Sayonara

As I sit here, looking at the pictures from my two weeks in Japan, it feels like a bit of a blur. It's hard to imagine that we were privy to so much in such a short amount of time. And yet, a few thoughts continue to swirl in my brain.

I was struck by many things on this trip and I could wax on and on about foreign affairs, but for now, let me just hit upon my takeaways and impressions while I continue to contemplate the larger socio-economic pieces I was introduced to since that will take quite a bit of time to unpack and process. I've learned so much - about Japan, about the Japanese, about how others view the United States, about my traveling companions and ultimately, about myself.

Japan is a fascinating place for many, many reasons. It is a humble, yet proud place. It never touts its own goodness, but just quietly sets to prove it. I find it a land of simplicity, of innovation, of beauty, art and grace. In as much of the land as it's people. They are wonderfully welcoming and pleasant hosts who bend over backwards to make you feel comfortable.

Physically, Japan has many distinctions. Tokyo is very much an urban city, every neighborhood has a unique flavor - and a lot of people everywhere. Out north into Iwate, out south to Kumamoto and then back towards Nara, people live with nature. There is a reverence for the land, a need to care for it. Whether it's the clean streets, the care they take to tend to pruning the trees and bushes just right, they take care of their land and environment in ways I think we all could learn from.

Then there's the spiritual side of Japan. It is just evident whether it's the small temples or shrines that you run into or the huge temples in Nara - it's nearly impossible to describe. I've never felt so at peace with the world and the universe as I have there. It practically reverberates from the land and you can feel its positive energy.

There are many things I will remember from this trip. The quiet resilience of the people in Iwate, struck by so much tragedy and yet quietly, thoughtfully and proudly rebuilding following the earthquake and tsunami. The people in Tokyo, with their vibrance and hard work ethic, the elected officials and diplomats of the country, working hard at doing what they can to solve their country's problems. The amazing land and the fun atmosphere of Kumamoto and its people. The spiritual energy of Nara, proud of their place in Japanese history and culture.

We have many differences, but many similarities. We each have things to learn from each other. We have reasons why we are such close allies.

But as we learned over and over again wherever we went, that diplomacy and relationships between countries are essentially relationships between people and I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to get sentimental about the relationships I've created on this trip.



To ACYPL and JCIE, I will be forever grateful to have had this opportunity to travel in such a unique and amazing way. I never imagined there would be a program that could immerse me into another country so much.

To Yuka and Sachiko and Bill, for not only putting up with me, but for being our guiding lights and voices on this trip, for your hard work, for your amazing spirits and for your friendship. You have been wonderful and no words can thank you enough for this.

Traveling overseas is never easy. So the company you keep really matters. I was blessed with an amazing group of people to travel with. It's one thing to look at the world with your own eyes, to go an experience it for yourself. It's another thing to explore a country through the eyes of six other people, to have such a unique dimension of ideas and a prism to filter the experience through instead of just your own space. If you were to look at who we are on paper, at just our titles, you would wonder why in the hell we would even hang out together, let alone travel together. From the differences between Democrats and Republicans and Independents, to the differences between city, state and federal government jobs, to the differences between business and labor - there is no reason on earth that we should have got along as well as we did.

But that's the amazing thing. When you have a bigger goal than just living in the space that you take up and staying in the box your titles or the other hats you wear put you in, it is easy to strip that all away and just be the people that you are. And traveling in a country where you don't understand the language and where none of you have ever been before makes those things less important. It didn't matter to me what anyone's title was because frankly, we were in this thing together.

I would have never guessed that I'd feel so much love and so strongly for the people on this trip if you had asked me two weeks ago, but it's inevitable. They are amazing in their own rights. We all have our thing, we all have our gigs, we all have our weird little inconsistencies and freak flags to fly. But we spent the better part of two weeks spending nearly every minute with each other and not once did I wish I had better companions. I've learned a lot through their eyes and a lot about myself. And I had an absolute blast.

So to Ling-Ling, Megan, Thad, John and Laurie - a world of thanks and gratitude for not just putting up with me, but for being you and sharing that. I am glad I got to explore a new world with you all and I will be forever glad that we shared this experience together. I am humbled to have made such new friends as all of you. And I look forward to our reunion. At least, I hope I'll be invited. ;) And I'll be sure to send a kampai your way when I drink my sake. May our diplomacy and relations always stay strong, no matter where out paths (or ideologies) take us. Thank you.

I leave Japan, ready to go home but with a wisp of sadness. I truly have loved it here. And cannot wait to go back. If not for the amazing bathrooms and food, alone! (yes, I had to get that in there)

I'm a sentimental fool, so I will leave you with the song I kept listening to throughout our trip together. DMB's new CD came out the day I left for DC and while it will forever remind me of Japan, I kept listening to this song because it just was terribly appropriate for our experience from my eyes.


To Japan, much love and humble appreciation. Sayonara. And thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Location:35,000 ft above the Pacific