Growing up in Belgium, I’ve always considered myself reasonably eco-conscious. We separate our recyclables, compost when we can, and try to avoid single-use plastics. But nothing prepared me for the level of recycling discipline I encountered in Kamakura.

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Last week, I boarded the Amtrak Zephyr with my husband for a journey that felt like stepping into a slow-moving novel. From Denver, Colorado to San Francisco, we watched the Rockies rise and fall, the desert stretch endlessly, and the Sierra Nevada roll past our window like a living painting. It was epic, not just in distance, but in depth.

As someone who spent years riding Japan’s trains, from the sleek Shinkansen to the sleepy Enoden, I couldn’t help but draw parallels.

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As September begins, Japan quietly shifts into a season of reflection. The air grows cooler, the cicadas fade, and the moon begins to take center stage. This is the time of Tsukimi, the traditional Japanese moon-viewing festival that honors the beauty of the autumn moon and invites us to pause, appreciate, and reconnect.

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A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Ryo Hagiwara of the Shizuoka Shimbun for a special episode of the Living Well podcast, where we explored the evolving landscape of wellbeing in Japan, particularly through the lens of youth, mindfulness, and the shifting tides of work culture. Our conversation was part of the broader Shizuoka Well-being initiative, a forward-thinking movement that aims to position Shizuoka as the happiest prefecture in Japan.

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