Hiraeth

4

The moment you landed in Japan, your first priorities were to get some of your dollars exchanged for yen and a new SIM card.

Thankfully, you managed to do both tasks just near the airport. The person you talked to about residence should be waiting for you outside.

Just as you arrived out with your luggage, you saw the lady who you contacted beforehand, smile kindly at you. Her name was Shizune-san and she was actually someone one of your colleagues knew. When you informed them of you leaving for Japan, one of your kinder colleagues told you that they knew someone who owned a hostel.

Hence, you managed to get in contact with the said lady, Shizune-san.

"You must be [Last Name][Name]-san?" Her voice was soft and kind, a good match with her gentle looking face. Thankfully, she spoke really good English and it made it easier to understand her.

"Yes, you're Shizune... san?" She smiled in amusement when she heard the awkward use of honorifics. You would have used Ms. but you weren't aware if she'd like that or not.

"Just Shizune is fine, don't stress over the honorifics." You nodded again, and began to follow the said lady when she gestures you to come along. She weaved her way through the crowd, making it a bit of a hassle to constantly keep an eye on her light pink cardigan.

When you managed to successfully get out of the crowd, you were met with a parking lot, filled with cars. She walked up to a grey van that didn't seem to be in the best of conditions. Still, you kept your mouth shut because for you, if a car is doing its job (taking you from one place to another, in one piece) then it's a good car.

She helped you load what little luggage you had, in the back before walking to the front. She buckled up and you followed suit, watching as she set the keys in ignition and began reversing the van to get out of the parking spot.

——————

As you guys drove past the streets, you couldn't help but gawk at everything you saw. America was good, it was pretty.

But it was nothing compared to Japan.

The streets were cleaner than anything you've ever seen! Every place you looked at, looked straight out of a painting! But something that absolutely took your breath away was the pink cherry blossoms. You believe that they were called sakura.

Since you arrived in almost late March, you managed to arrive in time to see them in full bloom. Luckily, they will remain this way until April.

Shizune couldn't help the smile that made way to her lips when she saw how tranced you were. It always made her happy when she saw foreigners see the beauty of Japan.

"You're just in time to see the sakura bloom, you know that?" You nodded, a smile escaping onto your lips too. It was the first time you smiled after your sister's passing.

"They're beautiful..."

"I'm glad you seem to like them, they're quite an eye-catching view, aren't they?" She asked and you nodded almost instantly, "Yes! They're ethereal!"

"So, what brought you to Japan? A new job opportunity?" While she kept her eyes on the road, she managed to catch the small flinch you gave upon hearing her question, "Yeah, something like that... Although, it was more for the change of scenery..."

"Oh? Well, I assure you, you'll be having plenty of scenery changes in our pretty little Japan!" A giggle left your lips as you gave her a kind smile, "I hope for the same!"

Soon, the hostel that she owned came into view. It was a little worn out, but it still had a comfy looking feel to it, and compared to the low prices she offered, it was practically heaven.