ADVENTURE + ALIVENESS Page 17 of 22

The one thing you absolutely have to do if you are planning a big adventure

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Tottori, Japan

Tottori, Japan

A lot of people ask me for tips on planning adventures, and going on big trips. I have been fortunate enough to live, work and travel in more than 50 countries across the world, on every continent (including Antarctica!) so I know a thing or two about packing and preparing.

People ask whether the most important thing is to have a very clear budget, or to sort all your visas out in advance, or to learn some of the language before you go. They ask whether they should read a book about the culture, or buy a new rucksack, or make sure they get their house rented out. They ask whether the most important thing is to find a good travelling partner, or find somewhere to stay ahead of time, or pack for all weathers.

Actually it is none of the above.

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Packing up and moving on

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Paul & beth - feet in Japan

Six months.

180 days.

Half a year.

It seemed like such a long time back then.

Now it is hard to believe our Japan adventure is nearly over.

As we pack up our things, empty our flat, fold up our memories and tuck away our plans, we head out, hand in hand, for a new adventure.

Schedule, what schedule?

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Nijo Castle

Nijo Castle – an inspiring way to start the day

Here in Japan I don’t really have a schedule. The days are wide open, and each morning I sit down and work out how to spend the precious hours of the day ahead. Now we are more than half way through our adventure this time is feeling even more precious, and more than ever I am conscious about the choices I am making about how I spend my time.

The other day I had a Skype call scheduled for 11am and back at home I would normally have spent the hours before it catching up on emails etc. But instead we spent an impromptu hour after breakfast exploring a 500-year old castle – and guess what? I came back in time for the Skype call, very awake and already inspired before our conversation had even begun.

As a meticulous planner in the past, I am slowly trying to let go of the reins a little… not completely but enough to let my instinct guide my day, and reveal new ways of travelling through it…

How do you spend your time these days?

The long cycle

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The long cycle cycling2

Cycling is a brilliant way to travel – you see so much more than when you are in a car. It’s like you are IN the scenery. We had a brilliant time cycling 70km across seven huge bridges over the Seto Inland Sea, breathing in fresh salty air as we pedalled high above the sparkling seas.

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Daisen National Park

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En route to Daisen National Park

More glimpses from the road around Japan…

I travelled to many parts of Japan but this was my first time in Daisen National Park. They call the main mountain ‘Daisen’ the ‘mini Mount Fuji’ and you can see why from its conical shape. We wanted to get away from the hot hot city for a couple of days and this was the perfect place. In the winter it is a popular ski resort but in the summer, away from the roads, it is a hiker’s paradise.

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Why we did this

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Stride -Paul K

As we come to the end of our time here in Japan (only three weeks left!) I have been thinking about our reasons for coming here.

Spending six months in Japan is expensive. It’s an upheaval. And if you are studying Japanese like my man, you even get grammar tests. So why did we do this?

Because we had slipped into too much routine and needed to shake things up.

Because my man wanted to know this place that was so special to me.

Because we wanted to share a big adventure.

Because we could.

But mainly because it sounded like a good idea at the time.

And it absolutely was.

What kind of adventure sounds like a good idea to you right now?

A little trip to the big smoke

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Bullet train

The other day I packed myself onto the super-fast shinkansen (bullet train) and whizzed up to Tokyo for the International Stationery & Office Products Show (more on that later).

A little trip to the big smoke shibuya

Shibuya

It felt so big, bright and noisy after Kyoto, so I also spent some time exploring the quieter, trendy areas of Jiyugaoka and Shimokitazawa. When I first moved to Tokyo I lived in a friend’s spare room in Jiyugaoka for a couple of months so it was lovely to go back and see it.

I met up with lots of old friends, did a bit too much shopping and got a haircut. Fun trip! Here are a few snapshots of the quieter side of the city.

A little trip to the big smoke tok9

A little trip to the big smoke tok1

the entrance to the cute little hotel I stayed at in Aoyama

A little trip to the big smoke tok2

quirky shops in Jiyugaoka

 A little trip to the big smoke tok5

A little trip to the big smoke tok4

A little trip to the big smoke tok3

A little trip to the big smoke tok6

any post for me?

A little trip to the big smoke tok7

A little trip to the big smoke tok8

Join me for an adventure! Starts Monday – better get packing…

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Join me for an adventure! Starts Monday - better get packing... hello soul 049[Image: Tiffany Kirchner Dixon]

Monday sees the relaunch of Do What You Love the e-course – and this time it is the Japan edition! Join me for a very special adventure…

As you travel this path expanding your comfort zone, nurturing your playful spirit and feeding your creative soul, I will be sharing snippets of my big adventure out East. Join me and others all over the globe to identify your passion and make it a greater part of your every day life.

The Do What You Love e-course has been described as ‘life changing’, ‘transformational’ and ‘awe-inspiring’. It will make you think. It will make you question things – sometimes not in a comfortable way. But it will help you realise that YOU GET TO CHOOSE the life you lead.

Join me, it is going to be awesome! Class kicks off on Monday but you can still squeeze in if you hurry. Find out more and register here!

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PS I am thrilled to be interviewed on Monica Lee’s fab site Smart Creative Women today! Her site is packed with great interviews – why not spend some time over there getting inspired!