It’s not about the awards, the attention, or the money that may or may not come with it.
Life is about experiencing the depth of all that it means to be human, which means embracing the things that are important to you specifically, not what the wider social culture deems valuable.
This means many of us have “odd” things that we’ve always wanted to see, try, or do before our physical body gives out - often called a “bucket list”.
Before I “kick the bucket” (aka die), I want to …
I used to keep a written bucket list and, over the years, I found that I was adding to it more than I was actually doing anything, so I’ve tried to change that.
My list still contains exploring pottery, archery, and watercolor painting, but there is one item I’m actively pursuing: going to Japan.
I could write numerous posts about my curiosity, fascination, and appreciation of Japan, but I don’t think they would do the feelings justice - and my perspective would be incomplete given I’ve only studied Japan and haven’t physically been there.
So I’ve been deepening my study of Japanese and financially preparing to take a trip there in the next few years. I’m especially interested in experiencing (and possibly studying) Japanese tea culture and bathing culture (onsen).
How about you?
What's one thing on your "bucket list" you're actively pursuing?
Comment below so folks can offer encouragement (and maybe some tips, if you ask for them).
In the beginning I thought I could actually do it in one go: one month on the road around Japan. What I fool. Gone are the days when I could take a whole month off work. Anyway, this year I'm doing the third leg (Akita and Aomori) and next year, hopefully, I should do the fourth and last part, the home stretch.
I was supposed to leave the day after tomorrow but the north of Japan is currently drowning under Biblical rains. Which is surreal, considering that in Yokohama it's scorching hot.
Let me know when you are coming to Japan, we may be able to meet. Just don't ask me to teach you the tea ceremony.
As for my bucket list, I'm in the midst of "circumnavigating" Japan, little by little, following its coast (more or less).
Absolutely! Your current journey of circumnavigating Japan sounds incredible - have you given yourself a timeline for it?
In the beginning I thought I could actually do it in one go: one month on the road around Japan. What I fool. Gone are the days when I could take a whole month off work. Anyway, this year I'm doing the third leg (Akita and Aomori) and next year, hopefully, I should do the fourth and last part, the home stretch.
I was supposed to leave the day after tomorrow but the north of Japan is currently drowning under Biblical rains. Which is surreal, considering that in Yokohama it's scorching hot.