to where the wind calls my name...

Kinkauji Temple in Kyoto with my parents.
The Nunobiki Herb Park in Kobe
Visiting a tea house at the Koko-en gardens in Himeji
Trying a outdoor footspa at Arashiyama Station, in Kyoto
My friend Emi, who I do language exchange with, took my family for a day in Kyoto. She met us in Osaka in the morning, wearing her kimono!
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Why is it that when you are with the people you love the most, that time passes the quickest? Why is it that the moments seem to fly right over your head, before you have the chance to realize?

Having the chance to share this country with my family was perhaps the most wonderful thing. To share with them the things I have seen, the people I have met and the way I live day to day, meant so much.

There are moments from the past 2 weeks that I want to stay etched in my mind for the rest of my life. Some moments seem epically surreal, others seem perhaps more small and personal. Both share equal significance for me. Whether it was strolling through the Imperial Palace in Kyoto;walking along the shores of Miyajima Island; having few words while standing the Peace Park of Hiroshima; gazing at the golden beauty of Kinkakuji Temple; introducing the joy of kushikatsu; taking my sister to kareoke; going shopping with my mom; or just sitting and having a long talk with my dad. Every moment was memorable. Every moment special.

Most of my travels over the last nine months, have been about self discovery. Each place seemingly revealling its own secret to me. Each place being a gift to unwrap. Having the chance to share this gift with my family, brought a new sort of discovery and perspective on my experience here. I had the chance to re-visit the places that I have grown to love, and to see them again through fresh and impressionable eyes. And seeing new things together as a family, allowed us to share in the joy of discovering uncharted territory.

Having my family visit also helped me understand how Japan has changed and it changing me. How it has shaped my thinking about life, about family, about priorities, and what I choose to live for. Most of all, it seems that the simple things have become of greatest significance for me. Seeing the sun set and rise, always having a project to dedicate myself to, having music in my ears, and my journal by my side.

Although this country continually impresses its images on me and changes me, one thing always remains a constant: the companionship of someone greater than me. The ear that is always listening to my thoughts. And the once quiet whisper that has now become a voice that resonates in my heart and mind.

I can't help but think that the last 9 months have been like somewhat of a pregnant (is this the word I want to use?) pause in my life. A break, but also a time of preparation and expectation. And a time that has birthed new things in my life. This family visit allowed me to become even more conscious of the beauty and mystery that exists here. But, maybe more importantly, the beauty and mystery that can exist in all of our lives. Maybe we just need to tap into it. Or that this mystery is just waiting to tap into us.

As I said goodbye to my family yesterday, this time until Christmas, the words of a familiar song echoed in my ear:

"I want to go where the mountains are high enough to echo my song... I want to go where the stars shine bright enough to show me the way... I want to go where the wind calls my name."

To my family: your are on my mind as I sit here on my futon. And as the rain pours outside my window. In this big city.