Impressions of Japan

A Book Fair at Osaka’s Shitenno-ji Temple

Dreams do come true. It is something that we are constantly reminded about upon seeing other people’s dreams fulfilled as well as ours. However as we grow older sometimes we forget about the dreams we had when we were much younger, for there is no shortage of distractions out there.

I grew up reading manga (Japanese comics) and watching anime (Japanese animation), and at school not only did I learn about the atrocities the Japanese caused during World War II, but also its technological advancement in the decades after its defeat by Allied forces.

At the age of 10 or 11, I learned how to use chopsticks and tried to eat everything with them. My father asked why, and I confidently replied that I wanted to go to college in Japan. I ended up graduating from a university in Indonesia, though, but the dream…