Goodbye, Japan. Great Seeing You Again! (April 20, 2026)
If I were to ask you what stands out about 2026 so far, what comes to mind? As we are 10 days away from wrapping up the month of April, we will be one-third complete with 2026. Now imagine I asked you to consider your last ten months and identify what stands out for you. This is where I am reflecting today as Will, Violet and I leave Japan.
Coming to this airport hotel means a good night’s rest
This has actually been my third time to Japan. The first was when I was fresh out of college and visited my cousin, Brent McLean who was living here as as high-school exchange student. That first trip stands out the most for me because everything was new and different.
The second trip with Elena and Violet was much more planned out as Elena likes to hit the highlights recommended by the travel guides and others who have gone before her.
This third trip, Elena, Violet and I returned to Japan with Will who was seeing all of it for the first time and, given our timing, we all got to experience the cherry blossoms (a first for all of us). What sticks out for me, however, is doing the same things a second time while having entirely new experiences.
No Elena, but now with Will the three of us had a different experience
Take Nintendo World (see related post). The first time Elena, Violet and I went together, Elena and I gave Violet some space to explore Nintendo World on her own. She didn’t request this explicitly, it was simply clear that this was Violet’s thing and Elena and I were curious about other parts of the park. This time, Violet, Will and I stayed together. We had the same exact Express Passes, so we did all the same rides and even hand lunch together in Nintendo World. Half the day was spent here.
More than that, however, was the circumstances surrounding the visit. Elena had just left the day before to fly home to New York, so I was experiencing this distance. On top of that, my minister just died (see related blog post) and life’s impermanence was front and center. While I don’t experience a nagging fear of death, I’m acutely reminded of the short time we have here on earth when a close friend dies.
And so I was both “there” and “not there” simultaneously. On the one hand, not taking any moment for granted, I was fully alive and all my senses were taking in these precious moments with my kids. And then I would experience a disturbance of my friend and minister, the Reverend Doctor Natalie Fenimore, no longer being here and the loss I would feel in emotional waves throughout the day. I didn’t fight any of this. Instead, I allowed it all to move through me. Feeling, not fighting. Experiencing the profound shifts from 100% fully present, to a wave of grief and ripple of sadness, and back to being fully present. Repeat.
The uniqueness of cat island and the deep serenity found there
And then there’s cat island (see related post). There’s no way I would have visited this island on my own. It was Will’s excitement that enrolled me to help him plan a side quest to this island while in Japan (and Elena expressing here happiness with skipping this part of the trip in favor of being back in New York).
Instead of hundreds of cats, there were about 15 to 20. Instead of young cats, they were mostly old, diseased and dying off. Everything I imagined about cat island were incorrect. And yet, Will, Violet and I still had a good time together. Will and I went exploring deep into this island. Violet came for part of it and relaxed through the other parts.
We “completed” the cat feeding and cat-specific experiences in about 30 minutes. But as there are only two ferries a day, we still had nearly seven hours to ourselves. Honestly, when’s the last time you were “bored”? I don’t mean anything derogatory about boredom. Quite the opposite. In our hyper-connected world, it’s rare that our brains and bodies have the pleasure of being totally unplugged from the digital and fully present exclusively to nature for a full day. Hiking. Exploring. Taking it all in. It’s a rare treat and completely serene.
I thought for sure this would be similar. But no. Totally different.
The final example I’m reflecting on is our time together in Kyoto at the Fushimi Inari Taisha temple (see related blog post). I was convinced that this trip would be a near repeat of the experience I had back in October with Elena and Violet. Boy was I mistaken. First, Violet fell ill and couldn’t join us for most of the day. Next, my friend, Michele Moul and her husband Scott reminded us about the secret bamboo forest there and this was at the top of Will’s interest when we visited.
You know that expression, “you can never enter the same river twice”? This was a stark reminder of previous experiences. Trying to replicate anything you’ve done in the past is a fool’s errand. You can go to the same place with the same people and still have a totally different experience. To expect anything other than that was a mistake on my part; a mistake a quickly let go of in favor of being fully present to the new and different experience right in front of me.
I’m still learning from Japan. With each visit, my education increases. With each visit, I increase my knowledge and wisdom of the teachings of Buddha — first hand. It’s not just the temples and richness of these journeys. It’s the direct first-hand experience of walking the eight-fold path:
Right View
Right Thought
Right Speech
Right Behavior
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Meditation
Right mindfulness and meditation supported by Insight Timer
587 days total: a streak of 477 consecutive days & 21,000+ minutes
Theory is fine, but only through my daily practice (see related blog post) am I becoming more and more of the person I choose to be. Thank you, Japan. Your wisdom is appreciated and these experiences continue to shape me.
