This is it. In a few minutes I’m going to walk out of my apartment for the final time, get in my car and drive out of Ono, in the knowledge that I may never return.

The last week has been a series of sayonaras. People say that saying goodbye is difficult. I don’t think that's the right word. It’s awkward, sorrowful and painful.

So how do I sum up my two years in Ono, Fukui, Japan? Well, I’ll start by saying it’s been the best two years of my life so far, and I have got a tremendous amount of pleasure and satisfaction from living here, meeting the locals, learning a little lingo, and enjoying a life where everyday is an adventure into the unknown. Life as an English teacher in Ono is sweet.

By bike, snowboard, cross-country ski, kayak, snowshoe, car and foot, I have explored deep into the natural wonders of Fukui, perhaps delving deeper than many of the locals. Sometimes it takes an outsider’s eye to appreciate what locals take for granted

I’ll sign off by saying thanks to everybody who has been reading for the last two years, especially to those who’ve left words of encouragement. This blog was started simply to document my time in Japan for my own enjoyment, but I hope it has been of some entertainment value to you, and maybe amused you or even inspired you to come to Japan, or to go and explore more of the planet.

So what will become of thefunkydrummer you ask? Well, this blog will remain in cyberspace as a record of my time in Nippon and I may occasionally update it with news from home, but really, it’s the end of the line. Thefunkydrummer was all about Japan, and Japan is over now.

When I return to the motherland, I’m hoping to pursue writing in some form or another, and I already have several articles that will be published this year in various magazines, from a gourmet food mag to a cross ountry skiing mag, and of course, I have big plans for www.SnowSphere.com – but more about that soon.

So, thanks Ono, thanks Fukui and thanks Japan for giving me an incredible two years, which have changed my life, given me new direction and allowed me to meet so many beautiful people.

I’ll be back.

The funky drummer has left the blogspot.