do what you love Page 46 of 61

Old friends

Posted on 2012-04-24 at 4:55 am.

Kyoko and Adachi in the jazz studio in their home – happy times!

When travelling in rural northern Japan we stayed a few days with some very old friends of mine. I still can’t quite believe how I met them. Let me explain…

Some 15 years ago, when I arrived in this remote snowy place, I had temporary accommodation for a couple of weeks but no place to stay after that. I had a job working as an interpreter for the local government, and the colleague who sat next to me turned out to be something of a fascinating enigma. Staid government worker by day, semi-pro jazz drummer by night (and racing driver in his early years!), he had invited me to one of his live gigs after work one day, but I declined, having already made plans to meet the person whose floor I was temporarily sleeping on.

After work I headed to the station to catch my train ‘home’ but missed it by a couple of minutes, and there was not another one for an hour. Hearing smooth jazz wafting over from a nearby café like steam off coffee on a cold day, I wandered over to wait it out in 1920s America. It was the cafe where my colleague was playing.

I was stood at the bar soaking up the atmosphere when the lead singer of the jazz band took a break and came over to get a drink. Her name was Kyoko, and she was a tiny ball of energy, with crazy curly hair like no Japanese woman I had ever seen, with kind eyes and an infectious smile. We got talking and within ten minutes she said “why don’t you come and live with me and my husband (Adachi, the bass player)?” Well, I thought, why not?

And so began an incredible adventure, living rent-free with this wonderful couple, in their house with a jazz studio and cocktail bar where we would host parties for all the foreigners within 50 miles, entertain jamming sessions twice a week and I would wake up on a Sunday to the sound of the grand piano. Some fifteen years later Kyoko and Adachi are still like family to me, they still play jazz, pass beers round and open their sliding doors to new friends with an openness which is quite astounding.

Two of the most generous souls I know. I wish you could meet them.

Quiet in the mountains

Posted on 2012-04-18 at 7:08 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

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!

Heading north

Posted on 2012-04-17 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

About 400 years ago Matsuo Basho, the father of Japanese haiku, walked the long road north to Yamagata, a beautiful snowy part of rural Japan. When there he wrote this famous poem:

Shizukasa ya · Iwa ni shimiiru · Semi no koe

Silence · Penetrating the rocks · The cry of the cicada

It is a place I spent a happy year a decade ago, skiing, stumbling over the strong dialect, making friends, laughing and presenting my on TV show! We headed back to visit old friends and take in some of the lovely countryside… I will share some snippets over the coming days, before introducing you to our new home of Kyoto. Pop back tomorrow for a glimpse into this little known area of Japan…

Best sign ever?

Posted on 2012-04-14 at 8:40 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Sign found outside a tiny gallery in Gion

Now here is someone doing what he loves (and not doing what he doesn’t love when he doesn’t want to do!)

Love the essence of this philosophy…

Old haunts, new memories

Posted on 2012-04-06 at 1:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

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.

Urban oasis

Posted on 2012-04-04 at 1:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

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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In the city

Posted on 2012-04-03 at 4:05 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

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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Gone adventurin’

Posted on 2012-03-24 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

(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!

The Do What You Love e-course… back by popular demand!

Posted on 2012-03-21 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

For the past couple of months I have received a lot of emails asking when the Do What You Love e-course is running again, as it has been tucked away quietly since the last run of it back in November.

Picture of me by Tiffany Kirchner-Dixon

It is all about adventure, identifying your passion and making that a bigger part of your every day life. But for the past few months I feel like I have been padlocked to my desk getting lots of other things out into the world.

It would have felt wrong to run the course when I was holed up in my attic office, but now Spring is on its way, I have a plane ticket it my hand and I am about to head off on my own big adventure to Japan. It feels like the right time to run it again. Won’t you join us?

The Do What You Love adventure will begin on May 14, and for the first time ever will be brought to you from the Far East! It is going to be very special indeed… find out more below or register here (there’s a discount if you sign up by the end of March!)

This online adventure will take you step-by-step on a path to discovering your true passion, and finding a way to make it a greater part of your everyday life.

In six weeks you will expand your comfort zone, nurture your playful spirit and use this to feed your creative soul.

You will travel this path with a community of like-minded people from across the world, sharing your stories, forging new connections, and inspiring each other.

This will be like no other class you have ever taken. Can you afford not to join us? Find out more and register here.