Tokyo is 12 hours ahead of Rio de Janeiro, where I live and work as TV anchor and reporter. Which means: the two cities are on opposite sides of the planet. Far, far away. I have been to Europe many times – professionally and on vacation. I have lived in New York. I have been to the most important Latin American capital cities. I have even been to an African country (Namibia), shooting a special feature. But Asia is another story. I had never made it to the continent. A continent, it is important to mention, that becomes more important practically by the hour, due to economic and geopolitical reasons.

Going to Japan was among my holiday dreams (instead of “one day my prince will come”, I would mentally sing “one day my trip will come”). The country being so distant from my home, though, I kept pushing my plans further and further. The curse of events changed dramatically when I received an invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mofa) to visit Japan. Not only would I finally have the opportunity to go there, but also to report about it. Sometimes reality surpasses dreams.

Throughout part of 2022 two things happened in parallel. The first: Japan’s Consulate General in Rio de Janeiro started putting together a road map for my trip. Which subjects would be the most interesting for the TV channel I work for? Which sites would I like to visit? Whom would I like to talk to and interview? The second thing: I started to learn Japanese.

The result of the Consulate’s effort was an amazing itinerary, including talks at Mofa and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; visits to a smart city, a state-of-the-art flood prevention site and a centuries-old sustainably managed forest, just to list a few. Last but not least, I was invited to participate at the World Assembly for Women (WAW).

In the end, I put together for my show a feature about WAW, another one about how Christmas is celebrated in Japan and, as I write this report, I am preparing the most ambitious story: a 20-minute piece on Japan’s plans to reach carbon-neutrality by 2050 and how it is facing the challenges of climate change. It should air three weeks from now in a show called “Cidades e Soluções” (“Cities and Solutions”). I had also (four!) live entrances, about Japan’s performance at Fifa’s World Cup!

Besides the material that has already aired or is going to air soon, I acquired a whole new understanding about this part of the globe and about issues that currently concern Japan, politically and economically. This new perspective will certainly help me while anchoring Asia-related news and in interviews about international affairs.

On a personal level, going to Japan was also an incredibly rich venture. For me, having the chance to be at places I had only seen or read/heard about is magical. I bet any person who is fascinated by the world and its diversity (which is my case) would consider it a blessing: to be able to experience, although briefly and superficially, a different culture and its riches, its flavors, its subtleness.

Now I want to go back. As a tourist! Travel to Japan with my daughters, visit places I had no time to see, visit again places I fell in love with. And, why not, do some shopping – and I am still craving the Issey Miyake turtleneck, Steve Jobs style (due to the super tight schedule, I had no time left to go to the store).