Sasebo Yonka-cho shopping mall, also known in Sasebo as The Ginza, includes 4 towns. I learned today that it is called Yonka-cho because Yon means four in Japanese and Cho means neighborhood. The Ginza, simply put, is like an outdoor mall that goes on for a mile. There are shops side by side on each side of the street, and it's completely covered overhead. Almost like you're indoors but you're not. Yonka-cho is said to be the longest mall in Japan.
We went into down town Sasebo to experience this so called Ginza that we were told about. I'm sure I was in udder shock because of it's massiveness, I don't think my mouth ever closed. My eyes were wide with wonder. It seemed to go on forever. People everywhere, walking swiftly past me as I tried to grasp the cultural differences of my surroundings. Japanese shops that sold everything from stationary to jewelry. From electronics to kimonos and tea sets, lined the streets end to end. A pleasant acoustic music echoed throughout the streets. Everywhere we went we heard the music. Like a soundtrack of our day. Parks dotted the street every so often. Benches placed here and there, big trees provided shade from the sun. Men played Japanese games on park benches. Watching each other and laughing. We walked and sipped our Starbucks along the way. A girl's gotta have her Starbucks even if she is in Japan. The smells of Japanese noodles and dumplings filled the air. Japanese school children walked in flocks in their school uniforms, making jokes and laughing with their mouths wide. People rode bikes and pushed children in strollers. Bright colors and animated signs hung from shop windows. The Ginza is an overwhelmingly colorful place.
We walked the length of the mall several times to take it all in. Stopping for a rest every once in awhile to watch the busyness going on. We walked to Nimitz Park to enjoy the sunshine and sit near the water. What a gloriously beautiful day. When we returned to our hotel later in the day my heart felt full. I feel so content, nothing could have made this day better. At some point during my day it hit me that I was not dreaming. This really is my life. I asked Brandon today if he remembers the moment when he realized that he was living his dream. He very much so is. He couldn't remember the exact moment. Today for some reason it popped into my head that I am doing exactly what I've always dreamed of. I knew I always wanted this life, but today it really just hit me that I'm actually living it. It's such a good feeling to know that I'm not living a life that I don't want to live. I made myself laugh when I had that thought. I am so blessed. So thankful for God's hand in my life. I never could have dreamed that he would give me so much. But he did. I never want to take this life of mine for granted. I'm really going to live life the way it should be lived. With adventure and thankfulness.
We went into down town Sasebo to experience this so called Ginza that we were told about. I'm sure I was in udder shock because of it's massiveness, I don't think my mouth ever closed. My eyes were wide with wonder. It seemed to go on forever. People everywhere, walking swiftly past me as I tried to grasp the cultural differences of my surroundings. Japanese shops that sold everything from stationary to jewelry. From electronics to kimonos and tea sets, lined the streets end to end. A pleasant acoustic music echoed throughout the streets. Everywhere we went we heard the music. Like a soundtrack of our day. Parks dotted the street every so often. Benches placed here and there, big trees provided shade from the sun. Men played Japanese games on park benches. Watching each other and laughing. We walked and sipped our Starbucks along the way. A girl's gotta have her Starbucks even if she is in Japan. The smells of Japanese noodles and dumplings filled the air. Japanese school children walked in flocks in their school uniforms, making jokes and laughing with their mouths wide. People rode bikes and pushed children in strollers. Bright colors and animated signs hung from shop windows. The Ginza is an overwhelmingly colorful place.
We walked the length of the mall several times to take it all in. Stopping for a rest every once in awhile to watch the busyness going on. We walked to Nimitz Park to enjoy the sunshine and sit near the water. What a gloriously beautiful day. When we returned to our hotel later in the day my heart felt full. I feel so content, nothing could have made this day better. At some point during my day it hit me that I was not dreaming. This really is my life. I asked Brandon today if he remembers the moment when he realized that he was living his dream. He very much so is. He couldn't remember the exact moment. Today for some reason it popped into my head that I am doing exactly what I've always dreamed of. I knew I always wanted this life, but today it really just hit me that I'm actually living it. It's such a good feeling to know that I'm not living a life that I don't want to live. I made myself laugh when I had that thought. I am so blessed. So thankful for God's hand in my life. I never could have dreamed that he would give me so much. But he did. I never want to take this life of mine for granted. I'm really going to live life the way it should be lived. With adventure and thankfulness.
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