Soon, I will be in my happy place, enjoying Tokyo's rainy season and summer. I'll enjoy the company of my boys, now becoming young men, eating ramen late at night and go on 7-11 runs in our pajamas to get snacks.
In Japan, I'll watch fireflies flit about on a summer's night and eat yakitori and dango on skewers and wash it all down with iced lemon tea. I will use all of the summer products Japan offers to keep you cool during their hot, humid summers--cooling hair spray, menthol bath gels and face wipes.
I'll take long, solitary days to wander through Tokyo on my own, getting lost along the way. I will journal in the early mornings to complete my morning pages. And this time, I will take myself on artist dates. I will scour the city for yummy art supplies and washi paper and just the right pens and paints and inks. And maybe I'll meet up with some unexpected friends to explore the city with, finding just the right bookstores and cafes to while away the day.
I'll take long train and bus rides across the verdant countryside, enjoying the greenery and the wiry towers that dot the rice fielded landscapes. I'll eat crustless, petite sandwiches filled with egg salad and I'll gobble down the silkiest puddings, as we go whizzing by.
I'll take long, hot soaks in onsen water while listening to the sounds of the river below. I'll let myself get pruny. I'll stuff myself with sashimi and cremia and jiggly cheesecakes. I'll take in Lake Ashinoko and all of her beauty, this summer when I go to Japan.
God willing, soon.
