Written for EO by Scott Maloney, president of K2M Design and an EO Cleveland member. In June 2018, Scott and his son were visiting Tokyo when an unexpected disaster led them to experience the true meaning of being a part of #1EO, one group supporting each and every member.

A few months ago, I had returned from another amazing global adventure. I sat down with my family at dinner and began sharing details about my recent trip. It was during this conversation that I had the revelation that I wanted to create, or shall I say curate, a once-in-a-lifetime event with each of my children.

I made the proclamation to both of my boys (Ryan, 15, and Nathan, 13) that I would take them anywhere in the world they want to go for a full week, just with me.

I wasn’t surprised to hear my older son, Ryan, shout, “We’re going to Japan!” Over the years, he’s often expressed interest in visiting Japan.