Just when I feel far away I'm reminded how small the world really is.

Written by Bessie about Japan. Feelin' normal

Kyle and I spent the last week in Japan. We toured 4 cities, but one of the most interesting things happened when we were waiting for a train.

On the Train to Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan

riding the train from Sapporo to Asahikawa, Japan

We had about an hour to pass between trains so we locked our bags at the train station and meandered around Asahikawa. Overall, it's a pretty unnoteworthy, typical mid-sized city, but it does hold the record as being the snowiest and coldest city in Japan. The remarkable thing that we discovered was a plaque.

Well, not just any plaque, but two plaques noting that this city happened to be the sister city with that of my alma mater, Illinois Wesleyan. How bizarre is that?! I imagined high schoolers from Bloomington-Normal showing up in Asahikawa, Japan, trading corn flakes and corn fields for breakfasts of salmon and fish eggs and a land of vending machines and beautiful mountains. Just when I might have been feeling far from home, I find a reminder that the world is a small place.

Sister cities Bloomington-Normai, IL, USA & Asahikawa, Japan. Wagon Wheels of Friendship, awesome.

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August 03, 2009 DADDIO: You are never far away when the entire world is your home. Amazing to find the Bloomington- Normal monument! You both look radiant together. God bless both of you! Warm regards......

August 03, 2009 Linda: UNBELIEVABLE...What are the odds of that discovery???? Nice to find a little piece of home in a faraway place. I would have loved to have seen your face the moment that you spotted the plaque.