Osaka is Japan’s second largest city and is considered to be Tokyo’s little brother. For me, travel is not just about good food, shopping, or site seeing. It’s about immersing myself into the region’s customs and traditions in order to fully experience their culture. This trip is not any different. I find myself trying things that are not only new to me, but also out of my comfort zone. Prior to this trip, I always admired art and longed to create some of my own. I would avoid any type of artistry for the fear of failure. After one art class, everything changed. My family and I had the chance to attend a Kintsugi class. Kintsugi is the traditional Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with a special tree sap lacquer dusted with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. I read a statement that really resonated with me. It said, “Kintsugi shows wabi-sabi, finding beauty in broken things.” This is not just about art or broken plates, this is a mindset to live life by. Everyone experiences difficulties and hardships in life. At times, we all feel a little broken. Instead of hiding the cracks, using Kintsugi, we can treat the breakage, repair it and throw on some golden shine to make up our unique history. I was able to complete my artwork and felt accomplished. After leaving the class, I felt lighter and happier than before.
While it was hard to leave the delicious food stands and multiple shopping stores at the famous Dotonbori area, our next adventure took us to Osaka’s aquarium. Water is my calm place and this aquarium did not disappoint. It was so amazing to see the different species of marine life found in this part of the world. After a quick hello to our California sea lions, we made our way down the 3 floor spiral viewing area for the main attraction. It’s times like these that leave me in awe of Earth and all its inhabitants. As I stood staring into the tank of hammerheads, great whites and enormous stingrays, a shadow came looming around. I looked up to see a whale shark making its way around the tank. Not one, but two of the most majestic animals I have ever seen came lazily swimming by. At that moment I felt so small, almost insignificant, compared to these two magnificent creatures. I left Osaka with a new appreciation for art and an even deeper appreciation for mother nature. Next up, Okinawa.
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