I was in Japan between October 2 and 18 (that's why I couldn't update my blog-shmog for three weeks). The main purpose of this trip was to work at the library of the Faculty of Letters at Kyoto University, one of my almae matres in Japan. I also used this occasion to see my parents, my sister and her husband, some relatives, and a number of close friends and colleagues there, and have some rest from an OCPD-unfriendly country.
It's really ironical that the more I visit Japan, where I was born and brought up, as an Israeli, the more enthusiastic I become about it, including its cleanliness and order as well as its sensitive and civilized people and its rich book culture. This time I've also found Japan far more OCPD-friendly. During this almost three-week stay there I never got irritated and angry as I do even several times a day in Israel with too many egocentric and insensitive people.
I even started thinking of returning to Japan for good, though as an Israeli, but by the end of this trip I concluded it would be better for me to remain in Israel and visit Japan at least once a year as Japan lacks one important thing Israel has in abundance - joy of life. Israel, especially Jerusalem, is also one of the world centers of Jewish learning. These two things compensate for me for the higher price I pay for living in Israel than in Japan.
Meeting the above mentioned close people and watching others in Japan have given me a lot of material for thought about most fundamental questions about life in Israel and Japan in general and work in these two countries in particular.
Before this trip I was in the middle of updating or upgrading my vision of life and work. This trip has sharpened this new vision. Now I have a much clearer vision about what I want to accomplish in life in general and work in particular as a kind of bridge between Israel, or to be more precise, Jewish tradition and its wisdom, and Japan and its perplexed people with little or no joy of life.