Packing Light

My time in Tokyo is coming to a close.  Within the next two weeks, I’ll be moving to Hokkaido for a few months with Tom, temporarily amending our seemingly endless long-distance relationship.  These two months of what we like to call “normal” time together cannot come soon enough.  

Before I can let my mind settle on daydreams about Hokkaido, I have to first finish a few errands.  On my ever-growing to-do list is to practice packing my belongings into the two pieces of luggage that carried my material possessions to Japan.  Granted, I can fit in one of those pieces if I’m feeling agile, but it’s still a relatively small amount of space to carry a year’s worth of necessities, memories, and souvenirs.  I’m always keeping myself in-check, and often not having enough luggage space gives me enough motivation to not buy a new souvenir and save my money.  I’ve begun to think of this initially nagging thought as more of a blessing, as I realize how burdensome material possessions can be.  

Grant, my cousin, ventured to see if I could smuggle him to Japan

I’ve traveled before, and I’ve kicked myself for not bringing home more souvenirs.  After two weeks in Spain, I have only a key chain to prove I spent two tiring weeks speaking poor Spanish.  A week in Ireland left me with a small drunken trinket that says “I got pissed in Ireland.”  I imagine myself in a future apartment or home, delicately placing a set of prized Japanese pottery back in their rightful place in the china cabinet, but yet I can’t get myself to buy that set of Japanese pottery for the fear of it breaking in-transit (a lack of cash may also play a part in this issue).  

Considering my circumstances, I have spent a lot of time realizing that what I’ll bring home will be far more valuable than a Japanese kimono or sake.  I have gigs of pictures, a plethora of memories, and a basic understanding of Japanese culture to share with Tom.  It may seem obvious and a tad cliché, but it’s surprising how consuming the process of buying souvenirs can be.   

As I prepare for the move up north, I’ll be sure to keep my expenditures down and my baggage weight down these next few weeks, remembering that even more important than avoiding overweight baggage fees is to understand that the souvenirs that will last the longest won’t need to be physically packed away.