I first got the idea for starting this new blog a few months ago, but decided to really give it a shot and take it seriously once I returned from my 10-day vacation in Kyushu (southern Japan). My brother always told me how he found it interesting that I love to do so much research and planning before setting out - completely opposite to his own philosophy! I always like to have a good idea what I'm going to do before I get there, and I'm usually pretty prepared with plenty of things to do ahead of time... and now that I've done quite a bit of traveling around Japan, I feel like I've learned from my mistakes and have gotten better at a lot of things in terms of planning/preparing for both the expected, and of course, the unexpected.
The deciding moment as to when I realized I'd like to lay out a website where I could provide advice or suggestions to other travelers based on my own itinerary came when I helped someone plan their remaining ten days in Japan, coaching them through the geography of Japan and what things were "must-do's" or things that could be missed... I even helped with train fares, hostel recommendations, places to eat, areas to hike, and so much more.
With the idea firmly engrained in my head, I decided to start this blog as a way to provide assistance to anyone who is planning a similar trip or might just be interested in what these places have to offer, whereby they can make a decision on their own. The opportunity to create an itinerary or amateur plan for other travelers is an exciting one - hopefully one others find useful! I will be posting my own pictures to the site as well which will, I hope, help to convince others of the wonder of each and every place which has inspired me to continue traveling to the four corners of the world.
I suppose it would help to first show you my "home" location in Japan （日本）, which will give you a better idea of my access to certain areas/cities within the coutnry. The mid-sized town of Kakogawa （加古川） has been my home for the better part of seven months now, and although it's considered small compared to the bigger cities, it's got just the right amount of entertainment value and diversity to shop and eat in a variety of places. Not to mention, it's placed in an excellent location for traveling within the Kansai region and throughout Japan. Traveling by train, I can reach Himeji in 15 minutes, Sannomiya (downtown Kobe) in 35 minutes, Osaka in 60, and Kyoto in a breezy 90 minutes flat. Nara can also be reached in about two hours. From here, traveling around Japan - the goal I set out to achieve during the work year - has been extremely easy and pleasant, and I consider myself very lucky. After deciding only to stay in Japan for one year - a difficult decision, mostly because of the travel access, no doubt - a friend of mine suggested that even though I was blessed with the location, I should look at it as it was meant to be... not something that needed to be extended because of its good fortune, but rather to be utilized to its full potential in the time allotted. And trust me, I have. In any case, here's a map to help you pinpoint exactly where I am:
While the contents of the blog will mostly be filled with itineraries from Japan for the meantime, I hope to continue writing about future (and maybe even past) travels from around the world in the months and years to come. The stories will cover anything from day-trips or a long-weekend escape to two-week vacations, which is sure to capture the attention of anyone seeking a little adventure. And while I have chosen to write this blog to the primary audience of other travelers, I hope everyone will find it entertaining as well as helpful, and will provide comments (both positive and negative) to help me improve in any area I can. Who knows, maybe one day I can develop this small project into something far greater... until then, please feel free to leave comments or ask questions - I'll be glad to reply to any of them!
Thanks for reading... stay tuned for the first official post!
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