The World is Home

Life happens fast in Tokyo. At night, as I rest my head on the pillow, a mixture of sounds and images come to my mind. Things that I have seen, things that I have experienced. It is great to be human. It is great to be alive. To be able to hear and see. Taste and smell. To be able to travel and meet amazing people. Kindness has not disappeared. Every day I am faced with kindness. I am so grateful. It is overwhelming how many beautiful souls breathe in this world. I thought that I would be lost in this country but instead I have discovered a new meaning of home. That is also thanks to the wonderful people that I have encountered throughout my journey.

So what if my Japanese is no good? So what if their English is a bit strange? We can still understand each other, we can enjoy each other’s company and laugh when Google Translate (Google-sama) is not great at conveying thoughts and actions. That is really not important. Long forgotten instinct lies beyond language. Those smart receptors sleeping in our skin. I feel like they are slowly waking up. I can feel this country with its good and bad, light and darkness. I am not afraid anymore…not like I used to be. All the fears are meaningless. Life is for living. And I am in good company among my Japanese human fellows.

How wonderful is this world once you learn to let go…let go of possessions, routine, fears and negative thoughts. I won’t let them stop me anymore. What’s the point of worrying? I gave up on those ‘what ifs’ a long time ago.

But it is still a long journey…

Ganbarimasu (がんばります)…I will do my best!

Last weekend I had the chance of seeing one of Tokyo’s famous festivals called Awa-Odori in Koenji. The music and the traditional dances were impressive. I have managed to capture some sounds and some videos so you can get a feel of this festival too.

Let's start with some videos. Don't worry, they are all 30 seconds or less.