Ulsterman Abroad is Back! Where Have You Been?

Rihanna famously sang ‘Where have you been all my life?’ Well, I’ve only been gone around 18 months but it feels like it’s been a lifetime. Welcome to the brand new and revamped Ulsterman Abroad where I’ll be showing you the ins, outs and, hopefully, quirkier aspects of Japan. Have you ever been to an amusement arcade realistically based on Kowloon’s walled city? How about an art gallery where you become part of the art itself? Or, if you’re mentally eight years old (like me), what about a poop museum? These are just some of the exciting locations to look forward to in the coming weeks.

Whilst the focus of this site will be shifting away from my personal journey and towards Japan, itself, I feel like I should let you all know where I’ve actually been. The last 18 months for me, personally, have been that of a serious amount of self-discovery. Living abroad can be a challenging experience and without trying to sound like a massive cliché, I’ve probably learnt more about myself in the past 18 months than I have in my entire life. I used to come home from working my 9-5 job to binge-watch Netflix or actually win something with Manchester United, albeit, in Fifa. At times, I’ve found it difficult to find that balance between work, rest and pursuing what I really want to do with this site. Fast forward, however, to 2019 and it’s now very rare that you’ll find me doing nothing unless it’s a Sunday, on which days you could mistake me for a rugby watching and video gaming sloth.

Since I last wrote to you, I’ve taught myself the basics of creating a website and a brand. I’ve also began to dabble in more serious photography and editing, which will be a big feature of the articles appearing here, from now on. And, whilst I took a brief hiatus from studying Japanese for around six months, I’m now at a point where, if I gesture furiously – imagine a crazed Italian – I can have a reasonable conversation. If it’s about beer, I’m practically fluent. Other notable achievements include recovering from the shock of Game of Thrones, both, ending and it’s ending; successfully managing to have all-you-can-eat pizza three times in one month and losing my passport in an unnamed, communist country.

So, you know where I’ve been but where are we going? I’m going to be showing you some of the coolest spots I find on my travels. Whether that be Kobe, Osaka, Nara or closer to home in my new series –Tokyo Desu. With Tokyo being one of the largest cities in the world there’s plenty to explore, but more on that soon. Whilst I’m currently still living in Japan, I still look back on my days living in China with fondness and, of course, amusement. Articles from my days in China will be returning to the vault with added content, periodically. I hope you’ll enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them. And finally, whilst this is Ulsterman Abroad and most of the content will be foreign to the shores of Ireland, I’m really excited to start a new series called Ulsterfolk Abroad. Here, I’ll be exploring the complicated nature of Ulster’s unique identity and what it really means to be from Ulster – particularly how that varies from person to person. Look out for that, coming soon.

Before I leave you, why not click the links at the top of the page and check out Ulsterman Abroad on Facebook and Instagram. If you’re a fan of the pages, I’ll be doing exclusive giveaways of Japanese goodies so give us a like and check back for platform-exclusive content!

I’m buzzing to be back and see you soon, Ulsterfolk!