A Closing Chapter in Fukuoka
Fukuoka, Japan — Shereen and Mark didn’t come to Fukuoka as visitors. After getting married, they packed their lives and moved to the city to attend a Japanese language college for two years. Beginners again, in a language that had yet to know their names. By the time they invited me over, the city had stopped being a lesson and transformed into a life. Shortcuts and train platforms learned by heart. With each photograph, I sensed that the end of their journey was close enough to touch and all they needed was proof of this chapter before it folds itself into memory. In those few days I watched them hold on to something they know they will lose. I wished there was a way to know we’re in the good old days before we’ve left them.
