The Bonds We Left Behind
March 11, 2011. I wasn’t in Japan on that day, but I’ll never forget where I was when the news of the earthquake in Tohoku reached me. I was in front of the TV, watching the news, feeling completely powerless as the footage of destruction played on the screen. I was watching, but my mind was elsewhere, thinking of my friends, my memories in Fukushima, and the people I left behind.
Sukagawa, the first place I ever called home when I first arrived in Japan, was where I met so many amazing people. I wasn’t there that day, but my heart was there, and it still is. I think about the people I met during my time there, how they shaped my life, and how their stories became a part of mine.
There was one person in particular who stands out, someone who made a lasting impact on me, Kyu-chan. She was an elderly woman, always full of life, always giving. She would bring me gifts every time she returned from her travels. But it was her daifuku that I remember most—the best daifuku I’ve ever had!
Back then, my Japanese wasn’t very good. I struggled to understand her fast speech, but that didn’t matter. Our conversations always ended in laughter, her warm, infectious giggle filling the room. She was like a grandmother to me, and those moments with her are something I will always cherish.
I miss her. I miss all the people I met in Sukagawa. I often wonder how they are doing now, after everything that happened. Are they okay? Are they still living their lives the way they want to? My heart longs to return and see them again, to reconnect with the place that made me feel at home in a foreign country.
Have you ever had this feeling? You meet people at a certain time in your life, and they become such an important part of your world. But then, life changes, and you have to say goodbye. Time moves on, and sometimes we’re not able to go back. But those people stay in your heart, and you can’t help but wonder how they’re doing, what their lives are like now, and if you’ll ever see them again.
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