I love to read about your travels. Even before I was chronically I'll I was not much of a traveler; I don't understand, emotionally, how it could be enjoyable or enriching enough to be worth the stress and complicated logistics. My curious mind, though, understands that many, if not most, people enjoy adventures and that in spite of the stressors and risks the joy they get from immersing themselves willingly in different environments is well worth it. I don't enjoy reading about traveling per se, but I do enjoy reading what you right about your adventures because no matter what your subject, your interest in those more "real" subjects informs everything you write. Privilege is tricky; those of us who are committed to serve in a way that promotes equity and justice - as a group - tend to guard against finding joy in anything we think might be accessible to us because of our privilege. That makes sense, and being mindful of what our privilege offers us (and at whose expense) is part and parcel of the goals of liberation. It's admirable to be aware of all that, and it is also critical not to view it all as a zero sum prospect. Being effective in your work, in your positive contribution to the collective liberatory goal, does not require of you that you deprive yourself just because there are others who don't have access to what feeds your soul. Even if I wanted to, I would not be able to travel to Japan, and that would not change at all if you were to deprive yourself of that opportunity. Rather, by taking that opportunity because it is so important to you, you are not only enriching yourself, but also everyone else who gets to see your photos and read what you write, which is all filtered through your uniquely inquisitive, compassionate, and heartfelt lens. I am truly looking forward to reading about your travels and seeing whatever photos you feel inclined to share!
Thanks so much, LC! I am honored that you are looking forward to read my posts even if you don't enjoy reading about traveling in general. I think it makes a lot of sense that stress and complicated logistics of travel are not worth it for a questionably enjoyable or enriching experience. I'm somewhere in the middle. I feel like I'm rounding up to, "I want to travel," but could easily round down to "Travel is stressful and not feasible and I would rather do other things."
I hope that my experiences do help contribute to equity and justice, and hopefully balancing that work with other ventures will ensure I can continue to do this work at my slow pace for a long time.
I went to Japan when I was between middle and high school. It was this indelible experience I will never forget. Everything tasted like rice and fish. Except the steak they fed us regularly (because apparently all Americans eat steak). But really, how many kids get to experience a trip like that?
I cannot wait to hear everything you want to share about your journeys. Please show me your vacation photos. And tell me a good story.
Wow, that's so cool that you went to Japan! That does sound like an unusual experience not many American kids have. Thanks so much for your encouragement to share!
So exciting! I lived in Japan for a little over a year, teaching ESL in Tokyo. I loved my students, hiking in Hokkaido, the hot springs, the baths, the food...salmon, rice, nori and miso soup for breakfast. The conveyor belt sushi bars! The plastic food representations in the windows! The national parks, the traditional theater...I hope the trip is fantastic.
Thanks for sharing! Wow, that sounds amazing. I love hot springs and baths (and national parks)! Perhaps I will get to experience some of these things also. I'm excited! Thanks!
It sounds like a wonderful adventure. I went to Japan with a Japanese college classmate in 1985! I stayed for a month at her grandmother’s home in a suburb of Tokyo and we hitchhiked to Hiroshima and stayed in Youth Hostels. That was the year Ghostbusters first came out and I went to see it with my girlfriend at the time. We laughed out loud at the jokes and no one in the audience laughed because the translation didn’t get the nuance of the jokes. I would love to return.
Writing about joy is so important, especially in these sad days of fearing we may lose democracy as we slide into authoritarian rule. We need to hold onto our ability to also focus on things that bring us relief and so form of peace.
Thanks so much for sharing, Jake! That's really neat that you had the experience of staying in a home for a longer time, and hitchhiking. I imagine you experienced a lot more of local life than if you stayed in a hotel and did more tourist activities.
That's a great point about writing about joy. I do think joy is important to share!!
I think there's a lot of value in mixing stories that might feel like personal fluff in with articles that are more serious thoughts. It helps readers get to know different aspects of you as a person, and as your other friend said, looking at vacation/travel photos is fun. And can be really eye-opening! The world is a big place and even people who travel a lot don't get to see all of what there is out there. Coincidentally, my main business right now is giving Japanese lessons to folks of all ages & giving consultation for travel so if there's any questions that arise in the planning process for you & your partner's upcoming trip shoot me a message!
Hi Lily, thanks so much for sharing! It's great to hear from you. That's really cool that you are giving Japanese lessons and consultation for travel. Thanks for the offer to help with questions! I really appreciate you. I'll let you know if something comes up.
I think that makes a lot of sense that personal fluff has some benefits too! Fun and eye-opening is great. Thanks for reaching out!
I understand about Nagoya since I did the same thing, but I would get out of it as much as possible, it’s a very boring, sterile, and poorly designed place relative to many or most Japanese cities. And not to just go to the obvious ones—-one of my fav places in Japan that’s still probably quite unvisited vs Kyoto is Kanazawa, facing on the other side. Like a little Kyoto but more laid back and less well known, and actually more walkable. Highly recommended!
My hippie friends—American expat to Canada I met here who met his Japanese wife here in Vancouver, now live in suburbs of Kyoto. They were working on an eco farm for awhile, now doing their own thing and paying almost no rent and earning a lot, enjoying the good life in Japan. Let me know if you want me to hook you up with them, they’re good people.
Hi Nick, that's really cool that you went to Japan and visited the Nagoya area! Thanks so much for your advice, much appreciated. Thanks for the suggestion of Kanazawa! That sounds really lovely and I had not heard of it before. I do want to go to Kyoto, also.
That's neat that you have friends near Kyoto. My guess is we will not have the time or transportation to get out into the suburbs, so while I really appreciate the offer for the intro to your friends, I am not sure that it would work out. It's interesting to hear of some other folks with an almost no rent living arrangement (and an eco farm)! Love it.
It’s your choice of course, but you’re quite mistaken on the transportation front..transit in Japan is the best in the world—you can go anywhere, urban, suburban, rural, very easily by train, it’s amazing.
Well that sounds amazing and I am looking forward to seeing where I can get to on the train! It would be neat to be able to get to some more rural areas and beautiful parks to be able to experience the forest, wildlife, and ecosystem.
It’s extremely easy. I took trains to multiple mountains and forest areas for hikes. A lot of people I know seem to prefer the rural areas of Japan, in general. Fairly easy to get to most of them, too. Of course ecosystems there as in most of the world are still not as wild as what you can experience in N America (large predators long extinct in most of the developed world), but it’s still enjoyable, and of course, you almost always have to drive to get to those places in N America.. But, there’s really no reason you would need to drive anywhere in most places you would go. Japanese cities (with the strange exception of Nagoya) are probably some of the most walkeable, bikeable, and transit friendly places in the world.
I love to read about your travels. Even before I was chronically I'll I was not much of a traveler; I don't understand, emotionally, how it could be enjoyable or enriching enough to be worth the stress and complicated logistics. My curious mind, though, understands that many, if not most, people enjoy adventures and that in spite of the stressors and risks the joy they get from immersing themselves willingly in different environments is well worth it. I don't enjoy reading about traveling per se, but I do enjoy reading what you right about your adventures because no matter what your subject, your interest in those more "real" subjects informs everything you write. Privilege is tricky; those of us who are committed to serve in a way that promotes equity and justice - as a group - tend to guard against finding joy in anything we think might be accessible to us because of our privilege. That makes sense, and being mindful of what our privilege offers us (and at whose expense) is part and parcel of the goals of liberation. It's admirable to be aware of all that, and it is also critical not to view it all as a zero sum prospect. Being effective in your work, in your positive contribution to the collective liberatory goal, does not require of you that you deprive yourself just because there are others who don't have access to what feeds your soul. Even if I wanted to, I would not be able to travel to Japan, and that would not change at all if you were to deprive yourself of that opportunity. Rather, by taking that opportunity because it is so important to you, you are not only enriching yourself, but also everyone else who gets to see your photos and read what you write, which is all filtered through your uniquely inquisitive, compassionate, and heartfelt lens. I am truly looking forward to reading about your travels and seeing whatever photos you feel inclined to share!
Thanks so much, LC! I am honored that you are looking forward to read my posts even if you don't enjoy reading about traveling in general. I think it makes a lot of sense that stress and complicated logistics of travel are not worth it for a questionably enjoyable or enriching experience. I'm somewhere in the middle. I feel like I'm rounding up to, "I want to travel," but could easily round down to "Travel is stressful and not feasible and I would rather do other things."
I hope that my experiences do help contribute to equity and justice, and hopefully balancing that work with other ventures will ensure I can continue to do this work at my slow pace for a long time.
Thanks so much for your comment!
I went to Japan when I was between middle and high school. It was this indelible experience I will never forget. Everything tasted like rice and fish. Except the steak they fed us regularly (because apparently all Americans eat steak). But really, how many kids get to experience a trip like that?
I cannot wait to hear everything you want to share about your journeys. Please show me your vacation photos. And tell me a good story.
Wow, that's so cool that you went to Japan! That does sound like an unusual experience not many American kids have. Thanks so much for your encouragement to share!
So exciting! I lived in Japan for a little over a year, teaching ESL in Tokyo. I loved my students, hiking in Hokkaido, the hot springs, the baths, the food...salmon, rice, nori and miso soup for breakfast. The conveyor belt sushi bars! The plastic food representations in the windows! The national parks, the traditional theater...I hope the trip is fantastic.
Thanks for sharing! Wow, that sounds amazing. I love hot springs and baths (and national parks)! Perhaps I will get to experience some of these things also. I'm excited! Thanks!
It sounds like a wonderful adventure. I went to Japan with a Japanese college classmate in 1985! I stayed for a month at her grandmother’s home in a suburb of Tokyo and we hitchhiked to Hiroshima and stayed in Youth Hostels. That was the year Ghostbusters first came out and I went to see it with my girlfriend at the time. We laughed out loud at the jokes and no one in the audience laughed because the translation didn’t get the nuance of the jokes. I would love to return.
Writing about joy is so important, especially in these sad days of fearing we may lose democracy as we slide into authoritarian rule. We need to hold onto our ability to also focus on things that bring us relief and so form of peace.
Thanks so much for sharing, Jake! That's really neat that you had the experience of staying in a home for a longer time, and hitchhiking. I imagine you experienced a lot more of local life than if you stayed in a hotel and did more tourist activities.
That's a great point about writing about joy. I do think joy is important to share!!
I think there's a lot of value in mixing stories that might feel like personal fluff in with articles that are more serious thoughts. It helps readers get to know different aspects of you as a person, and as your other friend said, looking at vacation/travel photos is fun. And can be really eye-opening! The world is a big place and even people who travel a lot don't get to see all of what there is out there. Coincidentally, my main business right now is giving Japanese lessons to folks of all ages & giving consultation for travel so if there's any questions that arise in the planning process for you & your partner's upcoming trip shoot me a message!
Hi Lily, thanks so much for sharing! It's great to hear from you. That's really cool that you are giving Japanese lessons and consultation for travel. Thanks for the offer to help with questions! I really appreciate you. I'll let you know if something comes up.
I think that makes a lot of sense that personal fluff has some benefits too! Fun and eye-opening is great. Thanks for reaching out!
I understand about Nagoya since I did the same thing, but I would get out of it as much as possible, it’s a very boring, sterile, and poorly designed place relative to many or most Japanese cities. And not to just go to the obvious ones—-one of my fav places in Japan that’s still probably quite unvisited vs Kyoto is Kanazawa, facing on the other side. Like a little Kyoto but more laid back and less well known, and actually more walkable. Highly recommended!
My hippie friends—American expat to Canada I met here who met his Japanese wife here in Vancouver, now live in suburbs of Kyoto. They were working on an eco farm for awhile, now doing their own thing and paying almost no rent and earning a lot, enjoying the good life in Japan. Let me know if you want me to hook you up with them, they’re good people.
Hi Nick, that's really cool that you went to Japan and visited the Nagoya area! Thanks so much for your advice, much appreciated. Thanks for the suggestion of Kanazawa! That sounds really lovely and I had not heard of it before. I do want to go to Kyoto, also.
That's neat that you have friends near Kyoto. My guess is we will not have the time or transportation to get out into the suburbs, so while I really appreciate the offer for the intro to your friends, I am not sure that it would work out. It's interesting to hear of some other folks with an almost no rent living arrangement (and an eco farm)! Love it.
Thanks for reaching out!
It’s your choice of course, but you’re quite mistaken on the transportation front..transit in Japan is the best in the world—you can go anywhere, urban, suburban, rural, very easily by train, it’s amazing.
Well that sounds amazing and I am looking forward to seeing where I can get to on the train! It would be neat to be able to get to some more rural areas and beautiful parks to be able to experience the forest, wildlife, and ecosystem.
It’s extremely easy. I took trains to multiple mountains and forest areas for hikes. A lot of people I know seem to prefer the rural areas of Japan, in general. Fairly easy to get to most of them, too. Of course ecosystems there as in most of the world are still not as wild as what you can experience in N America (large predators long extinct in most of the developed world), but it’s still enjoyable, and of course, you almost always have to drive to get to those places in N America.. But, there’s really no reason you would need to drive anywhere in most places you would go. Japanese cities (with the strange exception of Nagoya) are probably some of the most walkeable, bikeable, and transit friendly places in the world.