A Tomodachi's Passing.

Of my dear friend Mr. Hiroshi Furukawa aka "Mr. Daijoubu," I will miss his smile and our conversations as he crosses the sea of life and death to reach the shores of liberation. He had recently passed and the news just reached us. He was a quiet man who smiled a lot and would often sit with us to recite the sutras at the Koyasan Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo. I imagine him as he was with his coke-bottle glasses, blue & white plaid shirt and black slacks happily walking on an oceanside pier as we once met him walking towards a fog towards a bright light. With each step, he would become younger, happier as he would soon be joined by friends and family along the way to greet him. I would hope he would see Mr. Soji Kanogawa along the way until we could see him walk into the light. He along with Mr. Kanogawa were one of the first people to welcome us to the Koyasan Temple and one of the few of the old-timers who became our friends. I remembered asking him about the war and him telling me how he was too young to fight at 14 but remembered the American bombings and yet despite that experience, he still came to this country and fell in love with it. We would often speak in my limited Japanese and his limited Spanish. He would often call me his Maestro. He was a good man, dear friend, and a jolly old Tomodachi I will miss and hope to one day to see his smile again. 

 Sayonara old friend. 
Sayonara.