in this week’s newsletter: new asia trip video series, the joys of showing parts of japan that i love, and sharing the highs, lows, and what i’ve learned along the way
dear penpals -
welcome to part 1 of 3 in this asia trip vlog / newsletter series!
this probably goes on record to be the fastest i’ve ever edited a vlog (even with sorting through over 360+ clips just of japan content!) because i was way too excited to share with you all the moments of joy and laughter from this trip!
with the fast pace of non-stop traveling there are moments that happen a little too quickly that often get forgotten or stored in the back of your memories because there’s always going to be the next thing to see or do. so taking the time while editing to slow down, re-watch, and re-live the memories, i quickly noticed how laughter is a big part of every clip i filmed - and that brings me so much joy!
so please enjoy this vlog that is full of happy memories that i treasure dearly. of sharing special places and people of kamikatsu, getting to soak in the slow inaka pace of life… before packing our bags to head into the bustling and bright city of osaka and reunited with friends!
click on the image or the link to the video here!
one thing i like to do with my students during after school check-ins is ask them what their rose (the thing that brought them joy), thorn (the ‘not-so-great’ thing that happened), and roots (the lesson they’re learning from the experience / moment) of the day was.
so, in true teacher ‘check-in’ style, here is my rose, thorn, and roots from my time traveling in japan with friends!
rose -
for work, my sister organizes local guiding programs for people wanting to visit kamikatsu. and since arriving, i’ve had the chance to see my sister share parts of what she loves about the village to others. and now, for the first time, i got the chance to show parts of what i love about the village to my friend!
there’s a joy in being able to show a view that first took my breath away, share foods and experiences that i love, and introduce and connect people with one another. and during this time i got to see the village through my friend’s eyes - that excitement, sense of awe, and every “wow, this is beautiful” comment was me 7-months ago - and it’s was a joy to be reminded of the wonders of every big and small, ordinary and extraordinary thing that makes this village home.
another rose (i’m letting myself share two!) is being reunited with the rest of my traveling friends. it was a weird feeling, having my two worlds that have felt separate from each other begin to mesh into one. canada meets japan, japan meets canada. and i realized how beautiful is it to have two places in my life to call home. endless gratitude for these three friends being here to remind me of pieces of my community and home in canada!
thorn -
since we wanted to visit each other’s home country, we agreed that the person who is from that country would be the honourary ‘tour guide’ where the responsibility of planning, navigating, and translating would fall more-or-less in their hands. so, i was up first and tasked with guiding the osaka portion of our trip. the thing is i’ve only been to osaka once before being thrown into guiding… and let’s just say, i was very nervous.
i’m thankful that i can speak the language to a certain degree that allows me to stop security guards and ask for directions, talk to waiters and order at a restaurant, read signs semi-well enough to get us un-loss. but what i didn’t realize was how mentally draining it would be to be responsible for the life and well-being of not only me, but for three other humans! every moment i would be researching the next place to go, the next restaurant to eat at, the next subway to take, the next - the next - the next… and it. was. exhausting!
roots -
one thing i’ve learned, especially in reflection of my thorn from this trip, is that when you plan and guide someone, whether it’s in a specific country or the city you live in, you don’t - you really don’t - have to take them to the ‘number one’, ‘best recommended’, ‘most popular’ place.
my friend had asked to have an お好み焼き [o·ko·no·mi·ya·ki] (a japanese savoury pancake dish) dinner and i endlessly researched to find THE best okonomiyaki restaurant in osaka. i found one that had been written in every food blogger’s website, won culinary awards, and had endless 5 star reviews claiming that wait in line for an hour (or more!) would be worth it. i wanted to give my friends only THE best, so we went…
i wouldn’t say it was really worth it.
would my friends have been just as excited to visit one of my personal favourite okonomiyaki restaurants that my friends brought me to when i first visited osaka, even though it’s rated 3-stars? probably. would they have still eaten a very delicious meal? of course. would we have waited a heck of a lot shorter to eat? 100% yes.
so maybe next time i’ll focus on sharing experiences with the people around me and less on trying to impress them with whatever person online said is the best. i’ll show them my favourite, but maybe a little more worn-out, spots and less on what is flashy or new. i’ll take them to restaurants that hold more memories than reviews.
because at the end of the day, what we remember is the joy and laughter shared around the table, rather than what was actually on the table.
That's the cutest, most good vibes video ever! And love the first picture in particular. Looking forward to part 2 :D
That was awesome. Looked like a lot of fun for you all. But yes, planning for visiting friends is challenging at times but it looks like you did a great job Mina.