My 'world' for the next six or so months
I can’t even begin to describe how crazy this last month has been (which hopefully explains my lack of posts). The constant whirlwind of furious activity as I begin to sever connections and pull up roots has left me, oddly enough, rather invigorated. Those few moments of peace I have where my mind isn’t calculating the next move are filled with a strong sense of fulfillment and excitement (not to mention apprehension). The vague vision that formed in my head oh so many months ago is becoming a reality as I put stone after stone into the foundation underneath the cloud holding up my dream.
In the last two weeks I’ve sold my TV (42inch LCD), quit my job, and had a talk with the girlfriend. What else is there to do? Plenty, but they’re just small details compared to those three. I’ve spent dozens of hours learning how to do post processing for photography, researching camping equipment, and spreading the word about my journey on the net (that’s dozens of hours on each of those not all together), not to mention all the thinking about destinations and goals.
I’ve pretty much figured out a rough plan for this trip. The first section will be me camping around Japan, from Kyushu to Hokkaido, searching for what is called yamatodamashi (the ‘Japanese soul’) and refining my photographic skills. Some people have looked at me strangely when I said I’m looking for the ‘Japanese soul’ but after 5 years there is still a nagging in my heart that says I haven’t seen what I came to see.
From there I will be taking a ferry to mainland Asia, most likely China or Taiwan, and begin the more business orientated section of the trip, seeking interviews and time with businessmen and entrepreneurs in the tech sector. A thought that continues to plague me as I plan this part is, ‘what can I offer them in return for their time?’ You don’t get something for nothing and I hope to be able to answer that question before I set foot on the continent.
Here is where things get a little blurry. I plan to move across the continent through China along the Silk Road towards Nepal and India then most likely make my way around back into Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore (among others) but I can’t say where I will be when or even if. There are just too many variables to calculate and not enough knowledge.
What I do have (finally) is the outline for this trip:
Part 1: Japan – from Kyushu to Hokkaido – Mainly personal reasons (Yamatodamashi, Photography, clearing my head)
Part 2: China/Taiwan – Mainly business (interviews, networking, photography, journalism, freelance work)
Part 3: Nepal – Mainly personal reasons (one of my life goals is to see Mt. Everest)
Part 4: India – Mainly business reasons (see above)
Part 5: Undecided – Depending on opportunities and energy at this point either back into Asia (Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, etc) or off into the Middle East (to accomplish other lifelong goals)
That’s all I have for now. The next couple of weeks will see my final push to get out of Kyoto (moving, friends, students) as well as a two week visit by my parents. Hopefully during this time I will have an opportunity to upload some more posts (as well as photography), if not I’ll see you from the road.
