Japan Postcard: Sent Packing

Well it is that time again. I do the packing because I have a particular spacial awareness that is a useful skill in this area. Takayama tends to try to pack artistically, as we would expect, and like all artists demands that more gets shoved into less but everything has enough space around it to allow for the creative context. She's rubbish at packing!

So I do the packing. I have just finished and one case weighs 21 kilos and the other weighs 20.5 kilos which is within the tolerance of the stated 20 kilos per case per person. This did take a bit of juggling because the original pack had us at a total of 46.7 kilos. A quick re-evaluation, some items relegated to hand luggage and we got to within the required tolerance.

There is one small problem though. I haven't packed anything of my stuff at all, not one single item in that grand total of 41.5 kilos is actually mine. This is quite usual, after all Takayama is a sculpture so we have to bring and take back some weighty materials and tools otherwise she can't do any work whilst out here. Then there is HMiL's plum juice, jam and assorted bags and coats given to Takayama out of the cupboard. That cupboard is like the Tardis, over the last five years I have had to carry back about 2.78 tonnes of assorted bits and pieces and yet it is still bursting at the seams every time we get back here.

In addition there is the Chinese medicine supplies, obviously there are essential snacks and presents for most people and of course there are those strange electronic/magnetic devices that HMiL swears by in terms of alternative health care. After that lot's all in then there are Takayama's clothes, shoes and of course a supply of those Japanese heat patches that weigh in at a hefty two kilos.

Once I have winched the cases shut, snapped a ligament or two getting the belt around the case, then the job is done. My stuff? Well you might notice me wearing a similar style for the next couple of months, sort of looking like I only have two sets of clothes. I can get the laptop and camera into the hand luggage then I just stuff what I can into the space that's left and then leave the rest here.

Slowly but surely my wardrobe here is getting bigger than my one at home. Now the big question is, "Is that really something that worries me?"

I hear it's cold in London, Gordon Brown and David Cameron are calling each other sissy and the British taxpayer is set to fork up another 300 billion this year to make it look as though...well, well actually, that our economy is not almost one trillion pounds in debt. Hey and guess who is going to have to pay that bill off over the long term?

"Jack," Takayama calls, "You're not going on about consumer slaughteryards again are you?"

Looks like we've arrived back where we began but I have a feeling that I am not the only person this year who is going to have lost his shirt (well in my case, left it in Tokyo!).

Til next time.......