A letter from Japan⛩️
I'm writing to you from Japan this week. I've been here for a little while now, visiting my friends and family, and this is my first real vacation since I launched Paper Bento in January.
In Japanese, we call this kind of trip satogaeri, going back home to see family. It's been a long time since my last one, and being here feels really good.
It rained a lot the first few days. Lately we've been getting more sunny days, which has been so nice. September in Japan is always a mixed bag. It's typhoon season, so you never quite know what the week will bring. Usually once the rain is over, autumn arrives and the weather starts to cool down. I can feel it starting to happen now.
The heart of this trip has been reconnecting with the people I love here. My grandmother is 89, and getting to watch her spend time with her great-grandson has been so special. Living so far away, moments like this don't come often, so I'm soaking in every one of them.
And of course, I've been visiting stationery stores. Looking around at all the new things has been so much fun. I walk in and feel like a kid again. I'm already making notes for future boxes.
Taking time off is new for me. I've run Paper Bento on my own since the very beginning, and stepping away for this long felt like a big step. Paper Bento is all about slowing down, and I'm learning I need to practice that myself too.
Being here reminds me why I started this in the first place. I wanted to bridge my Japanese cultural background with the world, and to create something for people who want to bring calm and intention into their busy everyday lives. Spending time with my family and walking into the kind of stationery stores I loved growing up, I feel that connection again.
I'll share more once I'm back home. For now, I just wanted to say hello from Japan.
ORDERS NOW OPEN
October Box orders close on October 20
[Peek inside the October box]
Thanks for reading.
I hope you get a little time to slow down this month too.
When was the last time you took a real break? Hit reply and tell me.
Paper Bento