The day has finally arrived, I take the long flight now, and I think you will not hear from me until I land. I will soon enter a totally new world, but I hope that the same thing will happen in Japan as it has in other places… I hope I will find similarities. Elements that are the same no matter where I go, little things that evoke a strong feeling of familiarity. Moments like this are always mixed. Sadness at leaving somewhere loved, and excitement of exploring somewhere new. Waiting for all the unexpected ways in which this experience will change me.
I have visited Japan before, but not for such a long time. I am going there because I promised myself that I would take one last trip for me before settling down in France. I don’t know why I chose Japan, I think that the culture there has always resonated with something deep inside me. I suppose that I will find out why when I get there. For now, I leave the sparkling blue water of the cote d’azur, with only bridges extending out behind me. The bridges I have built by nurturing friendships, writing stories… suddenly it occurs to me that I have accumulated a whole network of experiences within the last eight years.
On the flight, I will be looking at the terrain that is my life. In my mind I’ll spread out a map of all the places that I’ve been, and I’ll look at how I chartered my course with the benefit of coloured glasses. I feel that the time is coming closer now, I don’t quite know how to describe it. Maybe it’s how a cherry blossom feels just before it becomes a cherry. The petals are starting to fall away, one by one, and the base of the flower is beginning to swell. The time to cross pollenate has gone, and now it is time to bear fruit.
My fruit, at this point in time, will be a series of books released chapter by chapter. I could take my time, and write a whole book which I can publish as a whole later on… but I think it would be much more fun if you came along for the journey, step by step. Things are always much more satisfying when you hold back a little, taking care not to move through a story too fast. It makes the feeling last, whether you’re enjoying a beautiful meal or taking a drive in the countryside. I ask myself, why not try reading and writing a book in the same way?
It’s a little different, but life is too short to do things in an ordinary way. I will tell you more after I arrive in Japan…
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