Our Aotearoa NZ Journey

Akio and I made Aotearoa NZ our new home in 2007. This country welcomed us with open arms, and we became part of the community. We loved NZ, and NZ loved us back. This country was fair, kind, generous, and respectful. We never looked back to where we came from until now, when things started changing. Family, identity, and new challenges encouraged us to return to where we were born. It wasn't an easy decision after building our life from scratch and leaving where we spent 18.5 years. We’re going back to Japan, not just as Japanese, but as Kiwi-Japanese. We’re not going back to leave NZ, but to build a bridge between the two countries for the next generation. The first step of this new adventure is taking our first ever coffee job in Tokyo. They also welcomed us generously with open arms. We’re super excited and thankful for this new opportunity! I was going through old photos and really couldn’t just choose a few, so I made a video from them. They’re still just a fraction of everything I wanted to share, all precious moments. I still have a month in this country, but it’ll feel so fast. This isn’t a farewell, it’s a moment for me to reflect and say THANK YOU💛 It’s time for my next chapter. Time!