These past few weeks we have been on a series of adventures around Japan so I thought I’d share some pictures with you, starting with the lovely island of Miyajima. It is home to one of the most famous red torii shrine gates in Japan (Itsukushijima Shrine), which stands proudly in the sea.
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).
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.
the entrance to the cute little hotel I stayed at in Aoyama
quirky shops in Jiyugaoka
any post for me?
[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!
It’s my birthday tomorrow. I’ll be 35. That rounds up to 40! It’s half way to 70! But what does it mean anyway? It’s just a number, right? On my ‘big’ birthdays (the ones ending in ‘0’ or ‘5’) I like to look back over my life so far and think about all the happiest moments of each year. So much has changed since the last time I did this at 30 (when I spent my birthday lying in a hammock next to the sea drinking gin & tonics in a tiny hotel north of Mumbai, India, before going for curry and champagne with friends!)
Since then I have fallen in love, started two businesses, changed industries, moved house four times, and visited countries in every corner of the world. They have been years lived at a fast pace, always on the move, always in search of adventure, knowledge and beauty.
As I sit here in Kyoto, perhaps my favourite city in the world, on the eve of my 35th birthday, I am trying to decide how I would like the next five years to be. I have no idea what path I will follow, or what will unfold, but I know I want to slow down a little, breathe more deeply, sit up and enjoy the view. I wonder what is in store…
Let’s see, shall we? Cheers!
I’m on a big adventure in Japan right now. If you fancy an adventure of your own why not join me for the Do What You Love e-course? Shake things up, expand your comfort zone, nurture your playful spirit and feed your creative soul. Identify your passion and make it a greater part of your every day life! Find out more and register here. But hurry, class starts soon!
Have you ever taken a night bus? It’s not the most comfortable way to travel – you have to sit in a chair for many hours (obviously) and even if you manage to sleep, you get woken every couple of hours at service stations when the driver stops for a rest. But even so, I kind of like the night bus.
Everyone is on a journey somewhere, heading to the big smoke for different reasons – perhaps for a job interview, to visit friends, to start a new life.
I love pressing my face against the steamed up window, watching the other night traffic whizzing past.
I love sitting in the dark with my iPod on, listening to Adele and thinking of random things.
And I love coming into the city at dawn, riding past the majestic Imperial Palace, seeing the capital wake up.
If you haven’t taken a night bus lately, why not try it? It really feels like an adventure.
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I’m on a big adventure in Japan right now. If you fancy an adventure of your own why not join me for the Do What You Love e-course? Shake things up, expand your comfort zone, nurture your playful spirit and feed your creative soul. Identify your passion and make it a greater part of your every day life! Find out more and register here. But hurry, class starts soon!
There was nothing but the sound of a waterfall, the wind in the trees, and our steps on the the rock as we climbed up the forested mountainside to Yamadera, a temple built close to the sky.
The last of the winter snow hugged the temple buildings, and the sun peeped through the clouds.
Up and up and up we climbed, hundreds of steps, thousands of breaths, drinking in fresh air and carrying big smiles.
We passed ornamental stone creations adorned with paper fortunes.
We met this little fella, and stopped for a chat.
On this weekday afternoon the place was deserted, and we were left free to climb and roam, and claim this wooden platform as our own. From high up on the rocks we stared out over the valley and soaked up the silence.
I love this place.
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If you fancy an adventure of your own, why not join me for the Do What You Love e-course? Find out more and register here!
When you have lived somewhere for a while, at an impressionable time in your life, it always holds special memories. Coming back to see my old apartment in Shinjuku was both strange and comforting. I lived there for nearly three years over a decade ago. The nearby shrine hadn’t changed, and the corner house still had a tiny flourishing roof garden, but the new houses that had popped up here and there left me temporarily disoriented. That’s where I used to do my laundry… that’s where I used to go for delicious grilled fish and miso soup… that was the massage place open until midnight which brought welcome relief after long days in the Japanese office…
These past few days in Tokyo have felt important for reflecting on good times past, but preparing the way for new memories to be made. I hope sharing each special place and its stories with my man has helped him see a little of the country that captured my imagination many years ago, but also paved the way for all the adventures to come…
Have you visited any old haunts recently?
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If you fancy your own adventure, why not join me for the Do What You Love e-course? This very special online adventure is designed to help you identify your passion and make it a greater part of your everyday life. Class starts on May 14. Find out more and register here.
A few hundred metres from the bustle and chaos of Takeshita-dori, the main hangout of funky teenagers in Harajuku, Tokyo, lies a true urban oasis.
Meiji Jingu is a beautiful imposing shrine nestled amongst a forest of green, right in the middle of one of the busiest parts of the city.
Your pace slows, and you start to breathe more deeply with every step away from the street, into this sacred place.
As you wash your hands at the entrance, you feel like you are washing away the inevitable city dust.
As you watch others step forward and give their offerings, your own mind calms a little.
Why not take yourself away from the hustle and bustle and find somewhere quiet to escape to today?
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If you fancy your own adventure, why not join me for the Do What You Love e-course? This very special online adventure is designed to help you identify your passion and make it a greater part of your everyday life. Class starts on May 14. Find out more and register here.
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Several months ago we decided to make a big move to Japan. It seemed so far away back then but now it is here, and we are here.
First stop the capital, Toyko, where I spent three years working long hours in an exciting job 10 years ago.
Glass, concrete and neon.
Clean streets and fast trains.
Cool design shops and anything-goes fashion. Sweet old men who randomly offer you gifts of hard boiled eggs.
Drinking with old friends. Noodles at midnight. This is Tokyo, and it is good to be back.
PS All this week I will be bringing you glimpses of this city that I once called home…
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If you fancy your own adventure, why not join me for the Do What You Love e-course? This very special online adventure is designed to help you identify your passion and make it a greater part of your everyday life. Class starts on May 14. Find out more and register here.
(Image by NavyBlur)
Our stuff is in storage. The out-of-office/studio is on. The to-do list is done. We are off.
My man and I are heading East for a big adventure. We are going to spend a few months in Japan – slowing down, looking, listening, exploring, (dare I add ‘retreat researching’??) and I am so thrilled. These past few months have been crazy, and the past few weeks have been nothing short of chaos. But they have all been leading to this moment when we step onto that plane, head into the skies and fly in the direction of adventure.
See you in Tokyo!
Beth
PS. If you fancy a very different kind of adventure of your own, I have just relaunched the Do What You Love e-course which will be brought to you for the very first time from Japan! Class begins on May 14. There’s a special early bird discount if you sign up before the end of March. See here for more details and to register!
