2025/Micaela-

To many people, home means different things. To me, I consider my home Japan. Japan is where my place of home is. It is where I grew up and learned many things about the world and myself.

I am half Japanese, grew up in Japan, and lived there for half of my life. My close relatives–like my Grandma, cousins, aunt, uncle–and some of my closest friends live there. Those people are very important to me and they make me feel happy and “at home.” Japan is where the people I care about the most live. Perhaps this close familiar tie is why I feel that Japan is my home.

My favorite places to go to are in Japan. My favorite place is my Grandma’s house. My Grandma’s house gives me a nostalgic feeling and brings me many memories where I spent time with my family. One of my favorite air bases, Yokota Air Base, is in Japan. It is my favorite base I lived in because I have many friends there and it brings me so many memories because of my long time living there. If I had to choose an air base to live forever it would be Yokota. My grandma’s house was also close to the base, so I was able to see her very often. I also love to go on the train in Japan and go to places like Shinjuku.

Japan feels at home because when I think of it I can think of many memories I made there. I think about the park that was by my house where I had a lot of fun with my neighbors and friends. I also learned many things in Japan. I learned ballet which is something I did for about 6 years. I also swam. I enjoyed swimming. I miss my lessons a lot.

Japan is a very special place to me that makes me feel like I’m where I'm supposed to be. I have many more reasons why that place is special to me, but those are some of the main reasons why I love Japan.