Taking some time off with my family in Japan has been a journey of countless train rides—a shared passion my husband and I now enjoy with our son. Ever since our last trip here in 2018, I have kept a list of “must-ride” trains for our next visit. Now that we’re here, it’s clear we won’t cover them all. With a little boy full of questions, our days often end early as we pause to rest.
On one of these journeys, our train stopped at a station for about an hour. Past 9 p.m., most people left the train to find other routes. Online, we read, “person on track,” and moved on without much thought. But for our son, this left a lasting impression. Every night, he asked about the person on the track: what happened? Why did three trains stop? Why were we the last to go? While we often just move from one place to another, children remind us of the sensitivity we’ve left behind in the race of life.
Each time we stay in Japan’s small villages, usually with elderly couples, we are surrounded by mountains, rivers, and farms. We pick these places intentionally and try to connect with locals, returning to the same spots to build familiar conversations. The memories from these moments linger long after we leave. The other day, we asked a small shop owner to recommend a nearby restaurant. Seeing we had time, he closed his shop, and drove us to a neighboring village to his favorite spot. Just Japan things is what I can say!
After our meal, we saw three well-dressed elderly people picking ripe chilies in a small farm nearby. They waved and smiled, a warmth we couldn’t trade for the neon lights of a big city. These farmers were moving at a pace unhurried by the world around them.
As we migrate to cities for better opportunities, aren’t we also building in layers of stress with too many choices and constant triggers? Holidays planned to soothe the soul, where you research and make room for what you love, create an inner shift. While “top 10 things to do” lists can be helpful, for me, travel that takes time to connect and breathe has a lasting charm.
I hope you all have some cool plans to unwind in the coming holiday season.
Turn Your Dreams Into Experiences!
3moDo you do like Carnival does if we own 100 shares of Norwegian Holdings Stock we get a $200 on board credit every time we sail?