Japan 2022 💓

Tonight, I've enjoyed myself so much... Work has not been the easiest this week, but still, thank God that we are a good team, with good colleagues around during this transition period. Much is happening, and we just need to keep on keeping on. :) 

So, I am still thankful tonight. 

I ran. Walked K. Showered. And it was so cold. I had to turn on the heater. So cold. I had dinner, and decided to do another video and then start on the writing here. It's almost 1115pm, and I've made myself a gin and tonic. Maki had asked me this morning if I would be writing about Japan. And I have always wanted to, just that to write about Japan, I would have so much to write, that I'd need the 灵感, to fully express how I felt. 

It was possibly one of the best trips in 2022, not so much in the same way I described Spain. Spain was fun and exploratory, but Japan was reflective, and most times, really about hthts and the good conversations. I had made a decision to go Japan because I needed it. I wanted to get away for a bit, especially to spend time alone and think about the year past and the new year ahead. And I am grateful, because when I felt I needed a getaway, it was almost magic. It just happened... Thank you, Sabie. 💓

I cannot express how much the trip meant for me. I had gone there with just one intention, to feel. To have all my senses awaken, to remember, and to touch, smell, listen, taste, see, and experience in my heart and understand. Someone recently talked to me about being in the moment and mindfulness. I think, Japan was like that. Because it was a getaway, there was no rush. I was in the moment, focusing on what I was doing at that point in time, and that was beautiful and fulfilling. 

I felt the cold gushes of air everyday. I felt the hot onsen water. I can hear the jingles and hustle and bustle on the train platforms. I can see the rows of quiet neighbourhoods and the windows of the apartments and wonder about the lives of those within. I see the autumn leaves and colours and I love how they lined the streets. I hear the cars. the retail staff saying Irrashaimase. I can taste the oolong cha, the green tea - that bitter-dry fragrant taste. I can smell the familiar Japanese smell - the trains, the hotel room, even the winter coats. It's an eclectic mixture of old, new, past, now. And I think because I was conscious about wanting to feel, I really did feel so much more this trip. :)) 

I also felt I had a good rest. We took it easy, 自然醒， and it was a one-day one-thing agenda. 

And it was special to meet Maki again, after 5 years. 

I learnt that as long as the heart is there, distance does not separate. While it may be physical separation, the connection was alive and real. The understanding remains and the support and care continued. The last day where we had Starbucks, it was as if I had no idea when we would meet again, but I truly just wanted the very best for this dear friend, and we prayed. There is nothing permanent, and I learnt this through life too - in the end, as morbid as it sounds, death will separate regardless, but there is always hope in Him, in eternity. まきちゃん頑張ってね。いつもまきちゃんのことを大切に。And while we can, we cherish, and we live and give the best we can. 

I learnt too - that it takes a lot to build. These 2 friends have seen me through my 30s, maybe from my late 20s for Sabrina. And there is so much sharing, both ways. The vulnerability and the trust - all these are precious and are God's gift. Gal 6:2 - Carry each other's burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of God. So good, so true. May there be so much more deepening; so many more good years to come as we sow into each other lives, carry each other's burdens, even in different lands. :) I think, I must say that after 6 years away from Singapore, this is a reality lived for me. I am ever ever so thankful for the people who matter in my life, and they would know who they are. 

And perhaps, the most important part of Japan is the realization that it has been a most important part of my life and will always have its special place. While I was there only for a particular season, the love never stops. It almost felt engineered and I know it's God. In university when I wanted an exchange there, I somehow landed that. Then I wanted to work there, and it happened for me. Even this blog was stared because of that. And then I wanted to do ministry there, and I had that experience several times. Even though I thought I could live there for a longer time, I didn't, and returned to Singapore. Yet, through all these years, with life taking me on some very different and uncharted paths, I have always gone back, and I can always feel and remember Japan and the times spent there. 

So I know, some experiences will be for life, etched there for a reason. 

I don't think I have described enough how I felt, but then, this is a part of me at 12am, and how I have felt tonight still. Tonight is the kind of night where while things may seem a little out-of-control, sanity and joy comes back when I think about what I can be grateful for. A thankful and joyous heart is always the best medicine (Prov 17:22). 

Again, feeling happy that I managed to pull the video together. :) It's been a most memorable week in Dec.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8O08p48nN8&t=14s