Up to this point, I haven't talked about my personal life on here very much. For the most part, I think it's because there hasn't been much to write home about. I've been working a demanding job in engineering, doing really fun stuff with tech for the past three years, much of which I have not been able to share about. While I still can't talk about that stuff, I am happy to share that my life is going in a new direction!

What's Coming Next?

After almost a decade of deliberation, I have finally decided it was about time I pursued my interest in living abroad. As such, I've come to the decision to move to Japan! I'm sure this will not come as a huge surprise to many of you that know me well, though I didn't think I'd be on this path, myself. I'll be going on the Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) program as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) teaching English to elementary and middle schoolers, to start; hopefully, I will be able to document my work and life experiences more than I've been allowed in the past. While this career change is certainly a huge shift from engineering, I'm hoping to use this as an opportunity to also focus more on improving my Japanese abilities, especially my literacy.

I do intend on returning to engineering and other technical fields, eventually, though hopefully I'll be able to do so in the Japanese tech sector with my improved communication capabilities. We will see whether this holds true as we observe these sentiments age. In the meantime, I plan on investing in myself by learning more about the world I'm interested in. I'm looking forward to becoming a productive member of my new community and documenting life along the way.

Where I'm Going

I have been contracted with the Bureau of Education for the village of Toshima in Kagoshima prefecture (Kagoshima-ken, Toshima-mura). The village consists of twelve islands in the Tokara Archipelago, seven of which are inhabited and have schools; the islands are arranged roughly linearly and span about 150KM of ocean, thus earning the nickname 'Japan's Longest Village'. The Tokara Archipelago is located off the southern shore of mainland Japan, between Kagoshima and the Okinawan Islands.

There is an ALT for every school in the village, but only three of them are leaving this year. This means I will be teaching on one of three islands in the village:

• 中之島　ー　Nakanoshima
• 宝島　ー　Takarajima
• 小宝島　ー　Kodakarajima

On this map, the uninhabited islands are grey, the islands I may be placed on are green, and the other inhabited islands are blue. I have not yet been informed of the exact island I will be placed on, as of the publication of this page.

My Thoughts

I am so overwhelmed with emotions at the upcoming fork in the path I'm on, right now. Deciding to go down this route has been no small feat for me. I am simultaneously overjoyed at the opportunity ahead of me and trepidatious at the notion of so much change all at once. I am understandably nervous about the language and cultural barriers, but also excited to be able to study Japanese every day. I am looking forward to becoming a member of a rural community and hope to meet many new friends. I also can't wait to be out of the desert and living near the sea, surrounded by greenery. I think that learning Japanese while teaching English will also synergize very well, for me. While I will be leaving so much behind, so many people, so many hobbies, I have so many things to look forward to, as well.

Looking Back and Moving Forward

Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of this blog, with my very first post exactly one year ago! Incredible how time flies. A part of moving abroad, for me, unfortunately means parting with many of my more technical and artistic hobbies, which often require extensive equipment, space, and tools. Realistically, I can't take many of these things with me, at least not for a while, and I don't yet know how long I'll be gone. While I make no promises, it is my intention to write a lot more about my personal experiences while abroad in Japan; I'll also be taking a camera or two for documentary purposes and at least one artistic outlet.

So, while I have kept this blog strictly technical in nature up to this point, I hope readers will enjoy more narrative, experiential, and travel topics for a while. I think this will be a good change, and of course, I will still document more maker projects here as they come in due time.

Thank you all for reading and for coming on this journey with me,
~ Joseph「西川龍児」Coston