the extreme lateness, but if there was ever a good late date to post this video, it would be now. Because on this very day (July 20) of last year would be when the events of this video took place.
And it was good for me, I think. Not very many people get to take two days off of work and pore over footage of their lives one year ago. It’s made me pretty introspective over the past few days, causing me to lie on my back and ask the big questions, like, “Why does a developed nation like Japan still cover its floors with straw?” and “If the tatami (straw mats) itch me so much, why am I still on my back?”
Watching the footage has made me reflect on my attitude toward Japan as it was one year ago. I’ve lived here ten days shy of a year now, and my perspectives have almost completely changed. But watching videos of young, innocent, beardless Michael made me feel the warmth I used to feel about Japan.
Not that I don’t love living here, but it’s not some magical land anymore. It’s not all that different or special, I suppose. I go to the store and they sell squid jerky. Of course! I would never wear shoes in the house if you paid me. The billboard at the train station says, “Get refresh!” Why thank you, I’ll take two refreshes please.
My Japanese is utter crap, but at certain times, I’ve surprised myself with an automatic response or two. So it’s not a surprising or mysterious land. It’s just home. It’s loved and disliked in much the same way I love and dislike my own country.
But watching that footage has reminded me of the real special place Japan holds in my heart. It’s easy to get bogged down with commonplacery of a familiar thing and forget why it was so special (like that dog you used to love). Seeing last year’s Michael love Japan in such a different way helped me to remember the little things I do love and the reasons I fell in love with Japan in the first place.
And it also made me miss my friend, Aaron. We had such a spectacular time on that trip and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. It was my second time in Japan, and though people in our group (falsely) looked to me for Japan answers, I really didn’t know hardly anything. Aaron and I experienced Japan on much the same level, yet at the same time I was able to show him things I had loved and discovered, which was a very unique experience.
Now that I’m engaged to Katie and Aaron is engaged to America, it’s so clear how different our chosen paths are. He’s a valued friend and I hope our paths continue to cross despite my suckiness at emailing people. Last year, I was certain I would be packing to go home right now and joining with Aaron to venture forth in filmtown, but now that path is all but decimated.
In years past, a fear would have gripped me at this point. The fear of drifting far apart from Aaron, and indeed all my other friends, and wondering where the years went. But this is the twenty-first century! Screw that mess. We gots facebook.
To sum it all up, cheers to Japan and cheers to Aaron. And cheers to me for getting married! “Aaron is a solid dude!” as my fiancée would say, and I second that. Everybody toast Aaron wherever you may be. Because how else can you expect him to protect you when the enemy invades? Trust me. If zombie Nazis have me cornered in my kitchen, I’m fully confident that the door will be kicked in by Sgt. Aaron Dunson, M.D. And we’ll kill those zombies together.
And cheers to you for reading and watching. The ordeal is finally over. If you’re still with us, I commend you. Your reward is our hard work (Sorry, I’m poor). Always remember to love those familiar things, because there’s something that made you like them in first place. And love Aaron, no matter what.
Congratulations, Aaron! We kind of like you. (But I love you).
Sincerely,
-Michael
Look at that man! Stud of the week!
