What Tokyo Taught Me

Why Time waits for No One and the Most Important Time is Now....& Love Song.

It’s a random Wednesday. We’re on the Kyoto leg of our Japan trip. I’m laying on the bed, literally only a foot up from the ground, in classic Japanese fashion. There’s wood everywhere, minimalist pottery, stones, zen vibes. And while everything around me is moving at an earthly pace, I somehow still feel disengaged from time. Reality is, while my trip was amazing, I was also simultaneously recovering from back to back colds, grappling with mommy guilt on my first official trip of the year, and also managing ongoing production company business 7,000 miles away.

Time.

Photos by Love Nafi

I have been grappling a lot with it lately. It moved so fast, I’m just now processing Q1. It surely doesn't feel like there is enough of it. But what is enough exactly? Aren’t I where I am supposed to be now? And where exactly is one supposed to be at any given point in time? If there is one thing I learned in Tokyo: Tokyo does not wait for you to be ready. I remember standing in the middle of Shibuya crossing thinking “This is where I need to be. I am here now.”

At that exact time, I was also quietly managing one of the biggest announcements of my career. My film Love Song has been selected to premiere at the American Black Film Festival this year. Click to see the full write up here.

I want to sit with that last sentence for a second because it still doesn’t feel entirely real. This film, which we shot in January 2026 right here in the DMV, is about to have its moment on one of the most important stages in Black cinema. And at the same time, our other short film Love Zuri is making its own way through the festival circuit with more announcements coming soon. I did all this with an amazing team and the organizing power of God.

You often hear the saying: You are living what you prayed for. And yes it’s true, I am. I once prayed to become a family woman, an entrepreneur, a doctor, an award winning filmmaker and the list goes on. The easiest way to let all this goodness escape you is to be shackled by time, and to abandon gratitude. Constant remembrance is required to savor and really appreciate all the wins and lessons that happen along your journey. Take some time to look at yourself as if you didn’t already know yourself. How amazed would you be?

Photos by Love Nafi

But back to Tokyo for a moment. Not just the exceptional cleanliness, graciousness, and modernity, but what I took away deep down. Because this lesson wasn’t just about travel. It was about the tension between building toward something and being present for what’s already there. I think we all spend years rushing toward the next thing. The next project, the next milestone, the next validation, the next proof that we are on the right track. And standing in a city that moves at the speed of light somehow reminded me to slow down. The most important time is right now. Not when the film premieres. Not when the next acceptance comes in. Right now, in the messy, full, overwhelming middle of it all. That doesn’t mean I’m not excited. I am. Wildly. But I’m learning to hold excitement and the stillness at the same time.

So here’s where you come in. A lot of you have been asking how and when you can see Love Song. I hear you, and I want to make sure you’re the first to know when screenings are announced.

If you want to be on the screening list, just reply to this email with your city. That’s it. I’ll personally make sure you’re in the loop. Also follow @lovesongfilm_ on IG.

More is coming. Behind-the-scenes from the Love Song set, festival updates, and an epic DMV event later in the season. But I wanted you to hear from me first, here, before the press picks up and we all become swamped in the warp of time.

Thanks for continuing to be with me on this journey, especially now. It means more than you know.

With Love Always,

Find me:

Website: www.lovenafi.com
Socials: Instagram |Threads | Facebook | Linkedin

P.S. See below for my full trip itinerary.

Tokyo

1. 7 Eleven, Family Mart, and Lawsons (It’s a Japanese Thing)

2. Sensō-ji Shrine

3. Sumida River Walk

4. Ueno Park & Hanazono Inari Shrine

5. Harajuku/Takeshita Street

6. Meji Shrine

7. Tsuji Market (AMAZING FOOD)

8. Shibuya Crossing

9. Ginza Six for shopping (THE BEST, comprehensive options)

10. Matcha Soft Serve and Lattes almost everyday (it’s ubiquitous)

11. Get Conveyor Belt Sushi wherever you find it

12. NobuNaga Ramen

13. R2 Supper Club/ R3 Lounge for Nightlife

Kyoto

1. Meditation at Daisen-in Temple w/ Tea Ceremony

2. Kyoto Train Station (great shopping too!)

3. Traditional Sushi Making Class

4. Fitted and Dressed in Kimonos

5. Gion District/Geisha District

6. Potoncho Alley for Bars/Eateries

7. Fushima Inari Shrine

8. Bamboo Grove

9. Itoh Dining Kyoto