This trip was one year in the making. It was 31st of January 2018 when one of my good friends sent me a message saying, "Bessy, kapag game ka ng Japan sa January 2019, game ako." And my instant impulsive answer was, "Sige. G."  I have a lot of friends who are all high praises when talking about Japan, and that made me curious.  I have been wanting to go, but I thought my first time in Japan should not be a solo trip. Thank God for my naturally adventurous friends.

But the start of my 2019 was an amalgam of high highs and low lows. Hence, my excitement which I have been feeling for months slowly faded away. For a time, I felt like it was an obligation for me to push through the trip, otherwise all the expenses will go to waste. There were a lot of things that I could not get off my mind. So the moment we took off from Singapore, I conjure myself to try and leave everything behind. "Just let it be, self."

And I'm glad I succeeded.

Hello from my new friend.

11 days in Japan were a breather I didn't know I needed. My childhood dream of experiencing snow finally came true. There were a lot of firsts during this trip—first time to feel real snow; first time to ski; first time to eat a lot of authentic Japanese food; first time to experience winter; first time to examine a snowflake; and a whole lot more.

Japan, most especially Hokkaido, left me in awe. Hindi ko alam kung ilang beses ko nasambit sa sarili ko na, "Grabe, sobrang ganda. Dati napapanood ko lang 'to sa TV.  O kaya nababasa ko sa mga libro." The extra-ordinary feat of white on its mountains, highlands, rivers and lakes were truly stunning to look at. Now I understand why most of the people I know wants to go back to Japan. I, myself, would really want to go back too. There are still a lot of prefectures that I want to explore. Maybe my next time would finally be a solo trip.

For now, I will fill this space of the few photos from the gazillion I took during the trip.

And oh, life's been really good lately. ✨