A minor update to my residence status: I moved to Finland!
When I got an opportunity to work in Japan in 2005, I almost didn't accept the offer. I don't remember what my excuses were (the real reason, anyway, was that I'm a coward), but fortunately a friend persuaded me to go. Which is convenient, because otherwise I would've regretted it dearly for the rest of my life! Back in 2005 I was not a seasoned traveler, just going to Stockholm or Tallinn was an ordeal, so I was worried how I would survive. My target was to endure in Tokyo for two years before running back home. Two years went by, then three, four, five, until I had stayed for almost a decade. During the years I met my wife and fell in love with her and the stunningly beautiful country. Now Japan is my other home.
In 2013 my wife got a job opportunity in Switzerland, so we decided to change the scenery a bit and move from Tokyo, Japan (over 30 million citizens) to St. Gallen in eastern Switzerland (with 75 000 Einwohner). I truly enjoyed the change of pace: life in Switzerland is slower and the nature is omnipresent. We had a really nice apartment next to the historic city center (Altstadt) so getting around was easy. In Switzerland, just like in Japan, things just work (I would say the same about Finland if the labour unions were not in a strike every other week). We did some amazing hiking and skiing trips to the mountains, and we learned that anything tastes better if you eat it after climbing to the top of a mountain (however, the ultimate combination is simply some Italian salame with crackers and a can of beer)! It took a while, but in the end we settled in nicely and the city and the canton started to feel like home. The only problem was that neither of our families lived in Switzerland, so over the years I started to feel home sick. When my wife was offered a position in Helsinki, we decided to pull the trigger.
My wife's former manager and colleagues treated us an amazing farewell gift (and a good preparation for life in Finland): a night in an igloo, high up on the mountains of Davos! It was childhood dream come true for me; when I was physically a bit younger, I wanted to sleep in the snow castles I built. Unfortunately the local building authority (my mom) didn't deem the structural integrity safe enough. Well now we've done it, and it was such a chilling experience!
Now that I have finally returned home, I am freaking out if I will be able to survive in Finland. My target is to last for two years. No more office with an Alpine mountain view. No more easy access to sweet delicious cheap German beer. No more just testing the maximum speed of my car on an Autobahn (strangely, it is limited precisely to 243km/h). No more feeling a little bit special as one of the very few Finns living in the town. Now I'm just a commoner, a country guy living in a city full of hipsters (I've always had an attitude problem towards Helsinki). It's funny how all my clothes are bought abroad, yet I still stand out like I'm straight out of rural Finland. Do I need a man bun to blend in? Anyway, I am mentally prepared to fight all the bureaucracy, brusque people and lousy customer service, but I am not sure if I will be able to survive the long winter any more.
After living in Finland for one week, I can already tell that the country has changed a lot in 13 years. I have definitely also changed, and not necessarily all to the better. Will I be able to endure Finland for two years? Time will tell. To stay positive, at least hockey is better here! ;)
Rhaetian Alps in the dusk (astronomical twilight to be specific).
I kind of envy snow groomer drivers. They have an amazing view from their own offices. Literally the top place to work at.
The Iglu-Dorf had a real sauna!!! And a Graubünden-ish take on what was supposed to be a kota! Just like back at home, almost!
The igloo was really a full fledged hotel. The only thing I ended up missing were those Japanese heated toilet seats.
Entrance to the igloo.
I tossed my head lamp into the mini-igloo and stumbled back to my camera to take this somewhat overexposed photo.
There are a couple of cherry trees in St. Gallen.
It's the time of the year I feel home sick for my other home, Japan.
I did a tourist trip to Lindau, Germany. I drove to Lindau almost every day for five years because of work, yet I visited the beautiful Insel Lindau (Island of Lindau) only a handful of times. Mount Säntis is looming in the back.
Lindau Lighthouse (Neuer Lindauer Leuchtturm) and Lake Constance.
Friedrichshafen - a town famous for its aviation history, most notably Ferdinand von Zeppelin's factory.
Afternoon walk in St. Gallen.
A windflower (valkovuokko). Spring arrives to Switzerland over a month earlier than Finland.
Local youth of Sankt Gallen.
St. Gallen Roter Platz - our apartment was in the hipster corner of the city.
On the summit of Mount Säntis.
I wanted to stay in Berggasthaus Alter Säntis to get some sunrise photos, but it was still closed for the winter.
You can see almost whole Switzerland (plus big parts of Austria and Germany) from the top of Säntis on a clear day. Berner Oberland (Bernese Highlands) is clearly visible with a good lens.
HOPP SANGALLÄ, FÜRÄ MITEM BALLÄ! Unfortunately St. Gallen is a "Fussballstadt" - Football City. Football is a nice sport to play during the summer months while waiting for the next hockey season, but it's not my favourite main dish. I wish St. Gallen was an "Eishockeystadt" instead.
Town of Appenzell.
There was still so much snow on the mountains that I couldn't do a Bergwanderung. I did a little walk at Kronberg, since its peak is in a low enough altitude.
Rolling hills of Appenzellerland. Lake Constance and ultimately the Black Forest of Germany in the horizon.
Appenzell in the front, Bodensee/Lake Constance in the back, and Germany in the distance.
Kapelle St. Jakob - one of my favourite photos. It reminds me of the beautiful loading screen of Far Cry 5 - a brilliant game I binge played during April until it's cheap-shot low-blow ending. It's like the famous Kobayashi Maru(*) training exercise: the only way to beat the game is just to walk away. Bah.
* Yes, I'm a nerd.
Gallusplatz of St. Gallen.
Inside Kathedrale Sankt Gallen, UNSECO World Heritage Site.
St. Gallen from the bell tower of Kirche St. Laurenzen.
Since our apartment was already professionally cleaned (the cleaning cost a whopping 750€!! Yes, it's one of those Swiss things), I spent my last night of Switzerland in Rorschach, on the shore of Bodensee. That's it - good bye and auf Wiedersehen Switzerland! Time to drive about 2000 km to the north.