Here it is. The end of the Japan adventure for Frank and me. The last 3 weeks have been very full of busy: Frank finally started school here, I have been industriously looking for employment beyond the Washing Well show and a new home, and of course, soaking in everything that Japan has to offer the best we can. In a short 10 hours or so, my little family will walk to the Yodo Station on the Keihan Line, take the train to the Kyoto Station, and board a JR train to Kansai International Airport, stay in a hotel and then, bright and early tomorrow morning, Frank and I will hop on a shuttle, navigate check-in and security, and get on the 1st of 3 airplanes that will take us back to the USA.
I’m not ready to leave.
Frank is on the cusp of really learning Japanese.
We understand the culture here so much better and are more comfortable in it, so it is easier for us to move through it.
We are making friends. Real Ones. Friendships, that if we could stay just a few more months would solidify into deep relationships, which are the kinds of friendships that I delight in and crave.
We know how to order and eat food.
We have seen some ugly. Japan is not Utopia. It is modern society.
For all these reason and more, I do not want to leave. Here, the energy is calm and focused. The people operate out of their hearts. Really. They do. It is not talked about in terms of “loving kindness” or “Love is only way”. If talked about at all, it is talked about in terms of spirit. What the spirit of a place, or person, or circus is. And the idea is to have a good spirit.
My own spirit feels good here. I can feel it expand and lighten. Being as sensitive as I am, it is refreshing to me to feel so calm. Not manic or tense or scared. The USA is in the grips of fear, and it is coloring everything. Here in Japan, not so much.
I will miss you Japan. I will miss your sense of fashion and your fussy little arm covers and sun umbrellas and towels for all occasions. I will miss mochi and sushi and ramen. I will miss the efficiency and structure. I will miss the shrines on every corner and ringing the temple bells. I will miss the friendliness and kindness of your people. I will miss Kinoshita Circus and your spirit and kindness. I will miss the people I have met, who have made me laugh and taken care of me and embraced my son in ways unimagined.
Thank you, 2015, for the this portion of the adventure. Now, on to the next one. May it be as opening and glorious and fun as this one has been.
And thank you, readers, for reading this little blog. I do not know what the future holds for this small section of the internet. Stay tuned.