My Long Overdue Sayonara for Beth (and a couple other folks)

I have had this post saved for months, and it really is about time i finally put it up...It took forever because I had funked up the html somewhere...

It's a funny thing, life. I have been living over here in Japan for 15 months now. So that is 15 months of hearing from friends and family that they miss me. Missing someone. That has always been an interesing concept for me. I miss people, I do. It is not that, I guess it it is harder to be the person who hears they are missed, because you always question the truth of the statement, you know you are missed but really how missed are you,kana. You know, Life moves on. But recently the last three months have given me a chance to realize how much you really do miss people when they are gone from your everyday life... because in August many people moved on...

The above photo is what pops up on my phone when I am sending mail!~Everyone in the above photo has left Japan (well with the exception of Akio, because he still lives in Japan) Around the table left to right...Dave, Beth, Annie, Akio, Melanie, Laura, and Neil. Actually everyone with the exception of Laurais living in the UK. Dave has gone there to pursue his acting career, Beth moved back to be with family, Annie has moved there to be with (new) family, Mel moved back as she had originally planned, and Neil scored a sweet marine biolgy job in London. I guess I am going to have to plan a holiday to the UK. Because I miss these crazy kids~

hug at the van, last time together , we really are all a lot cuter than this, but if you have ever survived the heat and humidity of a japanese summer, a night at an izakaya with these wild girls, and the tears of a sad farewell, then you really don't know how great we are looking (well not great by any means but still)

beautiful beth .... Beth was one of the first people I met in Japan that was going to live in Niigata. We had no idea that first day that we would be living less than 10 minutes apart from each other. We discussed relationships and the fears of moving to Japan while fishing at strange things in our soup.I fell in love with that sweet Scottish accent right there atop the Keio Plaze with the gorgeous view of the Tokyo skyline.
Little did I know then that the two of us would not only live in the same prefecture, but our houses would be less than a ten minute drive (20 minute bike ride from each other)

As I sit here writing this I am listening to a Beth Ongaku Osusume, Micky Hart. Beth is one of those people who truly does light up a room when you see her, especially in Japan being the blonde bombshell that she is...I know, I know, that is such a cliche, but if you have ever been near the girl you would know that her energy is vibrant and beautiful, she truly does brighten up peoples days... Beth has a radiant aura....

I don't know if PTA will ever have a voice like that grace it's mic ever again... that sultry, sexy vixen was one of the best damn karaoke singers Joetsu has ever seen... although Mel did give her a run for the money at the Arai Maneki neko singing All I want for Christmas is You...(in September) I really miss that striking voice belting out one of my personal Beth favorites Garbage's Cherry Lips or Hey Big Spender (and baby I would pop my cork for you by the way) ...

Beth is one of those people who supplies support for her friends. She is a sensite charmer with the brightest smile and softest kisses. Never a let down to be around. I would say that a group of us here in a Joetsu can be a handful, but that girl was right up in the mix, sharing crazy antics and living life up with the rest of us. I often find myself being like this is Beth's song!! or god, she would think that man is so hot...

She is a strong woman, with the most admirable sense of independence and vigor. This girl traveled to Thailand all by herself and had a hell of a time. (On a side note.. she does have impecable luck, in flight to Thailand when the tsunami hit, and then once again in flight to london when the bombing occurred.)

She filled my year with many memories, a sexy Scotish accent, and alluring charm.

We rocked it out and scoured through the mud at fuji rock toghther..and to no surprise to each other had the same agenda for the day, dancing our butts off all day to various bands- my highlights definitely being Kaiser Chiefs and the Pogues...and then the ska tent in which we seemed to be the center of entertainment, as no one else was brave enough to dance...

on a number of occassions we ripped apart Tokyo together, probably my favorite was when we caused a stir in Kabuki-cho, caught the last train to Roppongi, danced all night, jankened over men, and all had a great time ending in Shinjuku... with various stories of sweet treats to satisfy us all from sky rises to breakfast cake to hurt knees...

or maybe my favorite was that quiet dinner we had with Akio, Waco, and Taiki...Taiki was right, Beth is one sound bird.

one of the many nomihodais we partook in, this one in the company of good friends in tokyo; Beth, me, wako, akio, taiki...who is an interesting character, he is in training to be a monk, so he only has the one outfit that he wears (he hides his clothes in his pillow case and sneaks out of the temple to meet us... Japan's culture regarding monks is very different.. more on that later...)

but the year ended too quickly and we had to say goodbyes, here is our last dinner for mel at an izakaya in Arai.

we also had a dinner for Beth in Arai, her last night in town, and being the darling sport she is, she entertained us all with her classic rendition of Little Green Frog....

and we know

frogs go...

danananana...they don't go ohohahgh~~~

we sat our cameras up and took some timer shots

crazy kids, a crazy (and teary) good bye to a woman who has touched my life, can't wait to see her again (soon)