A holiday brings a chance to unwind, time to focus on things beyond day-to-day life, and often an opportunity to take in another culture. Combined, these factors can produce a unique state of mind, and I find that one of the most difficult parts of any trip where it arises is to properly observe and harness the new perspective that brings before it disappears once again under the tide of work and life admin. That’s why I’m working through the jet lag to type this out before the weekend is through.
The trip itself – another couple of weeks in Japan – was fast-paced and thoroughly enjoyable. I spent my time between the bustle of Tokyo and more rural parts of Hokkaido, packing in as much good food and karaoke as possible along the way. But wherever I am in Japan, my eye is always drawn back to the attention to detail and earnestness ingrained in its culture. This is demonstrated in everything from an elaborate shop window display to consideration for others in public spaces.
Following my last visit, I wrote about the hospitality and curiosity of those I met on my travels. My return served as something of a follow-up meditation session, and offered a chance to further concentrate and expand upon those thoughts, and properly consider what use they might be to me in my regular life.
