Japan, A Wonder

• Akash Bhattacharjee, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2008

The first sign of the Japanese coastline shocks me. How, just how could my first glimpse at Japan be one of the most beautiful experiences in my life. It was raining yet the aquamarine sea waves crashing onto my favourite country was as if... something magical. As my plane descended Tokyo was coming clearly in sight. Cars and trucks were on their way home with the evening's shadow was closing in, bridges and towers seemed so different to Sydney's Harbour Bridge and Centre Point Tower-had I, as a Sydneysider ever thought that neon lights on the Centre Point Tower make it look attractive. After I landed on the "Land of the Rising Sun," it was 11 PM at Tokyo and my eyes were so tired of watching the magic of "Nihon"(Japan) it was automatically shutting my eyelids as if they were blinds. I didn’t give in surprisingly as the view outside had taken me by surprise as all the neon’s like chartreuse, deep turquoise and red had woken me up.
A few days later not only had I just experienced a whole new world but a whole new emotion. A sensation in which I had felt as if all in the world hasn't ever gone wrong, and never will. This was an equivalent to an adrenaline rush except controlled, not triggered by danger or anxious pressure but happiness. Where in the world did I feel this, in Japan. The "Sakura" or cherry blossom is a flower/tree that I could sit for days and look at because of its natural beauty. The mixture of a calm pink and creamy white that made it Japan's National flower.
Sushi. One of the primary reasons I persuaded my parents and I to visit Japan in the first place. Nowhere in the world had I tasted such a work of art. Most people say ,"It's raw fish, seaweed and rice...uhhhh," and I don't really blame them because they probably haven't ever tasted it. At Kyoto, underground the station on a sushi train I had a sushi that was at the extreme end on of how good a sushi can possibly be. It was freshly made with fine quality ingredients by dancing chefs that were humming to a Japanese songs. As it came round the conveyer belt I picked it up and began eating the sushi. It was shining from the light glow of the lamps in the sushi-train restaurant with the Persian-rose coloured salmon and seashell coloured rice topped with Japanese style mayonnaise and onion.
However, 10 days later I had seen practically all of Japan- Hiroshima, Takayama and all of them had some kind of magic of their own.
Holidays don't last forever and after all they are only holidays.