Although we have just left Japan, I still have a lot of adventures to share with you here on the blog so I will continue to share these over the next few weeks, starting with Ohara…
do what you love Page 37 of 61
Kyoto cafes part 8 – Sagano-yu
Do you ever go into a particular cafe and feel all the tension leaving your shoulders as you give a sigh of happy comfort? That is how I feel when I go into Sagano-yu cafe in Arashiyama, a beautifully restored old Japanese bath house which is now a cafe and shop.
Thank you Japan
It has been amazing. There are so many people and places to thank for making it such a special experience. Here are just a few of them.
Japan: The price we paid, the memories we made
Any bold move, big change or great adventure requires a sacrifice of some kind. This is true in business, life and travel. It’s simple economics – every choice you make has an opportunity cost. Every dollar you spend on a plane ticket is a dollar you can’t spend somewhere else. And the bigger the challenge, the greater the risk… but of course the bigger the reward can be.
Today I found myself sat pondering what we have missed by taking a leap, packing up and moving to Japan for six months.
Shops like this…
When I look back on my time in Kyoto, one of my fond memories will be of time spent wandering around the cities many tiny shops. There is something very special about the way in which Japanese people lay out their spaces, present products, and create an experience for guests (which is what you feel like, rather than a customer).
I am talking about shops like this one – Pao is a clothing and ‘zakka’ accessories/stationery/lovely things store run by the vivacious Junko.
I visited her on the day of a blue moon, and after we had chatted a while about papermaking and all sorts, she reminded me to look up to the night sky for luck and happiness that evening…
Kyoto cafes 7 – Amuca
Packing up and moving on
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.
What I’m looking forward to
It’s hard to imagine I’ll be touching down in London a week today. While I run around soaking up the last days in Kyoto, I can’t helping thinking of some of the things I am looking forward to when I get back (in no particular order):
Sand dunes in Japan?
How I strategise these days
Next to the river,
on a bench,
staring up at the sky,
eagles wheeling overhead,
gentle breeze blowing
and the lazy sound of a saxophone drifting past.
This is where I hold my strategy meetings these days.
Who says you need to be in an office?
It’s not where you are that counts, it’s what you are thinking…