The Day a Business Trip Turned Into a 'Little Journey'

Good evening, this is Miki❣️

I'm on a business trip to Osaka starting today.
On mornings when I travel by Shinkansen,
my heart beats a little faster than usual.

I buy coffee and a waffle at the Starbucks I usually walk right past,
and bustle onto the train,
clutching them in my arms.
I used to dread business trips.

I would open my laptop even while traveling,
driving myself to 'not waste any time.'
Now, I allow myself to do nothing
while on the Shinkansen.

Having adjusted my workload so things run smoothly even without opening my laptop, this feels just right.
I love vehicles.
Trains, airplanes, too.
I especially love airports.

Because they are gathering places for people's
'slightly special moments.'
Couples hugging and reluctant to part,

someone setting off while being seen off by their family,
people laughing surrounded by friends,

someone walking off alone
with just a backpack.
Even though I'm just watching,
I feel like I'm being shown
many fragments of life.

Stations are places a bit closer to everyday life.
Even so, there are still
couples hugging and families waving goodbye that I see from time to time.

This, too, is a part of someone's life.
I love places like that.
Stations, airports, and vehicles.
Even though I'm just traveling,
there is a strange sense of stillness and excitement,

as if I am looking down at the world and human activity from a slightly higher vantage point.
In the scenery flowing past the Shinkansen window,

someone's life is being reflected.
Perhaps that is my own life as well.