In the spirit of my travels, I’ve composed one or two haiku.
It’s the collection of a feeling in such a short space.
Does it convey the moment?
Stray beam of sunlight / Glints upon an inner wall / Move, it vanishes.
Author: MAÔ
Wandering around, exploring the Divine, figuring life out. No guarantees, no promises. Just day by day, an inner and outer journey.
Invitations
When one is offered, be certain you’re okay with it being accepted. Because obligation has a way of reshaping everything it touches.
Customer Service
One aspect of Japanese travel is, well, the locals tend to be nice. Nicer than people back home. Nicer than in a lot of other countries. That isn’t to say there aren’t people who aren’t nice — they’re here. They’re everywhere.
But, on average, an interaction in Japan with a stranger tends to follow a semi-formal, polite, and overly convivial pattern.
When they say “welcome,” you feel like they mean it.
Except for the one guy in the pharmacy I stopped at, who was quick to tell me “I speak English” — with the unspoken part being “idiot.”
Yeah, but I like speaking Japanese. Even if I’m not all that good at it.
Find your subject
Generally I don’t want to talk about myself. Not really. I don’t mind mentioning myself when in reference to the subject. But the subject, I am not.
Thus, I came to te realization. When framing out the story, the post, the idea, it has to be about something external. It can relate to the internal, to myself. But the subject has to be what I focus on.
Which I’ll try to implement, I’m sure…
True adventure
“True adventure is not an experience that can be captured on television or sold like a commodity.” – Rolf Potts
But man, don’t we try.
When I looked at the busy paths of Mt. Fuji, what occurred to me is that we don’t stop to experience. We move forward to collect.
Not all of us, I know. And I sincerely hope that I don’t.
But we should be more aware of where we are – here and now is vastly more meaningful than there or then.
Putting it off
Procrastination is easy.
I was reading, typing — yes, but reading as well. There are so many things that require my attention. And I’m putting them off.
To write, which is another thing that requires my attention. How do I do it all? The answer is: you can’t.
Watch the guage
When are you energized?
Every body is different, and everybody has energy levels that peak and trough during their day.
Allocating your peak performance time to things that require the best of your attention – that’s how to get things done.
Youkoso
In the annals of travel, Japan is fairly well publicized. In fact, I’d argue that for the past three or four years, Japan has received, warranted, if somewhat unwanted, excess attention.
And why is that? One, the land is beautiful. Roughly 80% of Japan is mountainous, an island nation with sandy or rocky beaches all around. Its metropolitan areas are metropolitan in ways that few cities in the world can compare with. Some of the technology is mind blowing.
And there’s history, too. Amazing architecture, solemn reverie, and natural splendor. The residents take care of their place (Kabuki-cho notwithstanding, where you are apt to see litter, public intoxication, and touts offering all kinds of entertainment).
But even seedy Japan is no worse than something like Greenwich Village in New York, and much less seedy than some areas in San Francisco. It is about as safe a place as you could visit, which I think certainly adds to the touristy appeal.
Framing the problem
For someone with a lot of interests, isn’t life interesting? There is always something that can occupy your time.
When I think of people I know, how dissatisfied they seem with life, it comes as a surprise. With so much to explore, there is so much to be grateful for.
Framing matters a lot. Even when bad things happen, if you can highlight the good that still exists, then the negative will be minimized.
It doesn’t have to be nonexistent. Bad things happen. Jobs are lost, loved ones pass, and times can be tough. But we’re still here.
Midair
On a plane. Again. I’ve been flying quite frequently this year. At the moment, I’m heading to LA, for a brief overnight stay, before heading back to Japan.
My brother and I have been taking yearly trips to the country for a few years now, and it’s always a good time.
I was first introduced to the culture and language when I was in high school. I was fortunate enough to enroll in the school’s first Japanese language class, and I’ve had a semi-love affair with it ever since.
In fact, I study the language every day, even if only for fifteen or thirty minutes at a time.
Not that I’m fluent, by any stretch of the imagination. But I do speak enough to get lost, or unlost, while visiting.
