Life is a journey

Since I was little, I have been thinking that I want to explore the whole world as much as possible before I die.　

I have visited over 35 countries including Brazil, Tibet, and a hill tribe in Myanmar through my work and private trips as well.

In each country I visited, I was able to experience many natural wonders and through those trips, I have been able to meet people who live their lives with different values than my own.

It is through traveling where fell in love with different countries than my own. Traveling is something that became part of me and I treasure. When I travel, every moment is fresh and I feel I am truly alive. No matter what I face, I know I can get through it and enjoy the experience at the same time.

Life is a journey.
Live like you travel.
This is the kind of life philosophy I live by.

This kind of through entered my mind, post the 2011 earthquake in Japan. It made me think that I should do what I truly want to do, now. So, I moved to New York where I always wanted to live.

Living in New York, there are so many opportunities to meet so many different people every day. It was there that I realized what makes Japan so special, and faced myself trying to figure out what my identity is a Japanese woman. While living in New York, I met my future husband, and found out we were blessed with a baby.

I was living in Tokyo in my twenties and thirties, but I always thought I would want to raise my child in the city I grew up in Hayama. I moved back to Japan to give birth, and in moved to Hayama with my family to raise my son. He challenged me to grow as a mother and a human being. Through marriage and childbearing, I feel I am traveling through life. Of course, there are ups and downs and sometimes things don’t go well, but I want to savor everything I experience and keep moving forward.

Through this site, Life is a Journey, I would love to share my thoughts and feelings on how to enjoy our lives.

Akiko Monou