July 25th marked the one year anniversary of the death of our friend Robin, and a number of his family and friends made the very long journey to Japan to fulfill one of Robin's last wishes.

(Originally published August 6th, 2005.)

Before Robin died he told his mother Carol that should he leave this earth he wanted to be cremated and have his ashes spread in the sea near the beach house where he spent much of his time while in Tokyo.

Nearly 30 friends and family were on hand to take part in the ceremony on the pier at Izu Hokkawa, the small town where the house is located. It was a wonderful and moving experience made special by the group that had gathered from Japan, the US, Singapore, the UK and Switzerland. Carol explained why we were there, and Ogawa Tadahiro closed the ceremony with his kind words and memories from nearly 40 years of being connected to the Cosgrove family.

Robin's ashes were seperated into a number of lovely boxes and envelopes so that each of his friends and family members could say goodbye in a personal way. The sun was going down, and the sea was flat, but a warm breeze blew over the pier helping guide Robin's ashes to their final resting place.

He will be guarded there by an orange starfish, and in close proximity to the place he loved.

Later, we collected the paper boxes and envelopes and ignited them in a pile near the garden of the beach house. The fire blazed brightly in the darkness, and we all cried together in a truely special moment that I will never forget.

Thank you all for making the long trip to Japan, and thank you Robin for again being the reason for so many wonderful people to gather together.

By Andy Clark
August 6th, 2005
Izu Hokkawa Town
Shizuoka, Japan