My Casual Trip to Japan | Memories to look back on in life - Video

At the start of the summer, I kicked it off my going on a trip with two of my good friends Keita and Ethan. This trip was more than just a simple getaway from life, but a needed adventure to remind me there is still much life left to be living.

I have to start this of by commenting on, when I had the idea to travel to Japan, it wasn't just a thing I wanted to do because I love anime. It was something I did because I was burnt out as a creative, and as a person. With life comes challenges, and through the days I felt more defeated then I wanted to admit. Honestly if I didn't have the expectation of this trip...my winter months definitely would have been looking a lot more bleak.

Then May came around and we hopped on the longest plane ride to an adventure I'll never forget. I spent the last 10+ years hearing Japanese almost daily as I watched so much anime, dramas, and j-pop. I was now able to visit the places the movies referenced, the food that looked so good animated, and the smells that I could only get by being there. The culture spoke to me and honestly brought more peace than anything else. I was able to enjoy a silent train ride, eat food intentionally not rushing while walking around. I was able to see a culture full over respect and how it shaped people. I also saw the struggles and joys of the big cities like Tokyo which deal with a heavy population, and over-tourism. I hope by my stay there I was able to help shape the view of not all tourists are uninformed before going and lack respect.

Not captured on here was alot of moments, but I decided to not record during my Mt fuji day. This forced me to take better photos and also, just enjoy my time there!

This isn't a cinematic video, or your run of the mill vlog. It has a slow pace, from start to finish it involves parts of the trip where we all laughed, and at no point were we acting on screen. There are lots of things and edits I would make if I had more time to work on it, but without a gimbal, multiple lens, scheduled times to record, any prep, and minimal batteries and storage space, I think it came out pretty good in the end. It isn't fancy...yet neither am I. So I think I will take this video as a win in my books and anytime I think my life is boring, or that I am feeling sad or depressed, I hope I can watch this again and have the joy fill my heart of this experience again.

Thank you for watching not my best work, but the work that makes my heart happy.

See you again space cowboy~