Amazing Japan

As with any place we visit, it is the people we meet along the way who make it unforgettable.

While I can take photographs of the beautiful places I’ve been and bring them home with me, it is the friends I make along the journey who keep me connected to this great, big and amazing world I am trekking through.

Japan took my breath away.

Seeing Mt Fuji was amazing. Spending ten days on a meditation retreat in the mountains of Kyoto was amazing. Walking through the colourful streets of Tokyo was amazing. Sitting on warm toilet seats was amazing. Visiting beautiful temples with histories dating back hundreds of years was amazing. Barbecuing meat on a rooftop in the cold was amazing. Watching snowflakes fall from the sky for the very first time in my life was amazing.

But none of those experiences could compare to the people I met and befriended.

The people were priceless.

In a country known for its incredibly accommodating and kind people, making friends was as simple as offering a smile to a complete stranger.

Literally.

I am so grateful for everyone I was fortunate enough to meet during my one month there. The love, kindness and compassion they showed so freely not only restored my faith in humanity, but also inspired me and taught me how to truly live.

Without all the complications that life throws at us every day, I learnt that love should come naturally from within us, not out of obligation or because of the influences around us.

I learnt to see with my heart, not just my mind.

I learnt to embrace the present, instead of being weighed down by my past or worrying endlessly about my future.

While the backpack I carry on this journey may be heavy, the spiritual fruits I have gathered along the way have brought a surreal lightness to my feet, urging me to keep running towards this great adventure, hungry for more unforgettable encounters and more lessons waiting to be learnt.

Thank you, my new friends.

May our paths cross again someday.