Japan is one of those nations that has always fascinated me, having heard stories of a conservative culture with extreme focus on collectivism, a history filled with twists and turns, and most of all, existing as the most eastern of the eastern cultures, an assorted collection of islands, strung together by the perfect balance of tradition and technology. From a personal angle, Japan holds a special place in our hearts also because we chose to name our son from a meaningful word, originating in this land, becoming a concept embraced the world over. To top it all, it was our son Haiku’s idea that we should visit Japan in our exploration of countries this time around.
This far, I had always held a pre-conceived notion that I must enter a country through one city, most often the capital city, and then exit from the same city, perhaps clouded by the ‘port of entry’ notions gathered from living in the United States. For this reason, I had dropped Okinawa, an island in the far south of Japan that I so wanted to visit because it was not fitting in my plan of entry and exit via Tokyo. A question Madhan asked during our planning phase made me break the bias and rethink our itinerary. Madhan, ever since he had seen the ‘Kill Bill’ series of movies, in which there is a line about ‘The Sword-maker from Okinawa’, had decided that Okinawa was a must-visit, whenever he happened to step inside Japan! So, when I was proposing the itinerary and saying how it seemed a stretch to include Okinawa in our plan, he asked me, why can’t we enter via Okinawa and then go to all the other places. That was the moment that made me think out of the box, break the mould, and decide to start our exploration in Okinawa, that is situated more than 2000 kilometres, south of the capital city of Tokyo.
What a miss it might have been if not for the question, for Okinawa was a magical and perfect beginning in our journey to this multi-faceted nation!
Okinawan Odyssey:
For those not aware, Okinawa is one of the blue zones of the world, where a large percentage of humans tend to live beyond 100 and live healthy till the end. In that popular Netflix documentary featuring these regions, the traveller tries to break down the ingredients of each Zone’s longevity. Understanding no single component or list of ingredients can be the formula for the health and longevity of a people, I wanted to know more about this, not as a sight-seeing tourist but as a lived feeling. With this guiding me, I searched for options to stay and experience these deep aspects of life and thankfully came across this hotel and tour provider – Yanbaru Hotel Nammei Shinshitsu. They offered a space to live amidst these centenarians in the Kunigami Village, in the northern region of the island of Okinawa and deeply experience their way of life. This was it, I decided!
Flying from Chennai, we landed in Naha airport in the island of Okinawa, and then took a taxi to meet our Sherpa, who was to be our guide and companion throughout our stay in Okinawa. Our sherpa for the trip happened to be Hinano, a young Japanese, full of life and joy. We made plans to meet our Sherpa in a restaurant nearby and she offered to drive us to our accommodation. As Hinano had lived in the United States for part of her childhood, she was fluent in English, a rare thing for the Japanese people, who never even mix words from other languages in their speech, instead choosing to create Japanese words for the same. Hinano’s seamless and thoughtful translation between Japanese and English made us enjoy and experience everything there with ease and understanding. After an interesting dinner at a local restaurant in that remote place, featuring their famous purple sweet potato, said to be one of the reasons for the people’s longevity, and a lot of vegetable and sea food, we drove to our villa, interestingly for Indians, named as ‘Kushi’, and later, walked through the small lanes amidst the comforting presence of trees in that community, where cars couldn’t enter. There, we saw this adorable little house, which was one that belonged to people who had lived there earlier, and in fact, the ancestor plates of the family were there in the house and worshipped by the people.
On the floor, on a futon mattress so white, in the quietness of remote and rural Japan, feeling washed away of all the haste and hurry of our modern lives, woke up after the most refreshing and rejuvenating sleep of my life, under a thick canopy of silence, gently interspersed with the sound of birds, that seemed to imbibe the ubiquitous Japanese politeness and chirp so softly, with a question, ‘Am I disturbing you with my song?’. Madhan woke up shortly afterwards and declared, ‘If I get to sleep like this, I too will live to a hundred.’
The day began with Hinano explaining to us how water determines the settlement of a community, and how it’s worshipped by the people. This source of water could be a waterfall, a river or a lake. In the case of the Kunigami village, it was a waterfall, and we walked over to that place to find a shrine to the ‘water deity’. It was interesting to note that the people here worshipped nature and their ancestors, one of the elements that reminded me of the ancient Tamils. The unique people of this land are known by the name ‘Ryukyu’, who have lived in these islands from ancient times.
As we walked around the community known by the name ‘Jaishiki’, the first striking thing we noticed was how the houses were fenced naturally with the ‘Fukugi’ trees, the comforting presence which I had felt the previous night in the dark. We noted how the tree had thick, water-filled leaves and which later Hinano explained as having the properties of a windbreaker and fire-breaker, of immense use, in limiting fires to a small enclosure. There was thoughtful disaster management using the resources of nature!
Then, we saw little gardens where many different vegetables were locally grown. There was even a chilli pepper, which we tasted as if it was a lollypop, much to the amusement of Hinano, who declared we are the first people to taste it without tears in your eyes. We were introduced to their many vegetables and fruits in this delectable walk and understood how growing one’s own food was not only a necessity in the island life of these people but also contributed immensely to their longevity.
Later, we drove to another community to see how an old school was converted into a centre for arts and crafts, which highlights the declining young population of this country. Here, made a delightful discovery of various toys and boxes made from the palmyra that grows here and immediately thought about how I have seen such boxes and art in the villages of Tamil Nadu, done using the fronds of palm and coconut trees, and felt the touch of home away from home. Also, read this delightful little poem, which spoke about welcoming even the spirits we push away, into our lives to see what a difference that makes. Along the journey, Hina talked about how the community was influenced by various cultures like the Ryukyu, the mainland Japanese and the Americans, who lived here after the Second World War, and the repeating story of these ancient languages dying with the aging population and migrating youth.
In our trip around another community called Kijoka, we also visited a centre where an ancient tradition of weaving known as ‘Bashofu’, unique to this area, one which had fell to disuse due to the popularity of other clothing materials, was being taught and transferred to the next generation by the women there. Came away impressed by the total absorption of the older women working there, dyeing and doing other complex tasks, completely oblivious to the presence of visitors, even as a very modern-looking electronic steam spout controlled the humidity of the room. A morning well spent, and we had a taste of Okinawa food, at a quaint little restaurant, which had only a couple of lunch items, but all the dishes brought there tasted so delicious and made us sense the goodness of the land. Perfect, perfect little portions of supreme delight indeed!
In the evening, we had asked for a local cooking session and a village mother, who was in fact the mother of the sisters, who had started this Yanbaru Hotel initiative, came to our villa, and with Hinano’s seamless translations got us cooking all those delicacies. All three of us helped with the various tasks set forth by ‘Master San’ and it was one of the best experiences we have had anywhere in the world. Saw how papaya that I relish as a fruit back home was used as a vegetable, bitter gourd or ‘pavakkai’ took the name of bitter melon here and featured prominently in their cooking. Also learnt as part of my culinary lessons that the seaweed, which in fact comes from North of Japan, Hokkaido, was said to be consumed the most in this Okinawa region. It was a such a joyful spread and with perfect efficiency, much laughter and joy, the meal was spread and not only our tummies, but our hearts too were filled with content. After such a delicious meal, the night gave the expected gift of exquisite sleep. Truly, felt like we were gaining years of life in our stay here!
If the previous day had started with an understanding of the importance of water, the next was about fire. Hinano cooked rice in a wood-fire stove outside our accommodation, kindling and keeping alive the fire with much difficulty owning to the moisture in the air.
I was entrusted with task of fire-keeping which I joyfully did, while many of the breakfast items were prepared inside and then it was time to savour the warm cooked rice from the pot.
After that comforting food, it was time for some adventure, and we decided to trek in the Yambaru National Park and had arranged for a tour with a nature guide. Futoshi-San, who could easily be mistaken for someone in the late 40s or early 50s, but who was in fact a 65 year old, who took us all around the mountain, with so much energy and vitality, making us think that here’s a living example of the goodness of this life, for what more can one want, other than a healthy life till the very end. He made us listen to the sounds of the woodpecker, showed us micro-orchid buds that we would have easily missed, let us play with the red-bellied newts in the shallow ponds, and made us savour the life and vitality of this rainforest in this corner of the world. The wonderful thing is that later when Hinano said how Futoshi-San does this only for the joy and smiles it brings in people, and that made me think here’s another recipe for a long and healthy life: Finding meaning and loving the work you do!
It was time for more fire at night for a barbecue dinner was planned and as Hinano was running back and forth bringing the items between the office and our accommodation, she literally bumped into Sayuri San, a seventy-year-old resident of this community. So kindly, Sayuri San had offered to bring over her husband, Yoshide-San, to play the sanshin, an Okinawan stringed musical instrument. What was to be a simple barbecue night that we had enjoyed in many parts of the world turned out serendipitously as a unique Ryukyuan musical night, offering a delightful introduction to the arts of the region. Madhan got to learn how to play the instrument from Yoshide-San, and all of us got to know this lovely couple, who have been married 55 years. The heartwarming thing was how Haiku wanted to take selfies with this Japanese ‘Thaatha-Paatti'(Granpa-Granma). Sayuri-San’s face for some reason reminded me of the features of my own great-grandmother, and in different ways, we all felt the joy of finding family, far away from home.
The next morning, after a packed breakfast box of onigiri, thoughtfully prepared, we bid bye to that vibrant couple from the previous night and Hinano, and drove on to Naha airport, already missing their love and warmth.
Kyoto Calling:
From this southern sojourn at Okinawa, we flew into the heart of the mainland, deciding to visit Kyoto first, with a hope of glimpsing the cherry blossoms and experiencing the old-world charm of Japan. Here, we stayed in a traditional Japanese inn, a ‘Ryokan’ named ‘Gion Kyoka’ in the middle of Gion districts, famous for the arts of the Geishas.
Our walk in the late evening brought us in close encounter with the famous cherry blossoms of Japan, the quintessential symbol of the country, that brings people all over the world here. While these flowers are pretty and no doubt provide excellent framing for a profile picture, the presence of these flowers signifies something deeper in Japanese culture, and that’s the ephemeral presence of these things of beauty in one’s life, much like life itself, a gift given and taken away so soon, and all we can do, is to hold gratitude, when the gift is in our hands!
As we meandered on the streets of Gion, looking for a place to eat our first meal on the mainland, the word ‘Sushi’ amidst all the Japanese letters beckoned us inside ‘Obenkei’ restaurant. To add a little prelude about our experience with Sushi, that being Haiku’s favourite food, we have visited all the Japanese restaurants in Chennai, some even multiple times, to taste this unique combination of rice and seafood. However, the quality of the sushis and sashimis in this little restaurant, standing unobtrusively on a street in Gion, was something never experienced before. Realised that no matter how authentically we try to replicate a cuisine in far-away shores, food is never exactly the same as it is in the place of origin, for food is more than the list of ingredients. It’s deeply touched by the soil, the water, the air and the elements around.
Although I’m not as much of a foodie like Madhan and Haiku, I felt I was curiously focusing a lot on food here in Japan. It’s a natural thing I read later, for even the Japanese when connecting with a person from another part of Japan, would apparently first talk about the food specialty of that region to break the ice. Something that tells us that food is an inseparable part of culture in Japan and glad to note that every meal we had during our entire stay in Japan was ‘Made in Japan’ Japanese food!
A visit to the sacred grove of Arashiyama invited us, as it did most of the travellers, and even a pre-9 am visit did little to keep away the pouring humans into those pathways. Crowds or not, it was indeed magnificent to walk through the road bordering these huge marvels of nature, experiencing a sense of awe.
From food for the mind, it was time for food for the body, and no better place to experience the treats of Kyoto other than the Nishiki Market, with more than 130 stalls, offering all possible Japanese delicacies. But that’s not the stunning thing about this place! In that pathway brimming with people and shops, there was not a bit of trash or paper, or even a scrap of food remnants. There was just one simple rule, ‘No eating while walking’. Whatever you bought, you had to stand by the shop, finish your food, dispose your trash responsibly in the provided bins and move on to the next adventure! What a simple but effective way of keeping such a place, filled with so many exotic items of food, teeming with excited humans, spic and span! This cleanliness of the Japanese was a constant source of amazement through the trip, as I remember remarking to Haiku on a train ride, ‘Even the pillars that hold the many rail bridges, after years of construction, look perfect as if they had been cleaned with a wet wipe, just this morning!’
After the wonders of Nishiki market, which put a big, big smile on Haiku’s face, it was time to explore another interest of his, at the International Manga Museum. Though I had not read much of Manga, it was fascinating to see people of so many ages, there a thirty-year old person, there a middle-aged lady, there a little boy of eleven, all sitting so quietly, intently lost in some Manga book of their choice. The exhibits explaining the origins of Manga, exploring themes of animism from ancient times, and the rows and rows of Manga over the last hundred years was simply spellbinding!
The next path to be explored in Kyoto was the famous Philosopher’s Path, the most picturesque spot to see the cherry blossoms and after a brief visit to the Nanzen-ji shrine, we walked along the canal. Some of these flowers were bursts of pink and others were white with a subtle flush, The flowers were smiling even as the petals had started to fall. I saw how the petals of the cherry blossoms were falling on the waters of the canal, which was carrying that thing of beauty on its journey to the ocean, painting a poetic, philosophical and picturesque scene of life and loss in that moment of wonder!
Heartbreak at Hiroshima:
Hiroshima was our next destination, which was further out of the way, but we decided not to miss this place of significance. We took the bullet train from Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima and a journey of more than 300 kilometres was completed in 1.5 hours. The moment I stepped into the A-dome memorial in Hiroshima and read the first inscription, a feeling of tenderness filled me. Just being there was affecting me in a powerful way. We stood before that A-dome building, which is the torn, dilapidated remains of that shocking moment in our human history. The board before it talked about how people were divided whether to retain this building or tear it down completely. Why should we have a constant reminder of the pain? was the argument on one side. However, it was agreed that the building be left as it is, as a reminder of what happened in this spot. I think that is a decision filled with immense bravery and wisdom.
On our way to the museum, saw this memorial for a child, who had battled against the radiation disease and lost her life and how children from all the schools in Japan, fold paper cranes in her memory, even today. The calls for peace in this little place from those little hands was heartrending.
The moment we stepped into the exhibits of the museum, tears were pouring from my eyes at every picture, at every experience, as I felt the pain of those who had been living ordinary lives of hope, shattered, destroyed beyond recognition, by uncontrollable forces. It’s a difficult place to be, to see the devastation caused by politics beyond our control, no matter the justifications of a greater good from any side. When stepping out, the only thing that brought some warmth was the story of resilience of these very people, who had been affected by the bombing, rising out of the ashes like human phoenixes, and carving out their lives, having children and holding hope at the greatest of odds. As we stepped out of that museum and saw how this city had changed after these decades, we truly saluted the spirit of resilience in the people and this country.
Returned to Kyoto and prepared to leave this traditional side of Japan to see another face of this nation.
Techno Tokyo:
Our stay in Tokyo was in a hotel very close to the metro and a 72-hour subway ticket made our transport to so many places a breeze. After a high-speed journey on their ‘shinkansen’ or the bullet train, which brought us to Tokyo in two hours, with a glimpse of Mt. Fuji on the way, we decided to explore the Tokyo National Museum, which was a walk away from our stay. The art and aesthetics of the Japanese came to the fore, and I was intrigued by the timeline of the history and possible connections with the Indian mainland in the Yayoi Period, which was the contemporary of our Sangam Tamil culture.
Something interesting I remember from my stroll around this museum was an overheard conversation. A little American boy was asking his Japanese guide why on a particular piece of pottery, one side was curved, and the other was flat, as if it was faulty. The Japanese guide was saying, ‘The artwork follows the Japanese principle of ‘wabi-sabi’. How do I explain it?’. Seeing her momentary confusion, I decided to help her out with, ‘Beauty in imperfection’, and she thanked me with a smile. In so perfect a nation to embrace this very human quality of imperfection was something fascinating, I thought.
The Noh masks and their elaborate performances reminded of our Kerala’s Kathakali. The other unforgettable elements were the intricate and spectacular embroidery of birds, scenes in nature and even carriages on the kimonos from centuries ago and the vibrant faces of the many Buddhas. That one image of a Samurai warrior returning from a battle, seeing the falling cherry blossoms and composing a Wanka poem remains fresh in my mind, for it spoke to me about seeing poetry in the nature around, echoing themes of love and war, and yet again, made me sense the similar fragrance of the Tamil Sangam verses!
Later we saw a special exhibition that connected the ancient animism and the modern anime of Japan in an immersive experience taking us through the ages. Some of the things I gleaned from this show was the aspect of Japanese aesthetics that focuses on empty spaces and their minimalism, which could be seen in an ancient artwork featuring the painting of trees in a fog, and in a modern piece of Manga, reinstating the continuity of their aesthetic style!
For dinner, we decided to experience the Kaiseki meal at this hard-to-find restaurant called ‘Sahsya Kanetanaka’. The courses were so delicious, all featuring seafood. Madhan remarked that if he had somehow lost his sense of taste, he would believe he was eating ‘Iruttu Kadai Halwa’, the Indian dessert from South Tamil Nadu, known for melting in the mouth, for so soft were those slices of red tuna. We thanked the waitress and walked out in the cold spring night, tightening our jackets. After we had walked down the stairs and were out on the street, the waitress came running behind us, without any jacket, in her work clothes, just to bring a handkerchief I had forgotten on my seat. It wasn’t even anything valuable but the thought of putting others before oneself was evident in the sincerity of this Japanese person.
The next morning, we decided to turn our attention to religion and planned a visit to the Shinto Shrine of Meiji-Jingo. Shintoism is an ancient religion of Japan, and predates the other religion of Buddhism, which came from India. As I read more about this religion, I was amazed to find that there were no deities and the predominant core of this religion was a belief that a spirit called ‘Kami’ lives in all natural beings and even physical features like hills and rivers, and human beings had to live in balance and harmony with these spirits. An eco-centric religion if there was one! Beyond that, I learnt this religion stresses so much on purity of body and soul. This was an ‘Aha moment’ for me for I could infer the true origins of the exceptional cleanliness of the Japanese. Be it in their ‘Onsen’ culture, that one writer had remarked how the Japanese had turned ‘bathing into a national sport’ or in their clean streets, clean restrooms, clean railway pillars, it was this ingrained culture at work, which believes that the path to Godliness is through cleanliness. No penalty or punishment, it’s who they are and what they believe! Something the world entire can learn from Japan!
After a visit to this ancient side of Japan, took a walk in the Yanaka neighbourhood, which had these old houses from the 1800s and walked through the cemeteries of ancient residents, decorated by the falling cherry blossoms, making their statement about life and loss in another voice, in another place, yet again!
In between our journeys, couldn’t help thinking how whatever kind of train we had got on, be it a slow local train in the outer suburbs or the speeding subway trains, there was one constant. All the passengers entered the train looking at their phones and exited looking at it too. So rare to see people having a conversation or even reading a book. Staring at the phone seems to be a national mannerism here! Has it become a convenient tool for the Japanese to give each other space and privacy by being lost in their little mobile worlds? Being used to all the banter and conversations in the public transport back home, I wonder which way of life is better for the mental health of individuals!
From here, we moved on to see the jazzy, pop-culture face of Tokyo to the region of Akihabara, just with a hop on the subway. Learnt that there were many, many establishments with ten floors of electronics and goods. And I thought to myself, here we have come to the temple of commerce, teeming with worshippers in all shapes, sizes and hair colours! Anime, Video games and all things modern splash about in this place, which can be called an explosion of the senses. After dinner at a restaurant, where in techno style, a robot brought our dishes, we called it a day!
Next morning, we had a brunch at this two hundred old restaurant ‘Komagata Dojo’, whose speciality is the loach or freshwater fish. Sat on Tatami mats with folded legs and savoured this unique fare, with older people, who seemed like regulars here. Then, we visited the Sensoji Temple, where people in all colours had adorned themselves in the Japanese Kimono, and were walking about the Buddhist shrine, collecting fortune sticks called ‘omikuji’ and shopping souvenirs on the way at the Nakamise street market, apparently a shopping street that is four centuries old! I thought here was a temple of religion and commerce all rolled in one, like a well-done kelp-coated Japanese rolled omelette! Here, it would be quite relevant to add a haiku poem penned by Basho, that a friend had shared, knowing that we are visiting Japan, one that leads to many interesting interpretations:
“inside the temple
visitors cannot know
cherries are blooming”
After some shopping in the nearby Akihabara at the famous Uniqlo shops, that seems to have found a following world over, we retired to the hotel looking forward to the rest of the evening with some authentic Japanese art.
Our first stop was the Kabukiza theatre, to witness a Kabuki play, the Japanese style of drama. Although these plays run an entire day, so thoughtfully, to give a slice of this experience to visiting tourists, there was a possibility to see a single act of the play, which lasted roughly around an hour. Thankfully got tickets for the same in the morning and got to witness this unique art, where dance, music and performance all come together with grace and elegance. Our play featured a maid or a geisha, who had joined a new household, and talks about her emotions with her delicate dances and movements. The subtle element I was wowing here was in the way a person sat there unobtrusively in the corner of the stage, with legs folded in Japanese style, dressed in ancient garments, and his only purpose was to glide on his knees towards the main actor and adjust their flowing garments or add some accessory. Without inviting attention, so seamlessly this character moved across the stage with subtleness and efficiency. The other element that impressed me was how the instruments were lowered one after the other, like a wave, bringing an aspect of dance even amidst the actions of musical troupe. Finally, the person who stole the show was a male actor, who did a lion’s head dance, and shocked the audience with his fierce and agile movements. Haiku, who had been nodding off during the gentle dance of the Geisha, sat up and declared this was great! In short, a satisfying little treat like munching on a ‘mochi’, the tasty rice-cake dessert in Japanese cuisine!
After serious art, it was time for some fun. As there were no scheduled Sumo matches, we had planned to attend a Sumo show at the Asakusa Sumo Club, where players who had been Sumo wrestlers previously would put a fight show for us. First, there was a video about the history of Sumo wrestling and they connected this to the harvest culture from the Yayoi period of history. This reminded me of the ‘Mallargal'(wrestlers) mentioned in Sangam Literature and the art of wrestling elaborated in many poems. Also learnt that later, in Japan, Samurais would get their first training from the Sumo wrestlers before moving on to other aspects of training. Fascinating insights into what the wrestlers eat, and the do’s and don’ts of the matches, were conveyed in an engaging manner. In the final round, the spectators were called on for a round with the wrestlers. We had tremendous fun watching Haiku, who was termed ‘AsaHaiku’ battle it out with the Sumo wrestler ‘Asashoyou’, as his rival ‘Asayuma’ cheered on! A fun finish to our stay at Tokyo!
Hot-spring Heaven in Hokkaido:
Our final destination invited us the next morning and we flew from the heart of Japan to its northern end, to Sapporo in the island of Hokkaido. Here, we decided to first visit the Ainu Museum, to learn about the indigenous people of this region. They had occupied this land possibly entering from Siberia 30,000 years ago, during the times when mainland Asia and Japan were connected by ice. They had their hunter-gather lifestyle and unique way of seeing life, which persisted even after the rest of Japan became a rice-farming society.
Through exhibits talking about their worldview, language and work, we got to know about these ancient people and their struggles through time. Like many indigenous people, their language was taken away from them to align them with the mainstream Japanese. As we have seen many times in our explorations previously, losing a language is indeed losing a culture. However, thanks to the efforts of writers, who chose to express the thoughts of this culture, the Ainu way of life was understood, and they were recognised as indigenous people of Japan in recent years. Through animations of their legends, through performances of dance and music, through games in their oral language, through reconstructions of traditional houses called ‘cise’ in communities of ‘Kotan’, this ancient culture is being kept alive for the next generations. In many ways, the museum is a respectful apology on behalf of the past and showers hope for the future.
From wowing at this culture, it was our turn to marvel at nature in Noboribetsu, where fire, water, earth and air, came together to put on a dramatic show amidst the sulphur fumes of the hot springs in this place called Jiguku Dani, which ironically translates as ‘Hell’s valley’. However, it was not hell but a hot spring heaven, which serves to resolve the physical ailments of many. Although the Ainu had used the waters for healing from centuries ago, the town’s modern history began when resorts were established to cater to the well-being of wounded soldiers in the Russo-Japanese war in the early 1900s. The resort culture has stayed on even after a century, with hotels displaying their hospitality and welcoming the world entire.
Walking amidst the pathways, looking high at the cold and bare branches, spotting a nest here, hearing a bird song, seeing frolicking deer made my heart warm, amidst the 5 degrees Celsius cold on the outside. Ended the day with a bath in the Onsen, and savoured the fruits of this landscape, so fearsome on the outside, but full of goodness for the heart and soul!
As I look back on our journey to Japan, some images flash before my eyes: The wrinkles of love and laughter on an aging seventy-year-old mother, the agile movements of a sixty-five-year-old nature guide in Okinawa, the image of six-year olds navigating the subway without any adult supervision, the joyful running of a Japanese toddler in the parking lot of Shiraoi train station. And, I smile with gratitude for having seen the many faces of this nation and understanding that we may at times, see people from other cultures as different, as cold and reserved, when we peek out from our little wells in a different corner of the world, but if we care to look deeper, there we can see the shades of the warmth and love, like the hot springs hiding within the cold mountains, and yet again, sense the tug of the threads that tie all humanity together!
I am so greatful that I met you guys through the trip! What a amazing thing, all of the memories still shining in my heart and will be always! So excited to see you all in Chennai next time! So much love from Okinawa!