Scattered Thoughts on the Road
#1
Location: Gathering co-ordinates… Please wait..
Your favorite part about travelling is that in-between space spanning across the origin and the destination. You tend to look forward to the journey rather than the destination. You would try to read a book when you’re in for a long ride but you always end up looking out through the window. On the other side of the glass screen are people you will never meet, roads you will never tread and places you will never visit. There, you find countless stories waiting to be unraveled.
#2
Location: Tokyo Station
A throbbing sea of people, weaving in, out and around each other like an intricate knitting pattern. You dare not lose sight of those few familiar faces. You fear that you would drown under the tide of strangers if you stop even for a second. You keep moving, the wheels of your luggage rattling behind. You are surrounded by so many signs, arrows, directions and yet, you are still scared of getting lost. A very old memory flashed past your eyes. Your hands held in a firm grip by your mother. You heard her say, “Don’t let go of my hands.” It was a busy station. Just like this one. But you weren’t scared of getting lost then.
#3
Location: Ferry to Oshima Island
By the time you get on board, the sun is already high up in the sky. The water sparkles so bright that it hurts your eyes. When the ferry starts moving, everyone climbs to the deck and hold their hands out offering snacks to the seagulls. They fly alongside the ferry and swoop down to collect the offerings (the seagulls, not the people). At first, it’s hard not to flinch because you can’t be sure whether they will bite the snack or your fingers. There was a moment when you thought that you will be down to 8 fingers by the time you reach the island. But in the end, you got to keep all your 10 fingers. And you kind of grew to like the seagulls.When they are flying towards you, they remind you of Hedwig from HP.
#4
Location: Kameyama Mountain
You stand on top of the mountain and soak in the view. You spent a week under the bright and blinding neon lights of a big city. This is different. The blues and greens of the sea and the trees don’t scream for your attention. They knock gently on the windows of your soul and when you let them in, they wrap you up in a warm embrace.
#5
Location: Yuriage Area
A ghost-town. A clock frozen in time. 15 minutes to 3. The minute hand on the clock never made it to the 12 mark. Just like the people who never made it to safety when the tsunami came. On March 11th, 2011, the ground shook and split open like Pandora’s box. Earthquake. Tsunami. Fire. Death. Destruction. But as the legend goes, one thing always remains. Four years later, you see it in the flowers left at the memorial place of the silent school. You hear it in the wind that carries the sounds of reconstruction being carried out across the deserted land. You feel it through the eyes and the kind smiles of the people sharing their stories. Hope. It remains after everything. It makes life worth living and fighting for.
Location: Gathering co-ordinates… Please wait..
Your favorite part about travelling is that in-between space spanning across the origin and the destination. You tend to look forward to the journey rather than the destination. You would try to read a book when you’re in for a long ride but you always end up looking out through the window. On the other side of the glass screen are people you will never meet, roads you will never tread and places you will never visit. There, you find countless stories waiting to be unraveled.
#2
Location: Tokyo Station
A throbbing sea of people, weaving in, out and around each other like an intricate knitting pattern. You dare not lose sight of those few familiar faces. You fear that you would drown under the tide of strangers if you stop even for a second. You keep moving, the wheels of your luggage rattling behind. You are surrounded by so many signs, arrows, directions and yet, you are still scared of getting lost. A very old memory flashed past your eyes. Your hands held in a firm grip by your mother. You heard her say, “Don’t let go of my hands.” It was a busy station. Just like this one. But you weren’t scared of getting lost then.
#3
Location: Ferry to Oshima Island
By the time you get on board, the sun is already high up in the sky. The water sparkles so bright that it hurts your eyes. When the ferry starts moving, everyone climbs to the deck and hold their hands out offering snacks to the seagulls. They fly alongside the ferry and swoop down to collect the offerings (the seagulls, not the people). At first, it’s hard not to flinch because you can’t be sure whether they will bite the snack or your fingers. There was a moment when you thought that you will be down to 8 fingers by the time you reach the island. But in the end, you got to keep all your 10 fingers. And you kind of grew to like the seagulls.When they are flying towards you, they remind you of Hedwig from HP.
#4
Location: Kameyama Mountain
You stand on top of the mountain and soak in the view. You spent a week under the bright and blinding neon lights of a big city. This is different. The blues and greens of the sea and the trees don’t scream for your attention. They knock gently on the windows of your soul and when you let them in, they wrap you up in a warm embrace.
#5
Location: Yuriage Area
A ghost-town. A clock frozen in time. 15 minutes to 3. The minute hand on the clock never made it to the 12 mark. Just like the people who never made it to safety when the tsunami came. On March 11th, 2011, the ground shook and split open like Pandora’s box. Earthquake. Tsunami. Fire. Death. Destruction. But as the legend goes, one thing always remains. Four years later, you see it in the flowers left at the memorial place of the silent school. You hear it in the wind that carries the sounds of reconstruction being carried out across the deserted land. You feel it through the eyes and the kind smiles of the people sharing their stories. Hope. It remains after everything. It makes life worth living and fighting for.
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