Photo Flop

Anyone who enjoys taking family photos has not had children. Believe me, there is no such thing as a pleasant group portrait session. Don’t get me wrong. I love looking at beautiful pictures, especially on Facebook. Smiling faces and cute poses that make us all wish we belonged to that particular, totally organized, having-fun-around-the-clock family.

But no one posts the in between photos. The crazy before and after shots as the family is gathering, the final attempts when everyone is tired and the little kids are pinching each other, the dozens of pictures when someone’s eyes are closed or someone’s tongue is out. Nope. Family photos are an experience in and of themselves.

I generally only share pictures that show our family displaying a serene lifestyle where we love each other 24-7. But last week we had a photo experience too classic not to share.

Just Japan

I just spent two weeks in the land of the rising sun. And the sun rose every morning, big and red, just like the circle on the Japanese flag portrays. My experience there was unforgettable, and I want to paint a portrait of this singular nation.

There is something profound about an archipelago country — a cluster of islands — surrounded by oceans and seas on every side, where the people and their civilization are unique and untainted by outside influences.

I love their soft, graceful culture. Geijins (foreigners) like myself stood out like a sore thumb. But it wasn’t just our origin. I stood out because I wasn’t carrying an umbrella to protect myself from the sun. I stood out because I wasn’t dressed up in business casual (even to shop at the local market). I stood out because I didn’t eat my food daintily with chopsticks. And, even though I am small in America, I towered over many of them.