Hello! Here in Japan, the autumn leaves are beginning to fade, and I can already feel winter approaching.
How have you all been? ☺️
Thank you so much for your warm messages and the heartfelt coffees you send my way🍀✨️ I truly hope you are all healthy and doing well.
Now that it’s December, the year is almost over.
For me and my family, this year may have been a year full of challenges. But I feel we’ve learned something important: to live fully in the present with no regrets, and that a smile can guide us toward a brighter tomorrow—though of course, letting ourselves cry when we need to is just as important!
This year was also a very special one for Japan, especially for Osaka!
From April to October, Osaka hosted the World Expo 2025.
Before it opened, I thought, “Maybe I’ll go once, just as a memory…”
—but once I visited, I had so much fun that I ended up going five times during the event! (My sister loved it even more and went ten times!)
I was able to experience the cultures and traditions of so many countries and regions, and it became an unforgettable memory for me.
What made me happiest was experiencing so many kinds of music 😀🎵
At the Hungary Pavilion, I heard mystical and beautiful singing.
Outside the Portugal Pavilion, I listened to a soulful guitar performance.
In front of the Indonesia Pavilion, I enjoyed lively singing and dancing.
And at the Qatar Pavilion, I heard powerful drums and vocals—sounds unlike anything I had ever heard before!
Inside the Bahrain Pavilion, musical instruments were on display (and you were even allowed to touch them!), letting me truly feel the music rooted in each culture.
As someone who creates music, it felt like an incredibly luxurious experience✨️
If I could be greedy, I would have gone even more times and listened to even more music! (lol)
And of course, the food from all the different countries was amazing 😋
Egg tarts, Klaida, Bigos, chicken rice, whitefish roe from the Carix region…
It was so much fun tasting authentic dishes from around the world🍴
The Czech beer was also delicious! 🍺
As for the official mascot, Myakumyaku—at first I thought it looked a bit strange, but as I grew used to it, it started to look cute… and I ended up buying a bunch of plushies (lol).
I kind of wish it would become the official mascot of Osaka Prefecture someday!
Although this year was full of worries about my father and my family, experiencing a brand-new world at the Expo refreshed my heart.
And of course… it inspired my music-making as well 🎵✨️
Seeing all the people gathering at the Expo made me wish that someday, the world could get along without conflict—
even though I know that’s unrealistic.
Still, I can’t help but hope.
May the conflicts happening around the world come to an end soon.
May there be fewer people who suffer, fewer who cry.
This is my sincere prayer.
Thank you so much for reading my words today😀
Please take good care of yourself, and be kind to your own heart.
I hope you all have a wonderful December 🎄🎂✨️
Noru
