Domo Arigato Gozaimasu

Domo arigato Japan. What an amazing experience I had while on my trip to the land of the rising sun. I cannot believe that my trip has run it’s full cycle, and now I am back at home in Menlo Park, California. It feels as if I have been gone so long, but I could have easily spent another three weeks and still wanted more time.

The people I have met, the places that I have been, the time I have spent in Japan, all of these memories will remain with me until I return to this land of enchantment. I wish I could have turned the plane around and done it all again.

Moments that I will cherish are too numerous to recount, however the memories that will stand out as the most significant: meeting Mr. Koji Ikeda, Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor, my day trip to Kamakura, all of the school site visits, my day in Hiroshima, breakfast on my last morning in Tokyo, and the many people who helped shape my experience along the way.

I owe a lifetime of thanks and gratitude to: everyone in my Kurashiki group, Hara san, my home stay host, Meg Hamada, my guide and friend in Kurashiki, Mr. Sato, the city representative from Kurashiki, Miki, our interpreter in Kurashiki, Keiko Murakami, the librarian at the Hiroshima Central Library, Mr. taxi driver, from Hiroshima, the minister from my great grandfather’s temple, Mr. and Mrs. Sasahara, and finally, Mr. Komoto, for taking care of my great grandfather’s grave. Domo arigato gozaimasu, to all of you for making my experience in Japan truly magical.