I'm supposed to be embarking on a quest of self-discovery, but I keep getting lost. I don't mean that in the super introspective, "let's talk about my feelings" kind of way. I mean I literally don't know where I am. It's my first day as a spring break tourist in Japan (on a Super Important Quest of Self-Discovery) and I've taken the train from my grandparents' tiny town to Kyoto, hoping to walk something called Philosopher's Path. That sounded peaceful and contemplative and like just the thing to do when you need to figure out your life. Instead, I ended up wandering in the wrong direction because I saw a girl wearing a tiered skirt made out of two different kinds of material -- wispy tulle contrasting with heavy wool -- and she looked so incredibly cool, I just had to know where she was going. Then I got caught up studying the cherry blossoms overhead, a glorious canopy of pink and white fluff that seemed to go on forever. Now my distracted wanderings have led me to an outdoor market with food stands frying, steaming, and boiling everything from delectably salty squid to buttery sweet taiyaki. I take a deep breath and try to refocus on my quest of self-discovery. I came to Japan hoping to find answers to big, important questions. Like: Who am I? What am I supposed to do with my life? What do I really want out of my future? I thought arriving here would spark major revelations, but instead I'm sitting on some random bench, staring at a blank page. I press my pencil to paper, willing the revelations to come. They don't. Crap. Did I really just travel halfway around the world on a whim to a place I know nothing about? I may have just ruined everything. Excerpted from I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
