I was going through my tweet timeline when I stumbled on a question and answer put out by National Geographic Traveler. Amy Alipio answered a question with the following, “A7. Love how in any Japanese store they’ll wrap your purchase in exquisite paper, even its something like deodorant.” And she opened up a whole slew of memories that brought a smile to my face, even after dealing with the tough times and news that we all are dealing with.
She managed to trigger a sudden desire to write about what I miss from a country that I haven’t been back to in years. If you follow me, then you already know that I am half-Japanese. It’s just one part of my background that I cherish, mostly because it’s a time that had the biggest impact on me when I was growing up. I had spent my youth traveling with my parents whenever my dad got a new duty station from the Navy. You get used to the moving, though you never get used to the pieces of yourself that you leave behind. It’s different from traveling, because the permanence of staying feels real so you still cling to that place as home. Even though you know that it’s temporary. But for all of the upheaval, I wouldn’t trade those experiences because I got to immerse myself into where I was living.
Japan was more than a home to me, simply because I have a part of my family there. They live in the cities of Tokyo and Yokohama, which were very close to where we had lived in Yokosuka. I spent over a fifth of my life there, but I have a lifetime full of memories from that short time.
This is a picture of me and my cousin Miyuki taken way back when (I think I was 8 years old)
Things that I love(d) and miss about Japan include:
- Visiting the local book shop run by the sweetest old couple who always saved me special manga books that stretched my learning the Japanese language.
- Stopping at my favorite sweet shops just to look at the beautiful French and Japanese pastries that came out each morning. It was like seeing an art exhibit!
- Walking through the closed Ginza shopping area on Monday, because that is an official day off in Japan.
- Watching the hanabi (fireworks) during the summer festival, and then playing with sparklers in my grandparent’s yard.
- Sitting in the hallway with the shoji doors open so that I could watch the firefly playing amongst the grass blades at night.
- The smell of the bug-repellant when you lit it to keep the mosquitos away.
- Eating cold suika (watermelon) on a hot summer day.
- Browsing for hours over gorgeous gift wrapping paper, because they were truly pieces of art. Some looked like a silken scarf bursting with glorious colors of the rainbow.
- The power of glory, and the agony of defeat, when eating with chopsticks. I still do here just to keep in practice. Plus I love how they look.
- Listening to the sounds of geta echoing through an empty road.
- Roads bordered by stone walls on both sides that gave the area a sense of loneliness and comfort at the same time.
- Being surrounded by history no matter where you went.
- Having my Dad come to get me because school was cancelled due to snow.
- Riding trains to go visit my family. I loved buying tickets from the machines. Since I couldn’t read Kanji (and sometimes there was no Romaji), it would be a guessing game to see if I picked the right destination.
- My love of art was fueled by manga and anime.
- Knowing that my connection to the country ran in my blood.
There’s so many more, but those were just a few thoughts that blazed through my mind when I saw Amy’s tweet. So, thanks for the memories of Japan. It’s a home to me, but I had so many more and I’m made up of so much more. I cherish each and every memory that I have because they helped pave my thoughts and dreams, which I’m now pursuing with total dedication. I don’t physically travel much now, but I will cherish the next time I do. I can’t wait to build new memories!
