Japaralia October 2025 vol.25

English translation below by Perplexity

No. 25 2nd Anniversary — A Story of Love

K2yh has reached its 2nd anniversary 🎊. I feel nothing but gratitude toward the customers who have trusted me and supported me to this day. I consider myself very fortunate. Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart.

To commemorate the 2nd anniversary, this issue is dedicated to a story about love ❤️. This was inspired by a comment from my friend who recently started reflecting on the meaning of true love. She is honest, hardworking, and a truly beautiful woman both inside and out, yet she had lost confidence and felt down because of things people said to her. I could deeply empathize with her feelings, as I used to excessively worry about comments made by past my partners, my then-husband, friends, or even strangers. At the root of it all, I believe, lies a low self-esteem feeling of "I’m not good enough."

To me, true love means being able to act with the happiness of the other person as the highest priority, even if it means doing something unfavorable for oneself. A selfless act. In Japanese, it’s described as 無私無欲 (mushimuyoku), meaning selflessness and desirelessness. It also means wanting to become a better person for that individual; in other words, they bring out the best in you. Even when you feel like you cannot love any more than you already do, your love keeps growing infinitely day by day. No matter how many years go by, your heart still flutters every time you see that person...

For me, true love is my beloved dogs. Saying this sounds cliché, but truly, nothing is more important to me than Honey and Kaede. Humans and animals are different? Of course, they are. But the feeling of "love" is just love, and no matter the species, the love I feel does not change. Perhaps the reason I have not felt this kind of love with humans is simply because I have yet to meet someone like that.

In mid-July, my beloved fur-daughter Honey, who was sixteen and a half years old, peacefully crossed the Rainbow Bridge. The pain of losing my soulmate Honey is beyond words, but in the end, considering only Honey’s wishes, we shared a peaceful farewell that we both accepted. I am an imperfect mom who has regrets, but I am proud of the effort Honey made to stay with me until then, and I can give myself credit for acting only with Honey’s best interests at heart.

As the days pass, my heart weakens from grief, but this pain exists precisely because we were so deeply and mutually bonded in love. It’s a cruel and merciless law of nature, but I believe it is strange if it does not hurt, and sad if it does not make you cry.

Also, true love cannot exist if it is one-sided; both parties must share the same feelings. Not only for lovers, but the feeling inside to do something for the other person because you care cannot be changed by will. If your love is seen as too much or a burden, perhaps it is only because the other person lacks the experience or understanding to appreciate your deep love—it is not your fault. Of course, I do not condone forcing one’s love onto another under the guise of "love," and I hope people won’t misunderstand this. But even in those cases, if what you feel is truly important to the other person, it’s love to make a sincere effort to communicate and help them understand.

When I was younger, I couldn’t understand this, often becoming emotional, fighting with others, and blaming myself. Honey and Kaede gave me many realizations over 16 years and brought out my best qualities. True love is something that keeps you aware of your faults and makes you want to become a better person for the other.

Everyone loves differently and expresses love in various forms, but love itself is infinite and has no limits or barriers. Love is neither something to be rationed out nor adjusted to fit others; whether human or animal, a soulmate is someone who understands the magnitude of your love.

I believe the relationship I had with Honey is not impossible to have with a person. After all, Honey made me aware of how much love I have inside.

As a side note, at this age I’ve come to feel that “It’s not just dreamers who can seek a prince charming, but those who truly know love and face reality with open eyes.”

This is not to say I expect to share "true love" with each and every customer, but I intend to treat my customers with the same love that Honey and Kaede taught me. I look forward to continuing to do so going forward.