Cedarwood

It’s a warm, blue-sky 23rd of July, 2025, here on Lulu Island. In the morning, I strolled to Tim Hortons and ordered an iced coffee with oat milk—my usual cool indulgence. The cup sweated in my hand as I walked again, this time to sunny South Arm Park. There, amidst the magical hush of the forest, I settled at a wooden picnic table. Sipping slowly, I listened to leaves whisper. It felt like something from a dream. Only today do I realize—I’m a café hobbyist. On my Social Media feed, Japan scrolls past me in serene vignettes: tatami coffee nooks, latte art under lanterns, cedarwood counterbars lit with soft amber light. Somewhere between Lulu Island and Kyōto, I wander. / iced coffee cup— / wooden tables' dream / under fir shadows

We were rowing down the river in a cedarwood boat.