These past two weeks back in Hong Kong have been some kind of magical. Being away for so long has made me feel like a tourist in my own home, but also has the upside of making me so much more acutely aware of its beauty, so much more determined to explore and rediscover it.

There was something inexplicably perfect about my last night here, watching the harbor all lit up from Tamar Park with a dearest friend. So magical but so ephemeral.

My Hong Kong is a Cinderella’s dream, and its splendor is over by midnight. It is a feast that ends. A spell with an expiry date. Even if I never left, the people who make this place so special always do.

I am leaving now, back to Tokyo. But I think I am leaving a little piece of my heart behind.

Until next Christmas!