Late Night Green Tea and Rice

I just had some green tea, as well as some rice. I am watching Lost in Translation, which is a movie about two Americans in Tokyo who forge a friendship among a foreign culture. It is really good, and I highly recommend it. I was reminded continually this evening of Japan, and my experiences there last summer, traveling, exploring, making music, and meeting people. I have said this many times, and I will continue to say it. If any of you are ever presented with an opportunity to visit Japan, I highly behoove you to go. It is beautiful. I e-mailed Chie, my Japanese host mother/correspondance person tonight, on a whim. I would like to keep some contact with her and her family, who are close to my heart. It's just strange to think how a year ago, we were preparing music to take around the world and play. So different from this year. I don't know, I miss Japan. I miss the people, I miss the bustle, I miss the small beauties that can only be found in that country far away. I miss being there with friends. I re-read a couple posts I wrote while actually in Tokyo, and it just made me more nostalgic. Yeah, I will go back. However, if that experience was so life altering, I guess I'm in for a whole new set of experiences, spending a year in Europe and all. I think travel is such a beautiful thing. I love travel. I love the excitement of going to the airport, of running down a moving walkway to catch a plane as a speaker blares in a 3 different languages, how you have the opportunity to stop being American, and try to immerse yourself in foreign ways, how you are continually afforded opportunities for wonder and transformation. It touches you in so many ways, being immersed in a new culture. Barriers are broken, friendships are forged, and a more intimate understanding of the beauty of humankind emerges. I thank God so much for the people I have met in my travels. Camille, Fabien, Marie-Laure, Chie, Keito, Hidekazu, Takamori, each one of them has had an impact on who I am and how I view the world. I cannot wait to see Camille next year. It's going to be fun, I hope. I hope I can engineer some relationships with some English folk as well. Like, friendships to the extent that we visit each other again. That would be beautiful. I was thinking tonight that I want to make a list of my top five movies in order of preference. So, here's the list.

1- Star Wars saga
2- You've Got Mail
3- Lost in Translation
4- Sideways
5- Shall We Dance/Pulp Fiction/Lord of the Rings (couldn't make up my mind on this one)

Well, I think I'm going to go back to my movie. I hope all of you are well.