my 26th birthday, my friends took me on a road trip to Lake Toya in Hokkaido. The night before, we had stayed up far too late drinking and laughing together at a party, so the next morning I fell asleep almost immediately in the car. About two hours later, one of my friends gently woke me up. Still half asleep, I opened the car door and stepped outside. Then I turned around and saw the most beautiful view I had ever seen in my life. For a moment, I genuinely wondered if I had somehow arrived in heaven. The wind was soft against my skin, the sky impossibly blue, cherry blossoms drifting through the air, and my closest friends standing beside me. Everything felt peaceful, warm, and unreal — like life had paused just long enough to let me feel completely happy.