There was something very different that Isamu Maeda experienced when he set foot in the mid of last month in Bali. “It’s not my first time to Bali. It’s been so many times, already dozens of times. However, there is something else that is very special about my arrival this time,” said Isamu Maeda (91) when met at Bali Yuai Denpasar, Tuesday (May 2).

Commonly, Maeda-san went to Bali accompanied by his wife, Sachiko. However, God has another scenario in this couple’s life journey. His life partner, Sachiko Maeda (85), was summoned by God last year. “Now, I come alone, of course the feel is quite different,” said this father of two sons who lives in Kyoto, Japan. Previously, he was a banker and had been back and forth from Bali to Japan.

In the beginning, his goal was to go to Bali just to play golf. When golf courses in Japan were covered with snow in winter, Maeda-san and his wife went to Bali to channel their hobby of playing golf. His stay was quite long, almost a month. When he later formed a friendship with I Gusti Kompyang Pujawan, the senior figure of the Denpasar-Fukuoka Brotherhood, something changed. Not only did the length of stay “swell” reaching a matter of six months, but their friendship also included family. “I came to Bali alone. The trip from Kyoto-Tokyo-Singapore and then finally Denpasar made me a little worried,” he said. Apart from the age factor, of course there are other things that make it unusual. Traveling far alone, who used to usually be with his wife, now he has to be alone.

However, his arrival this time to Bali turned out to be carrying a mandate from his late wife. Sachiko Maeda, once said that she wanted to have a Hindu ceremony in Bali after her death. “I brought my wife’s ashes and bones in a small container and then held the ceremony. Furthermore, the ashes were dissolved in the waters of Padang Galak Beach.

I Gusti Kompyang Pujawan and his son, Anak Agung Gede Nirarta, who accompanied him explained that his family’s relationship with the Maeda-san family was very close. So, when there was a desire from Maeda to give his wife a Hindu ceremony, he agreed. In short, the mamukur ceremony was carried out simultaneously with the mamukur ceremony for Kompyang Pujawan’s wife, the late Made Ida Dwi Ratna Winten. “I floated my wife’s ashes in the sea,” said Maeda. He is very grateful for the great help of the Kompyang Pujawan’s family and other relatives so that his wife’s mandate could be realized.  “Due to the age factor, this is my last visit to Bali,” he said while continuously thanking him. He added that he really loves Bali. This friendship will certainly not end because he is not here anymore. It is his son that will continue it. Sayonara Maeda-san!  (BTN/055)