Yes, that's right. Exactly 5 years ago I started my life here in Japan!
My apologies that I can't be enthusiastic about this at all anymore. You can read about my previous Japanniversaries here: 1st / 2nd / 3rd / 4th

It's not only my Japanniversary, but it's also been exactly a year since I moved to another prefecture in Japan and started a new job.
Before we go on, let's have a look at my "goals list" from last year:

• making it my last year in Japan FAILED!



• experience something new / a new side of Japan ACCOMPLISHED!



• don't spend too much time in my apartment / in front of the computer as I can do that once I'm back in Europe again (partly) ACCOMPLISHED!



• join a Taiko group FAILED!



• preparing going back to Europe FAILED!

I almost forgot that I originally planned to make this my last year in Japan!
I failed big time here, but I used my time to the fullest and travelled as much as never before this year! Thus I explored a lot of things I haven't seen before!
I even managed to visit all 47 Japanese prefectures in my 5th year!!!

However, I also spent a LOT of time in front of the computer working on my blog night and day .....

( Read more... )



And finally:

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Top Commenters on chochajin's LiveJournal
(Self and anonymous comments excluded from rankings)

1	hesaki	633
2	amvn	520
3	asahifirsa	458
4	mtassarion	361
5	bf_nightingale	287
6	andou_	266
7	chatiel	244
8	mahochan1	239
9	angelbott	222
10	karro	212

( 11-100 )
Total Commenters: 5282 (5182 not shown)
Total Comments: 40643
Report generated 2013/03/01 17:13:26 by scrapdog's LJ Comment Stats Wizard 1.7

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THANK YOU for always sticking around and supporting me!!!

Even if I'm not around that much anymore because my blog keeps me so busy, I really appreciate that you're still here and give me advice or listen to my whining!

Yes, it's been 4 long years and finally it does feel like I've been in Japan for a long time. Maybe long enough.
As you know I've been thinking a lot about leaving Japan this past year.
Instead of leaving I decided to move to another city and job. I'm still not sure if it was a good decision, but my 5th and probably last year will surely show.

It's funny / interesting / destiny?! That my new job and all starts exactly on my anniversary! I move on the very day I arrived in Japan 4 years ago!!





Alright, so let's have a look at YEAR 4 AMJ (= after moving to Japan ):
I'm not really satisfied with this 4th year.
2011 was probably not a good year for anybody living in Japan considering that soon after I wrote my last anniversary entry we had the earthquake / tsunami disaster!
It was just a very .... strange year! But yet I'm still here in Japan!

Compared to previous years (1st / 2nd / 3rd) I didn't do much, I didn't accomplish anything.
( Read more... )


Last, but not least just because I do it every year:

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Top Commenters on chochajin's LiveJournal
(Self and anonymous comments excluded from rankings)

1	hesaki	624
2	amvn	469
3	asahifirsa	391
4	mtassarion	361
5	bf_nightingale	286
6	andou_	266
7	chatiel	244
8	mahochan1	239
9	karro	212
10	leviosa8	178

( 11-100 )
Total Commenters: 5251 (5151 not shown)
Total Comments: 39021
Report generated 2012/02/27 13:29:58 by scrapdog's LJ Comment Stats Wizard 1.7

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Congrats to asahifirsa who finally made it into the Top 3 this year! Thanks for your great and helpful comments!

Thanks for reading, especially to those who've been with me since Day 1 (March 1st 2008) of my Japan adventure (or even before that)!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

Wow, I can't believe it's been 2 years since I came to Japan.
I left Germany on February 29th(!) 2008 and arrived in Japan on March 1st which was a Saturday 2 years ago. It's interesting to read about my feelings right before I left and also how I felt last year on my first anniversary. Some of you have been my LJ-friends since then or even longer and I want to thank especially YOU guys for sticking around for such a long time!
I hope we'll get along in the future as well.

( Read more... )


That's all.
Let's hope that my 3rd year will be better than my first 2 years and that I will be able to accomplish more than last year (^-^')>
I hope you'll stay with me for the next year(s) as well <3

今までありがとうございました！
これからもよろしくお願いします！( ｀・ω・´)ﾉ～❤

Today is a special day
So let's celebrate!





In Japan you usually give people small gifts and eat お赤飯 (sekihan / red rice) when there's something big to celebrate.
The photo is very fitting although it's not ment for today. The photo is a few days old when our school had an anniversary as well :)
When I asked one of my coworkers about the meaning of 赤飯 they told me that it has to do with 紅白 (red and white) because those are the colors of celebration in Japan.

Today we celebrate my LJ's birthday for the first time. I never bothered to do it so far, but now it's five years old, wow!
Although I just checked and saw I didn't really use it until 2006 (^^')>

• 568 journal entries


• 28.201 received comments


• 17.782 written comments


• 243 friends


• 213 mutual friends


• friend of 1047


• member of 180 communities

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Top Commenters on chochajin's LiveJournal
(Self and anonymous comments excluded from rankings)

1	hesaki	559
2	amvn	242
3	bf_nightingale	240
4	mahochan1	235
5	chatiel	225
6	andou_	200
7	karro	198
8	mtassarion	176
9	linaaa	161
10	anime_junkie18	146

( 11-100 )
Total Commenters: 4737 (4637 not shown)
Total Comments: 28201
Report generated 04.09.2009 08:05:56 by scrapdog's LJ Comment Stats Wizard 1.7

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Whereas the first few hundred entries were mostly about icons, anime/manga and jdramas my lj has turned into a "Japan only" thing in the last 1,5 years (or even before that). I apologize for that, but I just don't have time for anything else anymore.
Of course I miss creating icons/graphics and rant about the latest dramas, but it can't be helped. I had to set up some priorities (studying Japanese) and compared to 1,5 years ago I also have a full-time job now.
Having a look at the comment numbers I figured I should comment to your entries more often, but I can't always do that for the very same reason ;o;
I hope you understand.

Thank you all for following my journal up until now. I hope you will stay tuned in the future as well (^-^)>





Okay something else:

( Want to know why I am so stupid that I wanna slap myself several times right now? )



EDIT: It seems that I should slap myself more often.
I managed to get rid of it and the method was too easy!
At first I tried it with a hair dryer and a knife, but that killed part of the wallpaper. Then ... and I don't even know why ... I used a normal eraser and tadaaa~ (^-^)v
Okay, okay ... where I used the knife the wallpaper is a little bit ..... scratched, but I think it's okay :)