It is no secret, I have a bit of a soft spot for Japan.

In fact, when I returned from my three month trip after my last role, I decided that I would search for work in Tokyo, Shanghai and New York if I didn’t find a suitable role in HK within a certain period of time. I’ve since decided that Shanghai is a little too polluted and has too much traffic.  The other two remained as future possibilities since I found a role in HK within the time frame.

The future is now.

I have accepted an internal transfer to Tokyo.

I’ll move in January assuming the visa comes through and the logistics are finalised by then.

My dog will follow a few months later once she finishes home quarantine in HK. She’ll still be allowed out and about; it’s just to have the relevant injections and testing before she reaches Japan otherwise she needs to spend six months in a quarantine facility there.

I can barely believe all of this myself, as the announcement went out at work on Friday, it has started to become more real. So real in fact,  that I am going there this evening for a visit and to start learning more about that section of our business and explore Tokyo. I’ll be there for a week.

What drove the decision?

Good question. I was asked if I’d be interested and after considering, I decided, “sure”. It’s an amazing opportunity to work in another culture and country and one that has fabulous food and places to visit. It’s a country rich in history and full of contrasts. It is very different to anywhere I’ve worked or visited.

The role itself is also really interesting to me and has its own challenges. It’s not too shabby from a career perspective either.

It is yet another adventure.

I feel a mix of things now that I’m able to share the news. I’m excited, nervous and a little sad.

It all depends what I choose to focus on.

While I gain a lot, it is tough to start out in a new country. It means making an effort to make new friends, find accommodation and set myself up in an environment (bank accounts, ID cars,  driver’s licence etc) in which I’m not familiar and this time around, with extensive use of the international language of  charades. This is likely to be a mix of frustration and entertainment if my experience in HK is used as a guide.

There is also negotiating and starting to understand the cultural differences. There is a significantly smaller expatriate community. I have been living in Asia-light and now I’ll be in Asia-hardcore.

This will generally be fun though it will also have its frustrating moments.

At the same time, I’ll be learning my new work environment, my colleagues and their preferred working styles, expectations and what’s actually needed to succeed in my job in this environment and building a professional network.

Also fun though the first three months in any role, I generally find tiring. This will be compounded by remembering names that I’m not use to hearing. There’s a difference between remembering a bunch of Western names of which I’m familiar and use to the sound, compared to those from other backgrounds.

I’ll be saying “goodbye for now” to a bunch of great people in HK. After almost nine years here, I have some fantastic people in my life and while I know they’ll remain there, it’s a bit different when you don’t see each other quite so regularly. I know we will still see each other for visits and catch up elsewhere in the world and online. I’m already trying to work out if Skypeing into my monthly book club group is possible while I look to finding one in Tokyo too. I’m fine with reading two books at once.

My current colleagues have already promised me visits. They’re mostly in regional roles so visits will be possible. I’ve really enjoyed working with this team. That said, I’ve enjoyed working in every team I’ve been in so I figure I’m about to gain another great team now.

It’s not like I haven’t done this before. I now have friends all around the world (friends who have moved away, people I’ve met on holidays) and this will continue to grow in each place I work or visit, as long as I make an effort. I have retained some brilliant friends in Australia since leaving there so at least I know what to expect and the effort required on the friendship side. This is definitely fun effort.

I’m gaining a lot from this. The only thing I’m not gaining is the easing of “goodbyes” and “see you later”s. As many of these as I’ve done, whether I’m moving city, state or country,  I’m yet to find them any easier with practice.

I also need to find a hairdresser that can cut curly hair.

* Thanks to The Smiths for the title to this post.

My apologies to all those whom I have not told in person since the announcement went out. This post was written in the hope that most of you will find out at roughly the same time and we can now all talk openly and start planning holidays.