Look for the Unexpected

Sometimes it seems like it never happened, and then I look at the photographs I took, and I realize that yes, I really did go.

I had been dreaming of going to Japan for over half my life. Surprisingly, the first thing that drew me to Japan was the Visual Kei fashion - a fashion that is not unlike the West's Goth. (It's surprising because if you took one look at me you'll understand that fashion is not particularly something I care for). The JRock bands that sported the fashion became an obsession, and then from there, Japanese movies, anime, literature, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Japanese became the most beautiful language in the world to me - it still is. I find it truly musical and could listen to people speaking it forever. Everything about Japan interested me, and so I decided that I must study at university and go to this country that seemed to suit my mind more than any Western country ever had. It felt like Japan was where I really belonged and that being born in England was some cosmic mistake.

The sheer act of going to Japan, or even university, is something most people don't think too much about. For me it was a herculean aim, but that's another story for another time.

I don't think anyone who really knew me actually believed I would go. I hardly did myself. See, the degree I took (FYI: I'm in my last year now) included a year abroad. It was actually supposed to be ten months, but COVID happened and I had to return early. I still got eight months in Japan though, and it was the most incredible eight months of my life. From the moment I went through the gates at the airport to the moment I let go of my stuff to barrel into a hug with my mum upon my return, I had the time of my life.

And so, regarding my photograph at the top: the university I studied with while I was in Japan, NUFS (Nagoya University of Foreign Studies), organized many trips for us so that we could experience as much as possible while we were there. One of those trips was to an exact replica of Mei and Satsuki's house from the Studio Ghibli movie 'My Neighbour Totoro'. It was in the height of summer, and the sun quite literally beat down on us. Many of us had umbrellas with us for a little protection but honestly, they didn't really help. The Japanese don't do anything by halves, and so it wasn't just the house itself. There was a beautifully landscaped walk from the coach, and we crossed a little bridge over a river full of lily pads (I'm no expert; that's just what I'm assuming they were).

I can't remember who spotted it first but a bunch of us were soon buzzing over the discovery - there was a snake in the water. So of course I joined the bustle, leaning over the side to get a look, to snap pictures. If the snake had known what a celebrity was, I'm sure it would have felt like one at that moment.

I love taking photographs, especially of wild creatures. I did a GCSE and a diploma in photography at college, and a lot of my photographs are of natural things - plants, trees, animals, birds, even fish. So I was stoked to get a chance to take a picture of a wild water snake. I don't think I'd ever seen one before. I certainly wasn't expecting to take photos of wildlife that day - I had assumed, mistakenly as it turned out, that we would just be seeing a house. Don't get me wrong, the house was gorgeous and I took many, many photos of it. But the best thing about that day was seeing the snake - it was so unexpected, and it was so exciting, and even after I'd taken my photos, I watched it until it disappeared. It was mesmerizing.

That photograph is one of my favourites from my time in Japan - which seems silly at first. I went to Japan! Shouldn't my favourite photographs be of things that are more... Japanese-y?

But no. Because it isn't just what you see in the photograph. To other people, it's simply a photo of a snake in water. But to me, that photograph holds the memories of that day, of that experience, where I was, who I was with, what I was doing, even who I was at that time - all of it. So many things held together by a single image. That's why it's one of my favourites.

And to be honest, it's a frickin' snake! Which is just awesome.