The past two weeks, I’ve been struggling to make sense of what happened at the beginning of 2026. I’ve lost family before, but never anyone as close as my dad — my rock.

For those of you who don’t know, I lost my father shortly after visiting America for the first time in six years. I hadn’t returned because the world was sick, my pregnancy, and responsibilities here in Japan. We visited for four weeks, and during the final two, my dad became very ill and suffered a heart attack. He survived for another month, but his heart eventually gave out and he passed at just 62 years old. I am beyond devastated, and grieving from so far away has been incredibly difficult.

I didn’t know how to carry such a heavy loss until I began to look at death through what I’ve learned living in Japan. As painful as it is, I’ve found unexpected comfort in seeing death through a different lens.

I share more about this in my latest post on my blog/newsletter, Hanami. Japan has a beautiful, meaningful way of honoring grief — and it has changed how I understand loss.