This morning, as I drove my wife to the hospital, I found myself watching visitors walking through the rain.

It made me wonder once again:

What do we really bring home from a journey?

Perhaps this question has been on my mind because my son has been traveling for nearly a month.

Not long ago, he used to say that if he earned a lot of money, he wanted to buy expensive brands and luxury items.

But recently, something has changed.

Now he says,

“If I earn money, I’d rather spend it on traveling—on experiences I’ve never had before.”

His words stayed with me.

When people reach the final chapter of their lives, lying quietly in a hospital bed or surrounded by family, what will remain in their hearts?

Will they remember how much money they earned?

How many possessions they owned?

Or how many luxury items filled their closets?

I don’t think so.

I believe what stays with us are the moments that can never be purchased.

The conversation with a stranger on a quiet street.

The laughter shared with family in a place none of us had ever been before.

The unexpected encounters, the small adventures, even the moments of getting lost.

These are the memories that quietly shape a life.

If there is such a thing as regret at the end of life, perhaps it is not,

“I wish I had owned more.”

Perhaps it is,

“I wish I had experienced more.”

That thought applies to me as much as anyone.

Today, my son is traveling without me or my wife.

Of course, I miss him.

But more than that, I feel grateful.

Right now, he is seeing the world with his own eyes, breathing unfamiliar air, meeting people, and collecting experiences that belong only to him.

No one can live those moments on his behalf.

And somehow, by watching his journey from afar, I find myself traveling a little as well.

Of course, not everyone has the freedom to travel.

Some face physical limitations.

Others carry family responsibilities, demanding work, or financial challenges.

That is precisely why I hope Yaeyama Insight can become more than a source of travel information.

I hope it can become a place where people can experience, even from afar, the richness of a journey—the stories of a place, the people who live there, and the quiet moments that often go unnoticed.

If, through these stories, someone feels inspired to visit one day…

Or simply to live their own life a little more deeply…

Then I believe that journey has already begun.

Perhaps the true purpose of travel is not simply to see new places.

Perhaps it is to quietly enrich the life we return to.