in this week’s newsletter: mini weekend trip to nishiawakura, eating ridiculously well, and meeting and making new connections
dear penpals -
over the past couple of weeks i’ve been racing against the clock to write and submit a section of my thesis to my supervisor. now that i’ve submitted it (thank the universe for cafe polestar being the best study space) and have more free time, i wanted to jump back into the creative side of things that i’ve missed. one of the things i desperately wanted to do was to finally finish my (long overdue) 西粟倉 [ni·shi·a·wa·ku·ra] vlog!
back in november, i was able to take a mini weekend trip with my friend sarah, to visit nishiawakura and stay with えみさん [e·mi·sa·n] and のぶさん [no·bu·sa·n], a couple that really cared for sarah while she was doing field research there. it was going to be my first time in nishiawakura so i was excited for this adventure to leave my inaka to go visit another!
one thing i keep forgetting is just how far inaka locations are from one another and the full day of traveling it requires to simply get to the nearest station. it definitely was the case from kamikatsu to nishiawakura! all modes of transportation were required for the journey of this trip - total traveling time… 6 hours and 35 minutes!
but i would honestly go through that all over again just to go back to nishiawakura! so enjoy this very special vlog dedicated to えみ and のぶさん who made this whole weekend trip so memorable. sending all my love to them and can’t wait to visit them again soon!
click on the image or the link to the video here.
my sister once asked me what is one thing that i’m learning and/or noticing about life in the inaka that i would like to bring back with me to canada. and for me the biggest thing i have been so touched and moved by is the level and amount of hospitality i’ve received and witness since day one.
i’ve definitely received hospitality within my community in canada, but there’s something different, something unique, something… pure about the way that people here in the inaka offer hospitality. i’ve felt it with the way people invite me over to dinner, the way elders offer me tea, the way a friendly face simply gives me vegetables, fish, fruits, snacks, and more “just because”.
and i especially felt it in the way えみ and のぶさん opened their home to welcome me - a stranger, a friend of a friend - into their life as if we had known each other since the beginning of time. i loved cooking in the kitchen together, eating dinner and cake together, watching morning TV while eating breakfast together, sitting under the warmth of the こたつ [ko·ta·tsu] (meaning: a low, wooden table with a heat source, covered by a futon or heavy blanket) together.
being in nishiawakura, being with えみ and のぶさん, really makes me want to tap more into the practice of hospitality. but i’m also realizing that it doesn’t have to be within the limitations of what is deemed a “perfect” home - serve food on paper plates, wear mismatched socks, it’s okay if the meal was previously frozen.
if the inaka has taught me anything, is that hospitality is about showing up for the people in your life. about opening and holding space for them, in whatever capacity that looks like for you. i wonder, if we allow for the imperfections of reality to be our new standard, maybe, just maybe, our communities can look a little bit bigger, a little less lonely, and a lot more joyful.
to えみ and のぶさん who taught me, through their actions, about the beauty of hospitality, ありがとう〜!
if you’ve missed out on this new little art series, check out an old newsletter here!
This one is one of your best newsletters, in my opinion <3 "i wonder, if we allow for the imperfections of reality to be our new standard, maybe, just maybe, our communities can look a little bit bigger, a little less lonely, and a lot more joyful." These words <3
That was awesome. It's so nice to see other places and see how you are able to enjoy the simple things of life.