Nice to meet you, I'm Juju, my companion on a journey of self-discovery.
     Preparations for this trip began when the COVID-19 state of emergency was declared.

     In Berlin, Germany, where I live, kindergartens have closed completely.
     My son finally started going to kindergarten smoothly, and it was a time when I wanted to increase my work. . And yet, I fell back into spending 24 hours with a 3-year-old. Work doesn't go as expected, housework doesn't go well, and children are frustrated. Every day continued that everything was half-finished, indigestion, and stress was accumulating.
    
The only saving grace was that my son loved picture books. I repeatedly read the picture books I had at home and the Japanese picture books I had at my parents' house. My son enjoyed it, but reading a picture book he's read dozens of times doesn't motivate him. That's when I thought.
     ``How are the other moms doing?''
At that moment, I sent a message to the Japanese moms in my neighborhood.
     ``Are you interested in reading picture books to your children?
       I received a prompt reply, and the next day I started writing picture books for my four or five son friends. I started reading.
    
     After that, when I started writing picture book reviews on the recommendation of a friend, I noticed something. Picture books bring back old memories and emotions. At that time, I felt that what had been so small and incomprehensible as to cause me embarrassment and stress was loosening, like a frayed thread. As an adult, as a third party, I was able to revisit problems that were unsolvable at the time. As I continued to write, the black lumps that had accumulated in my heart began to flow out little by little.
    
     I want to share this experience with others.
     That's how I started my journey of finding myself through picture books. We all play a role in our lives. As a wife, as a husband, as a company employee, as a shopkeeper, as a mother and father of ________, we work hard to live, and sometimes we tend to forget to be ourselves. It's been too long and you may have forgotten what you used to look like. This is a trip to find yourself that I would like you to try by all means.
    
    You are the main character on your journey. As your companion, I will accompany you on your journey, sharing through your heart and eyes what you experience and see along the way. My role is to think about travel plans together.

If you would like to travel, please contact me. We are looking forward to the day we travel together.