There are not many photos of Miwa in our possession for the simple fact that she didn't like having them taken of her. She felt, probably wrongly, that she looked too full in the face. I think we all have our fears, especially when the shot doesn't match our own inner picture.
Miwa is a friend going back some ten years, and of course, she lived with us on our most recent stay in Japan. On other occasions though, we had to catch up with her through a day trip to Kyoto, with a brief though joyful rendezvous at the Starbucks in Gion. She was usually in between shifts at her ryokan (the rather exclusive Hatanaka) and would come bicycling from her tiny apartment nearby, dispensing an hour or so of happiness.
Even if months separated these occasions, it would seem as if we had hardly been apart, such was the ease of conversation. And something else too - being absolutely comfortable with someone, to the point of knowing their thoughts, delighting in their gestures, anticipating their words.
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