Is this the place I’ve always wanted to be?Is this the place I want to stay forever? On July 4th, 2009, I was in New York.More precisely—on the balcony of a 19th-floor apartment on West 48th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue. I was invited to a house party to see the fireworks display for …
“What do you want for your birthday?” When my 15th birthday was approaching, mom asked me. I couldn’t think of anything. I’ve always been like that—my mind full of wants until the moment I’m asked, and then suddenly, everything feels unnecessary. Also, I didn’t want to bother my mother. She was a single parent who …
Cafe latte and sofa. Those are the two things I want when I go to a cafe. On December 19th, 2023, I found a perfect cafe in Krakow. It had a large armchair, an espresso machine, and a variety of sweets and sandwiches. I ordered a cheesecake and a cafe latte. I sat down in …
To me, one of the greatest stresses in life is being stuck in traffic. On a beautiful morning in October 2017, we were stuck on the local bus in Nice. I needed to get to the bus terminal to take a coach to Genoa. The bus stop was just a short distance away, but the …
Have you ever seen someone (typically a guy from a developed country) travelling to India seeking a spiritual awakening? You can sneer at their tangled hair and the way they say “Namaste” with an accent. But in fact, I was also one of those people who went to India seeking spiritual inspiration - or at …
Let me raise a question. Do you believe in marriage? As a child from a divorced couple, my answer is no. Growing up, I have been having a mixed feeling toward marriage — its concept, its institution, and its obligation in general. It was not something I would readily subscribe to. Vending to love someone …
It is hard to pick one favourite place in Australia, but Byron Bay is certainly one of the special places for me. On June 23rd 2014, I was walking on the beach at sunset. The beach was not too crowded. Some dogs were playing with a ball, and some surfers were trying to catch the …
There are said to be 4.7 billion people in Asia today. I understand that I am just one of them, but I have never felt so insignificant until I landed in Beijing in 2011. So many people. Everywhere I went, there were people. Not one or two, a group of people were in sight all …
Is everything written in the stars? I don’t believe in astrology. According to a horoscope, Aries is suitable for careers such as entrepreneur, sales manager, emergency responder, or surgeon. None of those jobs seem to be fitting for me. But there was a time I wished I had my North Star to follow. On May …
In Japan, there’s a social myth called “Ame-Onna”, which means “rain woman”. (If you are a man, you will be called “Ame-Otoko”; rain man.) It is believed that if you are an Ame-Onna or Ame-Otoko, everywhere you go it rains, especially on the occasions when you hope for a good weather, such as weddings, hiking, …
A Thousand Years 