Sayonara, Friend...

In shock and sadness, I report that a Japanese acquaintance of mine, Miho Kanazawa, has just passed away. I can't presume to mourn her as a close friend, but she was a friend, a funny, spirited, and warm-hearted woman who never let the barriers of language or culture get in the way of the many friendships she cultivated with foreigners here in Sendai. She was also young - less than forty - and a single mother, and leaves behind a ten-year-old daughter, Ruca. We will all miss Miho, but she more than any of us. Everyone dies eventually. But those who are most loved leave behind the biggest holes when they are taken from this world, and judging from the size of the hole Miho has left she was extremely well-loved. R.I.P.