This is a story of migration. But it is not only about leaving a country, but also about rebuilding a life, understanding a culture and discovering the language of love…

Adnan Cansoy was born in a small town in Turkey and grew up with machines. When he made that big decision that would change his life, he did not know that he would meet calligraphy at a temple in Japan, nor that their paths would cross with that elegant smile.

Shizuka Takamuro… A woman who comes from tea ceremonies, ink-scented writings and soft conversations. She tells with her silence, teaches with her patience.

This story is a journey from Bozüyük to Kyoto, from lathe to calligraphy, from holiday buns to sakura blossoms.

And a family born on that journey… A warm world where Hiro and Mina grow up between two cultures and search for their own identities.

Neighbors whispering in a village, “What is our Adnan doing among these Japanese people?”

“How do you know three languages?” in a school friends who look on in admiration…

And that moment when Mina turns to her mother one day and says:
“There is someone in my life… And I want to introduce him to you.”

During a family picnic in the garden, Adnan makes meatballs, Shizuka prepares onigiri. Mina puts ketchup on a stick, Hiro pours soy sauce on the meatballs. The two cultures blend together. Adnan writes in his diary, "We are beautiful together, not in difference."


Chapter 40 - The First Picnic in the Garden