"Angels in the Mountains"

I took a train to Arima yesterday

to bring Akemi a congratulatory gift

for her shoppe finally opening.

Only thing is,

from Kakogawa to Arima,

there are three

entirely-foreign-to-me

train transfers.

At one point,

I stood in front of the ticket booth

glancing from the map in my hand to the map on the wall,

completely dumbfounded,

before a little old man appeared by my side.

He led me across the platform

down the winding stairs

and over to the subway,

told me how much to pay for my ticket,

and walked me to the gate.

When I turned to wave goodbye,

he was gone.

Upon finally reaching Arima,
I found Akemi's shoppe decorated with wishing trees.
Tanabata is a festival

celebrating the story of two stars in the sky,

Orihime {Vega} & Hikoboshi {Altair}

who live on opposite banks
of the Heavenly River, Awagawa
{i.e. The Milky Way}.

The Japanese hang prayers to this royal couple
in little trees
and let the wind carry their wishes
up to Heaven.

My new friend, Sakura,
hung a total of 7 wishes for her boyfriend
in Akemi's shoppe trees.
I translated one of those wishes
and used it for my own.

After the wishes,
we practiced origami.

Making paper boxes
with fingers and breath.

Akemi introduced me to her customers

as her daughter,

causing them to do a double-take.

"You have a white daughter?"

{left to right: Sakura, Takaki, Akemi, Yuki}

My little family in Japan

grows

with every friend Akemi introduces me to.

If ever you enter the mountains of Arima,

come eat a blueberry-cheese crepe

at Akemi's Fujiwara shoppe

and grow your own little Japanese family.

{Music via Mamma Mia!}