Exhaustion has set in. I love Japan, and I’m loving this trip, but I miss home. Sappy though it is… I miss Mom. We’re so close, and it’s strange not seeing her for so long. We’ve talked at least once a day, but it’s not like our usual late-night conversations. I miss Dad’s stupid jokes, and I miss Rachel’s “isms.” And I miss my puppies! When I talked to Mom and Dad this morning, I heard Molly bark, and my heart broke a little bit. There’s a lot of home I don’t miss, but there are some things I really, truly do.

It’s hard to believe I’ve only got another three nights here. It’s been a long trip, but it’s gone by so quickly. I don’t even know where the past two days have gone.