There are probably two reasons why my sugar-free coffee from the Richmond Hotel tastes sweet this morning 1. The first reason is that I finally arrived in Aomori last night — a prefecture about 700 km away from Tokyo, and a place I’ve always wanted to visit. Aomori is famous for its apple production. There are apple-themed decorations everywhere in the city, and even a fascinating poster displaying 100 types of apples was hanging in my hotel lobby. The second reason is that while I was taking a stroll around Aomori city last night, I saw a local bookstore with a “Free Palestine” sign displayed on its glass window. It made me happy to see more Japanese people becoming aware of global issues and taking part in the broader world community. I think these two reasons made my sugar-free coffee taste sweeter this morning.
