We did go to Japan last week and I cried while I was there because I'm homesick. The Japan we went to, though, is tucked neatly inside Orlando. We are in Orlando right now for three reasons: we attended the Gospel Coalition Conference, we're taking our kids on vacation, and we're attending our pre-field training at Pioneers International, which is headquartered here.
We went to Disney's EPCOT last week and found ourselves nostalgic in Japan. The Japan section of EPCOT is done perfectly. Everything from the snacks and drinks to the taiko drumming and decor to the only-found-in-Japan-super-gentle-customer-service...it was just like being home. And we do still tend to call Okinawa home, but we're working on it.
Before we even got to Japan land in EPCOT I saw and heard a Japanese family in line at a Disney attraction. I quietly flooded my face with tears. Then once inside Japan land all of the sights, sounds, and smells made me tear up nonstop. I was trying to be happy-fun mom, so I kept turning my eyes away from my kids, so as to not sour the mood. But Zoe felt it too. She walked through the shops and sights in a drifty-dreamy way with a melancholy expression. We commiserated and bought a marble soda.
