Dear Beautiful Soul,
How are you doing?
I hope you are you enjoying spring with all the green leaves and cherry blossom flowers around you or perhaps sitting on a terrace café for a coffee or lunch.
My husband and I decided to move back to Europe again after been living in Tokyo for almost 6 years. It will happen end this year. It will be a big change for both of us. However, I am really looking forward to:
- Meeting people on the streets with smiles on their face again. Yes, Japanese people don’t smile that much. Sometimes when I see a sad person, I want to smile to the person. Yet, I am afraid that the person will get angry at me. So I don’t smile that much here in Japan to the people on the streets. In the shops, the Japanese people always smile. Perhaps to make the balance they don’t smile outside their work environment.
- A warm apartment in the winter time. In Japan (except Hokkaido – the Northern island of Japan), the apartment/house is very cold inside. The buildings are specially made to keep the rooms cool over summer due to the hot and humid summers. And therefore, there is no central heating system.
- Eating my home food again. In Japan, you easily can eat western food. However, the taste is not always as good as made in e.g. Europe. I love French food, and here in Tokyo, you can smoothly find a French restaurant.
- Walking between old romantic buildings. And fewer people. Most buildings in Japan are new due to the possibilities of earthquakes. My husband and I live in a quiet residential area of Tokyo. And I am feeling so happy and grateful. I seldom have to pass the big stations like Shibuya st, Tokyo st. and Shinjuku st, where millions of people walk every day.
Love,
シャネット
Pictures above are from Instagram @floraisonparis, @hilarychanphotography, @villaephrussi, @dior, @whatforbreakfast