2026
Reading time: 15 - 20 minutes
Japan 2026
A Winter in Akiota
Japanese Moment
Winter has set in. The cold bites, sharp and silent. During the night, snow fell heavily, leaving a fifty-centimetre-thick blanket of pristine white. In the morning, everything seems wrapped in a gentle stillness : time slows down, the silence stretches out.
We are staying in a traditional Japanese house, where even the draughts slipping through the walls speak of our immersion in Japanese culture.
In Hiroshima, the past doesn’t impose itself, it is naturally present. The Peace Museum opens a door to it. But for Nayla and Fibie, the experience went far beyond. Sitting with their 92-year-old neighbour, they listened to the story of someone who had lived through it. Perhaps this is what truly connects us to the places: those quiet, unexpected moments when other lives meet our own.
Osorakan
We grab our skis and snowboards, drawn by the call of the mountains, and head for Osorakan, the highest peak in Hiroshima Prefecture.
At every turn, the snow rises in light clouds. Then it settles on our frozen cheeks. At times, Nayla and Fibie disappear, swimming and wrestling joyfully in this sea of powder snow before reappearing a little further on, laughing.
Today, the wind is howling. It sweeps through the valleys, stinging our skin, blurring the contours. The temperature drops to –18 °C. At the summit of Osorakan, the trees are draped in snow. Beneath this blanket, they become ghosts with strange silhouettes, frozen in silence.
Fondue at the summit
At the summit of the mountain, we shared a fondue under a cyan-blue sky. There, the magic took hold. The mountains stretched out endlessly, covered in a dense, majestic and silent forest. Above all, it was these immense, untouched spaces, nothing but raw nature. Powerful. Wild.
Many Talk Events
Nayla and Fibie open the show, singing with a ukulele. The music sets the ton, gentle and vibrant. I relate our nomadic life, but they also speak, adding touches of humour. At times, it feels like we’re in a real theatre show.
We are always surprised by the emotion these talk evoke. The words resonate, striking a deep chord with those listening. Sometimes, laughter breaks out. Sometimes, a tear falls, quietly.
And two testimonies:
“You can tell what they believe in from the very depths of their hearts. You can feel that inner strength that enables them to move forward with total faith.”
“And I realised that the Pasche family believes in every passing day. They sincerely believe in every encounter, in every person they meet today.
It is because they give themselves entirely to every moment that they radiate such powerful energy.”
“The performance by Nayla, aged 12, and Fibie, aged 8, was quite simply extraordinary: they possess such expressive power. Their intonation, their silences, their expressions, their gestures… everything was perfect. (…) Watching these two children, it is clear that no school in the world could match what they have achieved, nor what they are currently experiencing and learning. It is obvious.”
