3 Months in Japan
Without Speaking Japanese
"I smile whenever I think about it. One of the best things I ever did in my life! Your advice was very helpful."
Stephen Sawicki
eBook Customer
From time to time I receive emails from customers. One I received out of the blue recently was from the American writer Stephen Sawicki.
The year before, he'd purchased one of my eBooks. At that time he told me the thing he was most concerned about was overcoming the fears he'd built up in his imagination about going to Japan.
Fast forward a year, and Stephen returned from his amazing first trip to Japan and told me all about it. He spent 3 months, travelling from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the south, all without being able to speak Japanese.
I was so touched by his story, that I asked him if I could share it with you. Here's Stephen's message (with some photos taken on his trip) in which he shares his journey overcoming his Japan travel fears...
Rob Dyer
Founder, The Real Japan
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How to overcome my fears of actually going?
"I don't know if you remember me, but last fall I bought a copy of your book about travelling around Japan without speaking the language.
You also emailed me and asked if there was any one question you could answer for me about traveling to Japan.
My question for you, if you recall, was how to overcome my fears of actually going."
One of the best things I ever did in my life!
"It seemed so daunting at the time, for many reasons.
Well, I have been meaning to write to you to report that I did make the trip - three months of traveling around Japan by myself, from Hokkaido to Okinawa.
Haha, I smile whenever I think about it. One of the best things I ever did in my life! Your advice was very helpful."
Most Japanese people I met were more than kind
"Most of the Japanese people I met were more than kind.
So kind, in fact, that after a while I had to stop myself from asking for help from everyday people because so many would go to such great lengths to help and I was starting to feel guilty.
I mean, more than one person walked with me great distances to make sure I got where I was going, even with me asking, "Are you sure?" and "Aren’t you going to be late for work?"
One fellow walked me to the right train platform
"One fellow, even though his train was coming, took me by the arm and started walking me toward the right platform for my train.
I finally decided I would only ask authority figures - JR Rail people, tourism people, police officers if need be - because at least it was part of their job to help folks."
I made a long to do list and started checking them off
"Another thing I did to overcome my fears, though, was basically to make a (long) list of everything I had to do before I left and just start mindlessly doing them and checking them off, one by one.
Get my JR Rail pass, get my international driving permit, buy the right suitcase, etc., etc.
By the time I got down to "Go to airport" it kind of felt like I had no choice in the matter anymore."
Some of the best experiences came when I wandered
"I'm not the greatest planner and I probably did miss out on a few things because of it, but like I think you've written, some of my best experiences were on days I got lost or when I had no plans and decided to just wander around.
You're a much more seasoned traveller than I am, but honestly I was just happy walking around Tokyo when I first got there telling myself, "I did it, I actually did it!"
I had a great time, and now I'm plotting my going back and seeing the rest of the country... or even moving there for a while, if I can figure out a way."
Now it's your turn...
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