South Korea, where I indulged in art and gourmet food.
Phuket, with its expanse of deep blue sky and sea.
Kyoto, where I walked on a carpet of autumn leaves.
Biei, enveloped in a world of silver-white snow.

Wherever I go, a friend who travels with me
Takes flawless photos with their favorite SLR camera.
Thanks to that, I never need to bother getting out my smartphone.

While my friend peers through the viewfinder
With calm focus and clicks the shutter,
I spread open a small notebook nearby
And capture the moment in words.

At first, I was just jotting down
My travel plans and routes.

But somewhere along the way,
I started recording all my new experiences one after another,
Like seasonal dishes made with local ingredients,
Charming shops that I stumbled upon by chance,
And foreign words that I was hearing for the first time.

Before long I was writing down unexpected mishaps
And even silly conversations with my friend.
Sometimes, reading back through it all after a while,
I find myself bursting into laughter.

I do love tracing my memories through photos,
But for me, this notebook is something more.
A memory collection of my travels,
Where I record my innermost feelings and changes of heart.

I quietly tuck away plane, bus, and train tickets,
Cards from cafés and shops,
And restaurant receipts
Into the notebook's pockets.
Small fragments of memory,
Quietly saved.