Yo! It has been almost, almost a year! But we’re still going strong! Fukuoka was my first stop on Kyushu, ever. And I would like to think of my two days in Fukuoka as an intermission. Here’s where my solo holiday started in between the volunteering gigs. Here’s where I realised I was actually by myself again. And here’s where I realised once again that I can be good company for myself. Lots of self-growth, yadda yadda…let’s go! :)
![The Best Day Trip: Shōdoshima [ 小豆島 ]](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAoAAAAFoAQMAAAD9/NgSAAAAA1BMVEUAAACnej3aAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAADJJREFUeNrtwQENAAAAwiD7p3Z7DmAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA5HHoAAHnxtRqAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC)
こんばんわ！！ Miyajima is always, always a good idea in my books. Somehow it embodies my feelings for Japan way more than a place like, for example, Nara. I think it’s safe to say that by now I have a few favourite stops on the island. Kumiko and I went here on a Monday morning just before I left for Fukuoka in the late afternoon. I was so happy she wanted to squeeze in this trip together before we said our goodbyes. Even though both of us still aren’t that fluent in each other’s languages that we can have effortless communication, I feel that we get on very well and we had such a relaxing morning! It’s fun to communicate in more subtle ways and enjoy the scenery together.
On y va, Miyajima baby!
Oh darn! It’s been a whole year since I packed my bags and went on my best trip ever for three months. Where has the time gone!?
I told you in the last blog that I went to my Japanese family in Hiroshima. My Japanese mom and dad went road trippin’ with me for a few days — just casually sightseeing and having a relaxing weekend as both of them work hard during the week.
This day we went to their farmhouse (see the pictures from last time here) and to pick up grandma from the airport — later we would watch a women’s team volleyball qualification rounds for the Olympics on the telly. It was all just very chilled out. Near Hiroshima airport is a beautiful Japanese garden which had a sort of little-fishies-expo (?!) that was unbelievable satisfying. So this blog will be a bit of a jumble of pictures from that relaxing day.
After leaving Kochi, I was back on the road to the main island. Shikoku was done and dusted (sort-of, I still want to explore more) — and I went to my Japanese family in Hiroshima. It was so lovely to be welcomed back into their home and feel a bit homey. I’d missed that a bit.
Last time I was in Hiroshima, I was there for a week and I explored the whole city. This time I had only 3 days in Hiroshima, and it was the weekend, so me and my Japanese mom and dad went road trippin’ for a few days! Today I’m looking back to the scorching hot day in Iwakuni!
Kochi is a place very, very close to my heart without me really realising this until I got around to type up this post. Kochi was the place where I realised I was at peace with myself and my own reality. I realised that however hard life would feel like — like it had, or like it would be — I could find solace in the fact that I have myself to get through it.
Of course, I became increasingly aware of the importance of my relationship with God, my
family and my friends in my life. Because I wouldn’t want to be able to do it all without them. But it was great to feel that, in that moment, I was my own best friend.
