37 FramesWhat Furusato Means
Furusato (ふるさと) is the Japanese word for “hometown.” But it’s more than a place on a map. It’s the smell of rain on familiar streets, the sound of cicadas that once marked your summers, the way your accent slips back when you’re with old friends.
It’s the place that raised you, even if you haven’t lived there for years. It’s the version of you that will always belong there, no matter how far you roam.
Brisbane, Tasmania, Japan, and the Spaces In Between
For Tracey, furusato is Brisbane. Jacarandas in bloom, the smell of mown grass on a Saturday morning, backyard barbecues with neighbors leaning over the fence. It’s sunsets after summer storms, school uniforms, and the soundtrack of a city that will always feel like hers.
For Dee, it’s Tasmania. Soft morning fog over rolling hills, the crash of waves along the rugged coast, the kind of silence only found under southern stars. It’s childhood laughter carried on the wind, the scent of eucalyptus after rain, and a sense of home that never really leaves you.
And yet, Japan is home too. Tokyo’s trains. Kyoto’s quiet temples. Mt. Fuji appearing like a secret in the clouds. The rhythm of life here has become the fabric of who we are. We’ve built a business, friendships, and memories that run just as deep.
The truth is, furusato isn’t always singular. It can multiply. It can stretch. You can belong to more than one place … and sometimes, that’s the most extraordinary kind of belonging.
For Our Couples
We see this word reflected in our couples, too. Destination weddings are often about furusato. Sometimes they return to Japan because they lived here, studied here, fell in love here. Other times they bring their furusato with them … a Lebanese zaffe echoing in a Japanese garden, or an Australian speech pattern slipping out after a glass of sake.
Weddings become crossroads of furusato. Families from different corners of the world in the same room, merging accents, traditions, and histories. It’s never just one hometown. It’s all of them, woven together.
The Ache of Furusato
There’s a tenderness to furusato. The longer you’re away, the sharper the nostalgia. A smell, a song, a taste can unspool you in seconds.
Living as expats, we know the ache of furusato well. Friends move away. Families gather oceans apart. Goodbyes come often. But so do reunions, and in those moments furusato feels alive again. Even if just for a night.
That ache isn’t a weakness. It’s proof you’ve loved places deeply. Proof you’ve belonged.
Why Furusato Matters in Weddings
When we plan or photograph weddings, furusato is always present. Sometimes it’s literal … the groom wearing his father’s watch, the bride serving her grandmother’s favorite dessert. Sometimes it’s intangible … the way a speech carries the accent of a home that isn’t here.
Weddings are where furusato travels. Where people bring their roots into the present, and let them dance with the future.
And when all those furusato meet in one place, it’s powerful. A once-in-a-lifetime gathering that feels like the world has been folded small enough to fit into one room.
Where the Heart Belongs
Although furusato often describes your hometown, at its core it’s bigger than geography. It’s about the place your heart claims as its own. Sometimes it’s where you were born. Sometimes it’s where you’ve built your life. And sometimes, it’s somewhere in between. A place that changes you so deeply it becomes part of you forever.
For our couples who choose to marry in Japan, a piece of their furusato will always live here. In the blossoms they said vows under. In the temples where they held hands. In the laughter that filled a ryokan hall. Whatever journeys they take next, Japan will always hold a part of their story, a corner of their hearts, a forever home within their memories.
And for us? Australia may be our beginning, Japan may be our now, but furusato reminds us we are lucky enough to have more than one place where our souls belong. Perhaps that’s the secret gift of this word: knowing that home isn’t just where you come from. It’s where love leaves its mark.
Final Reflection
Furusato reminds us that where you’re from never leaves you. Even if you’ve built a new life across the sea. Even if you’ve found another place that feels like home.
Because hometowns aren’t about geography. They’re about memory, identity, love. They’re about the things that made you … and the way they live on in everything you do.
For us, Brisbane is furusato. Tasmania is furusato. Japan is furusato. And maybe someday, there will be another. But no matter where we are, we carry them with us. And we bring that same sense of rootedness into every wedding, every story, every photograph.
Because in the end, furusato is proof. Proof that roots run deep. Proof that love stretches further than distance. Proof that you can belong to many places, and still be whole.
If words can hold worlds, Japan’s hold universes. Continue the journey through our Japanese Word Series … a love letter to the language that’s shaped how we see:
- tsundoku – the act of acquiring books and letting them pile up, unread. a quiet love of knowledge and potential, a celebration of curiosity and the beauty of possibility waiting to be explored.
- wabi-sabi – a philosophy celebrating beauty in imperfection, impermanence, and the simple, natural flow of life. a reminder that flaws, cracks and changes make everything more meaningful.
- nagomi – the ancient Japanese philosophy that helps you find balance and peace in everything you do. feeling of balance, comfort, and calm in the heart and mind, the way to live a balanced and harmonious life the Japanese way.
- omotenashi – the spirit of selfless hospitality. a deep-rooted cultural concept that goes beyond simple politeness, embodying a genuine desire to anticipate the needs of others and provide an unforgettable experience.
- kintsugi – the ancient Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, embracing cracks and flaws as part of an object’s history. a philosophy that teaches that broken things can be made beautiful again, more precious for having been broken.
- wa – the Japanese concept of harmony, balance, and peaceful unity. a sense of gentle togetherness that values respect, cooperation, and living gracefully in tune with others and the world around you.
- yugen – a profound, mysterious sense of beauty that lies beyond words or logic. the subtle grace of things unseen, the quiet depth that stirs the soul. the feeling evoked by a falling leaf, distant mountains, or the silence between notes.
- ikigai – the reason for being. a sense of purpose that makes life feel worth living. the quiet intersection of what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what gives you meaning each day. finding joy in the small things and purpose in the ordinary.
- kaizen – a philosophy of continuous improvement. the art of making small, steady changes that lead to lasting transformation. rooted in patience and purpose, it reminds us that progress is built one deliberate step at a time.
…and so many more to come. Whispers of meaning, guiding your heart and vision.
37 Frames
