In the middle of a two-week adventure across Japan, after the electric energy of Tokyo and before the vibrant charm of Osaka, we found ourselves in Hakone — a quiet, mountainous town known for its natural hot springs, art museums, and views of Mount Fuji. It was a peaceful contrast to Tokyo’s neon buzz: slower, quieter, wrapped in trees and mist and the kind of stillness that makes you breathe a little deeper. We stayed in a beautiful red-stained wooden house tucked into the hills, complete with its own private onsen soaking tub and a cozy firepit on the patio. Getting there, however, was its own adventure — after a long, freezing day of travel, we missed the last bus and ended up walking the winding roads through Hakone’s chilly dusk. Tired and cold but laughing the whole way, we finally made it. That night, after settling in and cooking a simple dinner with local ingredients, we wrapped ourselves in blankets, grabbed a couple of Japanese beers, and sat outside by the fire. With the stars above us and the mountains around us, we reflected on the trip so far — the chaos, the joy, the unexpected beauty in all of it. At some point, while I was lost in taking photos and videos of our little hideaway, Johnny grew quiet. Then he looked at me and asked, “So… are you ready to start the next chapter of our lives?” I thought he meant our recent decision to move to Arizona — until he pulled out a bright blue box, embossed with three little letters: T&Co. Inside was a ring that somehow fit perfectly, and in that quiet corner of the world, with just the fire and the stars as witnesses, we said yes to forever. A few days later, in Osaka, we visited the Umeda Sky Building — a tower that watches over the city with panoramic views and a rooftop lined with engraved heart locks. There, we added one of our own: our names and the date of our engagement, locked into place alongside hundreds of others. A tiny symbol of a promise, left high above the city, where our next chapter had already begun.