Shirahama Fireworks Festival July 30, 2006

Arriving in KIX and on my way to Nishinomiya …

She was still waiting for me at the exit. It took me about 1,5 hour to clear the customs. When the door opened our eyes found each other immediately. Wow ! ! How nice it was to finally meet after such a long time of waiting… and talking… and waiting…

We were both very nervous. What to say on such a big day...
But after some minutes we were talking as always. I enjoyed her company and had my first impression of Japan on our way to her appartment (Video) . Everything felt so comfortable...

and we enjoyed the rest of our day..... (need I say more ...)

I settled in ... and felt asleep

More photo's of Nishinomiya on Flickr

On my way ...

So I left … and the cliché would be after a long long trip…
But no.. It was kind of a nice trip. I have been drinking wine and was talking the whole time with a japanese girl that was working in Czech Republic. She was really curious and was wondering about what I was planning to do in Japan.She talked a lot … too many questions. I was drinking wine… She too … and she felt asleep . Time to think for me. So it seems that apples (granny smith ) are not alowed in Japan. So I started eating ... and I was bringing them as a present...

Arriving ... Austrian airlines gave us the wrong form ... waiting in line again ... 1 hour ... she was waiting for me. Filling in a new form, eating all my apples, .. japanese customs be prepared ...

Then I was thinking, just before I saw a documentary, a guy arriving in Australia , talking to customs (ok he was kind of ugly and old..) . He was coming to his internet love , nobody was there ; she didn't even existed !!! Poor him...

For me it all estarted wellllll....

thinking about the feature, near and far away...

Today I've been reading a bit more and have a good idea which cities I want to visit (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, ... and Shikoku) or maybe I just want to stay all the time with you , seeing you and kissing you, loving you, holding you like a thousand years ....

I'm also thinking a lot about our meeting at the airport. It's becoming dangerously realistic. What will we say ? How will we react ? What will be our first words ? Will we kiss or not ? Will we just stare at each other as two aliens, speaking Dutch and Japanese making first contact ? I think I will just let it flow and as easy as we talk now , our meeting will be fantastic, an eruption, a burst of joy .... We will say the right words without thinking, like our love is, natural . I hope I can be that right man for you where you've been looking for with al those character parts in me. I hope I can make you feel happy all the time, tomoko. I wish we will have a wonderful time together.

Today it was really summer, nature was feeling like I do, a happy shining sun. I felt so comfortable with you next to me.

In the still of the night...

I'm just missing the strenght to write it all down. I hope you can understand it and forgive me. I just want to share some with you, write you a bit, so that you know that I'm thinking about you, that you're not alone. That I'm there for you whenever you need me. I just want to cry that i'm missing the words to tell you all. I want to give you everything that's in me ... I want to be with you, close to you, I want to feel you in my arms and fall asleep. oh god i'm so missing you

Elle et moi...

Today I read a lot in the lonely planet. I even took a slow train so I had more time for reading. I read about the Japanese cuisine (I'm looking forward to taste), and all kind of other sometimes strange but interesting things... I even tried out some sentences , people were a bit strange looking at me on the train then hehe... Tomorrow I will read the part about the things I want to visit. I will tell you all about in the weekend. I can't wait to hear your sweet voice again...

You really drive my world upside down. You touched my heart. I go to bed with you and wake up with you. You're constantly on my mind ; Where would I be if we haven't met ? I can't even imagine a life without you on my side... It's like you have Tomoko and you have Kris and the can't be seperated anymore

The morning side of love ...

It seems that my life has changed a lot since we met. I thought I knew happiness before, but now I'm just so overwhelmed with feelings that I only can describe my previous state of being as just neutral, a state of being without pain. I totally forgot how beautiful being in love can be, I forgot how many sentiments there are in just one person, sensations that I haven't enjoyed in a long time... and i'm getting a bit crazy sometimes, it's like I can't live without your words anymore... I can't wait to receive your email and when I have it I read it several times. And it always gives my tremendous pleasure.

I have some many words to tell you, so many things to share with you that I sometimes got afraid of not being able to tell it to you in an orderly manner. My mind is sometimes so chaotic... Do you know the feeling that you want to say more than what words can say ? It's breaking my mind...

Crazy dream

So you will take the day off then, the Friday the 9th September and come pick me up ?

Here are the dates of my arrival and departures . I'm flying Austrian Airlines :

Departure Thursday 08 September 13:55 Vienna (VIE) and arriving Friday 09 September 08:10 Osaka, Kansai Intl (KIX)
And I'm leaving Japan
Departure Thursday 06 October 10:20 Osaka, Kansai Intl (KIX), arriving Thursday 06 October 15:35 Vienna (VIE)

I was just so nice to hear your voice just now. And I already had such a good feeling today , since I know I will be with you.

I found our conversation from this weekend very interesting. We talked a lot about all kinds of differents things , and it makes me understand you better. And I think it's good that we get to know each other really good . After we talked; I lay down on my bed and relived the things we said to each other. I try to imagine how you would act and react in daily life , and I was dreaming far away ...I was even thinking about you coming here and about the things I would like to show you, places to take you, things I want to buy you, people I want to meet you, I w ... It was a crazy dream, I know, but I hope I will come true one day ???

Big day...

What a big day it was August 2, 2005. I bought an appartment and a ticket to Osaka...

I'm enjoying my evening now, writing to you with candle light and nice music. I'm listening to Vive la fête ( some French Belgium electro pop, really good).I needed it , it was indeed a hard day for me with all those things I had to arrange and decide. But everything went well. Regarding my appartment issue. There is only one more in the running. The one on the second floor. I made them an offer an give them a price that I want to pay. I know I have to wait. But it seems that they will agree with my price, I hope ( in attachment there are some pictures from the website ; it's just to give you an idea , because I will change the lot, but you can see the balcony). Thank you for your support in this hard moments.

How was your day my sweetheart ? Are you feeling better today ? When I read your words and know about the way your feeling now... I just want to be with you to give you a comfortable feeling. Just be close to you and give you my warmth ... And you know you can tell me everything... I'm here for you. I wish you start to feel a lot better soon...

you go to my mind

I 'm glad to hear about your day. I think it's fascinating. We don't have typhoons here, so. And I really love the way you express yourself and describe to me what you saw and how you felt. I can clearly see the beauty in it. I'm always thinking about how you spent your day. Then I'm wondering will she be drinking a coffee , talking to somebody, working , spending some nice time with a friend... dreaming away..., can she feel now that I'm thinking about her ... ?

I had a hard and difficult day. I was very tired and had a lot of work cause I had to finish some papers.I went to visit a nice appartement that I maybe will buy. It's next to a river in the city center. It's nice but a bit small, just good for one person, so i'm not sure what to do ... buy it our not. I'm a bit confused. So I didn't felt that comfortable today.

But luckely, I just have to close my eyes , and I start to dream away ... The distance fades away and you're here with me ... close to me , you're whispering something in my ear, I smile, and look you in the eyes . We're just staring at each other, no words , just feeling our hearts...

It's nice that you like my picture.I hope you enjoy it. To get to know me better I will sent you two more pics of me with my two best friends.I really want to tell you everything about me.. so you can understand who I am, what I feel, how I'm thinking, ... Fritz is the one I grow up with. We're already close friends since we we're little. With Djamel I went to university. And it's with him I talk a lot about you, about my feelings for you ... He gives me a lot of support.

mysterious blues

I can only think about your sweet words. I 've become very silent also. I've been reading what you wrote over and over , and an enormous joy and happiness comes over me. I was just wondering how it comes that I feel you so close to me.

And I'm - like you - also a bit afraid of missing you, liking you too much, seeing you and having to leave you again and missing you again and then hoping to see you again, over and over . Knowing that there is a sweet person that I want to be with. But I'm also realistic and glad that we will spent a lot of time together before me will eventually meet. So when it really works between us , I think we will have such a strong connection , that there will be nothing that can tear us apart. So my feelings are swinging between fear and joy and that's what's giving me a kind of mysterious blues.

But I know that I will be with you some day and that day will be there sooner then later . I just cannot wait to be with you. And, my sweet independent woman, know that you can always lean on my shoulder. I would love it that you're in my arms, that I can listen to you telling me about all your emotions, your feelings, your ideas, about who you are , tomoko ... I would listen to you without ending ... and support you and caress you ... so we can share something together , the most beautiful thing : being happy together...

one who's feeling , one who's thinking , one who's dreaming ... one who's hoping ...

I can hardly wait to hear you. After every email from you I'm just longing more and more to really talk with you...

You've already make quite an impression on me ...

I know the willow tree , and I like it because it has combined the freedom of growing but also a kind of sadness.

And you sensed it right, I need the emotions too. It makes you feeling alive, feeling joy , beauty , pain, .. But especially now, after meeting you, and just have no chance of showing any feelings directly ...
So it makes me thinking about feelings, emotions a lot. And it's nice to share my feelings with you , to show you my inner self , ...even when I'm a bit afraid because you're so far away and I don't know you yet...

My day was really nice. I had a day off because it was the Belgium national holiday. So i went out with my friends and it's also the Ghent festivities in my howe town. Something really special, the biggest street festival in Europe How come you are so tired ? Do you have a lot of work ? Do you sleep well ? i'm thinking about you !! I'm a bit worried ...Sleep well , my sweet tomoko

Pink flamingo's and white cats

I was really running home in the hope you have wrote me. Because when I read it I feel happy. I was telling a friend about you today , about how we met and connect.
I will try to explain you Pink flamingo's . It's not a real expression, but I used it as a metaphor. I was trying to describe you and express the feelings that I have. To put in a few words the qualities that I imagine you have. So I used pink flamingo's and white cats.
I was using it because you are like a flamingo living far away, but once you met, you are very attracted to it . Because they are so gracious, so special and beautifull ( tell me if you have seen them already). Because it's also a place in Ghent, my hometown, that I like to visit, spent some time with friends, a kind of second home (it's really difficult to explain a metaphor by writing , not be able to show emotions when you talk about it; i'm just writing what's coming in my mind, but I think i forgot to show you a lot of nuances...), contemplating about life , the things I like and don' t like, the meaning of everything, just thinking, ... It could be you , it could be me ..., I leave it open. White cats it's something that I have here, something close , something I love, my leo , something I know, that I want to show you, understand ,feel ..., probably me

I hope you know what I mean, but special ones only need a few words to give them that mysterious feeling

Comfortable

Her name was Tomoko. How nice !!!! Tomo'tje, Tomo, Tomo-chan, Tommeke, ...

After meeting ,there was only one word, comfortable to describe the first experience... It was like we have been knowing each other for ages. It was her word , her way of saying, her way of saying that she likes me ? I hope,...

My reaction was clear but still ... not clear and a bit .... anyway :

'I very much understand what you're trying to explain. And since we met, I was hoping to understand the feeling I have . And now you described it really beautifully and you used the right word, confortable. And that 's really true, it felt good being with you. It was like we already met before, like a friend that understands me .

But it's a bit strange now reading your email. I really would like to talk to you right now. I have a lot of thinks to say and I'm wondering what you have been doing ? Did you have a nice day ? I want to ask you all kind of questions... But you're asleep now. Sleep well and have nice dreams ;-)

I wish we can get to know each other better.

First Impression

First I want to tell you that I really liked talking with you and meeting you. I very much enjoyed to spent some time with you chatting. I found it interesting and amusing. Unfortunately, it's a bit difficult to chat with you due to the time difference. Or I'm sleeping or you are sleeping :-) It's seven hours so ! But in the weekends it will be possible. I hope we will meet then again.

How are you doing ? Did you have a nice weekend ? What have you been up to ? Feel free to tell me !!

I hope to hear you soon and I wish you all the best,
Kris x














My cat Leonardo and A waterfall in Sri Lanka

First contact ...

It all started with this open but not so much authentic sentence :

"Hi, I'm planning to visit Japan , and I saw you're profile , so I was wondering if you could help me ; with some tips
or advise when i visit Japan . thanx, Kris"

A girl replied and we chatted a bit about Japan.It was early in the morning. I was very tired, a bit confused. She was so polite. She was so mysterious. It was my first time to chat, strange ... She was from a city close by Osaka. She talked about a temple, her life in Japan, the life in Japan. It was nice, ... and I went to bed.

It was an overall nice experience ...

In the beginning...

I'm a bit late. This story starts in July 2005. I was looking for a way out. I was looking for a place to spent a vacation, some time away. My relation ended quite abruptly. I was lost ... did not now what to do ...

My friend Djamel and I decided to go travel for a while to forget about everything. So we were thinking ... where can we go to?

I heard about skype some time before. I decided to check it out. I wanted to contact some people in the world to find an interesting place to go to ???

I sent a simple question to somebody in Japan, asked for some information,...

This is how it all started...