farewell, fuyu

Goodbye Japanese winter. As much as I loathed the lack of central heating in Japan, and the paper-thin walls that provided little insulation in my apartment, I will miss you. A bit. I'm still traumatised from the time I attempted to cycle home in the snow on icy roads, and just the thought of the smell of kerosene heaters still makes me nauseous, but believe it or not, there are some things I do actually like about you. 

• Kotatsu - For what Japan lacked in central heating, it made up for with this ingenious heated coffee table, with a blanket that went over the sides to keep the heat in. Some nights were so cold that you could see your breath, but it didn't seem to matter when your feet were warmly tucked under the coffee table and being covered by the blanket. It was a bit dangerous though, since once you were covered by the kotatsu, it was hard to come back out and face the cold of the room. There were many nights I contemplated taking up hibernating under this thing, but gave up once I couldn't find a way to keep my food supply within reach. 
• Heated toilet seats - Sure, I hated the nightly ritual of bolting out of the shower to get changed in a freezing room, but I did find solace knowing my butt wouldn't get hypothermia.
• Strawberries - It may sound weird, but prior to coming to Japan, I never had strawberries that really tasted like strawberries. You can find strawberries in Australia, but there's also a good chance they're sour, and if they are sweet, they don't compare at all to the ones here. I now realise what that artificial strawberry flavour is supposed to taste like. 

So, goodbye strawberries, heated coffee tables, and technologically-advanced toilet seats, and hello juicy peaches,  food-filled festivals, and uh...  giant cockroaches. Almost forgot about them. At least I leave Japan on a high note, right?