okaerinasai

"okaerinasai". that's how your team members, your co-workers, your supervisor, even your client greeted you today. "welcome home". 
you have lots to catch up, both at work and about what happened between the three weeks of exile. 
you are tired but you are amaze at your own energy, no one believe that you just arrived a few hours ago.
your supervisor is pleased that your voice is audible again in the room.
you share some chocolates, some mini stroopwafels with your client and your co-workers over conference calls meetings.
you feel relief you no longer need to dial in to the call in your pajamas but attending these meetings in person.
you feel good, happy, at ease and relaxed.
you spent almost a good 8 hours at work before calling it a day.
you came home, trash all the perishable food in your fridge. unpack your luggage.
you look into your fridge/freeze and make yourself a bowl of soup noodles with whatever you have.

a simple bowl of noodle with bamboo shoot, tofu, unox worst and egg.  simple but satisfying as your body clock still sit in the europe timezone.
tokyo narita airport is still the same, perhaps a little emptier and less crowded.
tokyo city is still the same but with a lot of pink, pale pink and white sakura blossoming almost everywhere. just a quick look around, you cannot miss out sakura.
tokyo metro is still the same, perhaps the metro station is a little dimmer and the train service is a little less frequent by two or three minutes.
tokyo office building is still the same,  perhaps elevators connecting underground station and office building are not in service but you don't mind walking up or down just 20 to 30 steps. all office buildings have less light on, but good enough to see clearly.  most corridors light are off including your apartment block.
tokyo tower is still the same, welcoming you every evening as you walk from station to your apartment, but she is no longer blinking.
all these happen for a good purpose.  people in tokyo learnt that how much energy they have wasted on the neon light and unnecessary street lights.  although tokyo is a lot dimmer than usual but it is not any worst or step back, but perfectly serving the purpose by conserving energy for a better city and for those who need the electricity up there in the north east region.
tokyo is indeed still the same.