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Coming back from Tokyo this time left me with that familiar mix of inspiration, nostalgia and jetlag that seems to grow a little stronger every year. Even so, the joy of being in Japan again more than made up for the sleepless nights, and this week’s posts were all shaped by the feeling of being both full and reflective after such a meaningful trip. The first story took me to Kita-Kamakura, a place closely tied to my early married life. I revisited the house where my husband and I lived with my mother in law before moving to San Francisco, hiked through Genjiyama Koen with someone I first knew only from LinkedIn, meditated inside Engakuji with gentle guidance and shared ohaka mairi with my in laws, whose travel plans aligned perfectly. It was a day woven from roots, memory and that gentle timing that Japan seems to handle so well. The second post was about my last full day in Tokyo, which brought two conversations that felt like bookends to my Japan career. In the morning I finally met someone I had collaborated with remotely for years and we explored how to better support expats before they leave Japan. Later I sat down with someone connected to my very first post MBA internship at Japan Consulting Office’s recommendation, now working together as peers twelve years later. Only in Japan do relationships stretch, evolve and circle back with such natural ease. Lunch in Ginza came with a surprise, a non alcoholic sparkling rosé from Belgium, which felt like a perfect nod to my own roots. The final post of the week was lighter. Chocorooms, Costco style. Anyone who has lived in Japan knows those tiny packets of mushroom shaped chocolate and biscuit. I recently discovered them in the kind of oversized box that only Costco would dare to produce. After so many deep conversations and reflective moments, this giant treat felt like a perfectly playful counterbalance. A reminder that Japan is profound and rooted, but also joyful and a little whimsical. Looking back, the week had everything. Temples, family rituals, full circle career moments, sparkling rosé and one very large packet of Chocorooms. Even with the jetlag still hanging on, I would not trade a moment of it. And while I loved every day of being back in Tokyo, there is something especially grounding about coming home again. I missed my husband throughout the trip and being back with him reminds me that he is my little piece of Japan in the United States. No matter where I go, coming home to him will always be the best part. Warmly,
Saskia
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