Kozu, solitary



I had a three-day weekend that I spent mostly in the company of myself. It was awesome...

Last week, Kozu got quite the lashing from a typhoon that came in, but Saturday arrived clean and crisp. Like the island got its face scrubbed.
I had spent most of the week quietly freaking out about what the hell I was gonna do with myself for such a long weekend, especially since it seemed I would be spending it indoors for the most part. I didn't have the energy to spend hanging out with the teachers (all that wild gesticulating and trying to decipher a conversation). I was afraid I'd get caught up in my homesickness and depression, so I dreaded the seemingly empty weekend. When I saw the sun come out, I decided to go exploring on the Northern end of the island. I walked to Nagahama, which is about 50 kilometers from my house. Or maybe 5. Probably more like 3. I don't know. Stupid metric system. Stupid parents, teaching me Spanish, but completely ignoring the metric system.
Since September 1st, the island has been pretty free of tourist, although I did see a group of gaijin on the island. I couldn't help but stare, till I remembered I'm a round-eye too. Still, I bet none of those bitches has a Kozu Island Residence Card. Yeah, suckas gotta pay full price on boat and airfare! Zing!
Anyways...
The island has an abandoned feel to it, now that the tourist shops, yakitori stands, and beer gardens are boarded up. Heading out of the village, I find evidence of not only the tourist season closed, but a bit of a depression too. A resort hotel is gently rotting, lifegaurd stations rust, and picnic benches are lost in tall grasses. I guess once Japan's economic bubble burst, Kozu got the brunt of it.
Because of the lonely air, its made me feel a little like Robinson Crusoe. I have huges swathes of beaches at my disposal. If I really wanted to, I could run screaming and naked across the sand (Actually, I really want to, but I know I'll run into one of my students and they don't need further proof that I'm crazy). I've found pretty shells, dead birds, a shrine with Indiana Jones style cobwebs ( and the spiders to match), and all sorts of bizarre debris washed up ashore (a pencil sharpener, dish, unopen can of Pocari Sweat).
It was nice to sit by myself and hear the surf pounding on the ocean. It was nice not to run into anybody for hours at a time. And it was really nice to have the peace to hear my own thoughts. I'm not so scared of my solitude anymore. It is luxurious here on my half-abandoned island, feeling my brain and heart and soul expand.