Memories of Japan

This summer is the ten year anniversary of my year in Japan. I've been talking to friends there and looking at old photos. While there I did so much: took karate lessons, studied zazen meditation. I traveled to Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Fukuoka, and explored my own city of Nagoya and the beaches and mountains that surround it. I ate the freshest fish, tried strange fruits, and drank the best green tea in the world. I listened to Japanese hip-hop, rockabilly, and jazz. Got flashed in the subway. Owned the smallest cellphone in the world and was texting to my friends in the US before the US could text back. Friends came to visit, my family sent care packages. I suffered losses and couldn't return home. I lived a simple life and shared everything of myself with my students. In turn I was gifted long-lasting friendships and memories of a country that I still consider my home. Hisashiburi-desu yo...