One Year Later

I chose my Kyoto mug for my morning coffee today. It is a Starbuck’s souvenir mug. It is painted with colorful Japanese fans, a shrine, the serenity rock garden, a geisha walking across a bridge, and a splash pink Sakura. I love it because it brings back fond memories of that time when I saw all of these things.
I can’t believe that it was one year ago today that I left for Japan. It was such an adventure for me. It gave me so many memories of a country so beautiful that words escaped me to tell of it.
One year later and I still can feel the ocean breezes, see the Sakura in blossom, taste the rich food foreign to my tongue, smell the Starbuck’s coffee in a sea of green tea, and hear the soft tones of the foreign sing song Japanese language.
Jackie has since gone on to less greener pastures. That is she has exchanged her quiet country life in Onomichi for the fast pace living in one of the biggest cities in the world. She no longer teaches English to Japanese school children. She now works for the English version of Japan Times. She lives in Tokyo.
Recently she gave up another of her “Jackie apartments” for a “grown up” apartment in Tokyo. Her new place is a three bedroom apartment complete with hot running water for the shower and sinks. She even has a flush toilet. Although I did not specifically ask about that either.
It sounds very inviting and she has invited us. Jackie tells me it is nothing like Onomichi. She even thinks it might be somewhat overwhelming with the crush of people that live and work there 24/7. It sounds like a challenge to me. Bill and I are thinking of going to Tokyo this year. We are still in the planning stages.
One year later and I still want to go back to see Japan. I am sure that it will be quite different from what I saw the first time. However what will not be different is the reunion with my daughter that I see so rarely with her life of adventure so far from home.

WendyKH