A love letter to Japan

Dear Japan, 

I fell in love with you when I was only 10 years old. And before I even met you I knew that there was something very special between us, I felt it and I didn’t get disappointed. 

For so many years you’ve been my only friend. I wasn’t much interested in anything but you, and I couldn’t wait to meet you one day. When I was 14 years old, I was blessed with luck because I could finally visit you. Your beauty has captured my imagination at first sight. You’re amazing me with every visit.

The narrow streets in Kyoto, the fancy neon signs in Tokyo, the magical silence on Miyajima Island and the desolate haze over Hiroshima. Every temple, every shrine, every Torii. Your cultural aspects, your language, your inhabitants. The delicious cuisine, the bizarre neighborhoods in Tokyo, the variety of landscapes, the Fujisan.

You made me live through so many magical encounters. All of these wonderful people I met and all of these friends I made because of you. All of these unforgettable days and nights I could spend with you.

I can’t find the right words to describe my feelings when I’m standing on your ground. Being with you is bliss, I have never felt a similar thing anywhere else. You are something very special to me, and I am grateful that I can visit you quite often. When I’m with you I feel free and extricated from all my sorrows. No headache which seems so unbearable at home affects me when you’re here.

It actually makes me sad that you and me can’t be together for a lifetime. But you’re living so far and I can’t just quit my life in Austria. But I enjoy every second that I’m able to spend with you, once or twice a year.

You were my first love and you will always be.