日本 (Japan)

I forgot how much I had loved to speak Japanese language.

Japanese is a simple language. There's about 60 combinations of one consonant and one vowel, and that's it, all the words are composed by just these combinations. That also explains why it is so hard for Japanese people to learn to pronounce another language. So when you meet a Japanese who can speak English without a very hard accent, you really really should admire him/her!

Japanese phrases are also very simple. Yet I was amazed about how they could use those simple words to pain colorful, vivid images in a phrase. Kotoshi no saishou no yuki ga, hikui sora kara mai ochiru (The very first snow of this year, dancing while falling from the low sky). I can imagine how beautifully snow flowers are falling from the sky, dance, then fall, still while dancing... Of course my English is also poor to be able to interprete the image, but I don't think that it would exist a verb for "dance-fall" in English.

I think that the language also affected a lot the way of thinking of Japanese people. Japanese people's thoughts are usually compact, condensed, short, simple yet very profound. There's also an uncoverable optimism in their thoughts. Sort of: "man can do anything that he puts his mind in". You see, it's a positive thought, but unrealistic. This could be a good or bad trait, it depends on from what angle we look at it.

A Japanese boy only tells you: "I like you", but it could mean that he would do anything in this world to spend the rest of his life with you.

I can't explain clearly my feelings for Japan. I hate those discipline people who always expect only one thing from others: the absolute perfection regarless their feelings. I hate those hypocrite people who always expect others to hide completely their true feelings, and do only one thing: to obey. I hate those who still think that women are men's tools, that they should stay at home to do houseworks, even if they like to go to work, it's only for decorating purpose.

Yet, I love sakura. I love my Japanese mom. I love Japanese wide open hearts that I know still wide open everytime I come back to Japan. I love Tokyo's air, Tokyo's streets. I love Kakegawa's river, Kakegawa's roads, fields, rail station. I love the feelings when I was breathing Japanese air, feeling like this land is a part of me.

Yes, it is always a part of me.