I have about 2 years and 8 months left of my time living here and I was wondering how I can maximize it before I move again. I travel to a different prefecture whenever possible, study Japanese, take traditional Japanese art classes, attend local events, partake in Japanese traditions (e.g. hanami, summer festivals, etc), make both local and foreign friends, and I have definitely been maximizing my health insurance. I was wondering what else I could do to feel like I’ve done and enjoyed Japan as much as I can before I leave. Thanks!
23 comments
Sleep less? 😛
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Cooking classes, volunteer work with your city hall, take up a Japanese martial art and go for the highest ranking you can get. within your time. Whatever you do, keep enjoying life!
Find a Japanese spouse.
Climb Mt. Fuji? Also Kabuki and Noh plays, Tokyo Disney, Nagano skiing/snowboarding, Tottori sand dunes, Hiroshima WWII memorial sites/museums, etc. Hopefully other people can think of more options.
> what else I could do to feel like I’ve done and enjoyed Japan as much as I can before I leave
To feel like you’ve enjoyed Japan, keep doing things you enjoy doing in Japan.
It sounds like you are doing that a lot, so maybe focus more on enjoying and less on planning? Don’t get too stressed 🙂
leave your phone home for two days. Venture into the unknown
Try to get into Japanese communities that are not meant as culture/language exchange. I’d say an easy way is to volunteer at small events e.g. farmers markets or some other まちづくり. They always need people and you get to know the locals. Usually the events themselves have insta pages through which you can contact them.
Every three day weekend pick a new prefecture and go there. You don’t have to plan it meticulously, just Google prefecture+tourism and see what pops up. Go to whatever is interesting.
If you want to get into the Japanese art of collecting things, you can start collecting station/roadside station stamps or shrine signatures. Good fun and encourages you to get out and explore new places.
Wake up *very* early. Avoid Strong Zero
Do a pilgrimage from North to South
You shouldn’t stress too much about maximizing your time here.
Having a checklist/bucketlist is not ideal imho, because you are forced to do what other people recommend. I think having a Japanese friend/partner will most likely “maximize” your time here. Doing touristy stuff that most Japanese people don’t do, doesn’t really maximize the Japan experience.
Make time to document your adventures, if you don’t do so already. Photo album, diary, playlists. It sounds like you are already seriously taking in Japan.
Oh, and get everyone’s address and be sure to do the nengajo thing, or the modern equivalent.
What do you like to do normally? Find those activities in Japan and concentrate on that. Skiing, clubbing/nightlife, photography, diving, arts, dining, baseball/sports,cars, fishing — whatever you normally enjoy. Enjoy Japan fully through that activity and you have a better more in depth experience than just visiting random cities to see the sites. These activities should take you places anyway.
Also it’s ok to vacation regionally as well. Korea might be 12 hours away in the future instead of 2.
Nara has a winter festival (Onmatsuri?) with Noh plays and a sumo tournament in the local park open to the public. Its a very quiet very traditional time, and when I went it did not have a lot of foreign tourists. If you can take a week, it might be good just to go and chill out and enjoy the atmosphere.
Oof its next week, December 15th to 18th this year.
If thats too soon, maybe check on it and Yamayaki next year.
It might be romanized as Ohmatsuri.
You’re gonna burn yourself out in 2 months if you want to see EVERYTHING. Come with a list and enjoy it…
“I was wondering what else I could do to feel like I’ve done and enjoyed Japan as much as I can before I leave.”
Try not treating it like a videogame you can min-max with a checklist.
I guess you’ll have more stuff to brag about to your friends back home, but no one cares.
Go to kyabakura and hostess club and Tobita etc if that’s your thing. So fun
How are you maximizing the health insurance
You can decide to stay here
Not answering your question by asking a question back: how do you know you have 2 years and 8 months left? That’s very specific for such a long period of time!
one thing I always wanted to do but haven’t done so far is to just get into a train in a direction and stay on it for a while. go until there’s no skyscrapers anywhere and then go a bit more. then just get out and explore the area. there’s such awesome little shops and restaurants you can find outside the cities that you’re never going to find on any guide or “top 10/100 things to do in Japan” lists. and from my experience the people in more rural areas are also a lot more social. if you go out too far, it’ll pretty much be impossible to not be approached by curious locals and get asked wtf you’re doing there.
find something to collect? it can be a type of item, like goshuin or michinoeki kippu or all the strawberry plastic covers of different brands, … or it doesn’t have to be a physical object, photograph all the Pokemon manhole covers, take a selfie at every torii tunnel, follow the set locations of Yuru Camp and visit all of them, try 射的 at every stupid carnival game place, …
I would argue that you could either pick out a place you haven’t been to or really like and try to explore it.
Think about which activities you like or what you find interesting!
For example,
You like city x? Have you ever done a pub crawl there? Or a museum weekend? Any crafts you can do there?
Never been to location y ? What interests you and where can you do that?
If you like nature, maybe go to Hokkaido and watch the cranes.
I think it really depends on what interests you. Go to a local sports game, play some games at pachinko, rent traditional clothing and take pictures. Go on a spontaneous onsen trip.
Truly depends on what you enjoy. If you just do things others tell you, you might do them but not end up feeling fulfilled.
Sounds like you have covered many of the cultural bases, and have even had the health and insurance experience (seems like many people get much more sick than at home, especially in the first few years). Make a YT about your experiences in Japan? Find a Japanese spouse perhaps? Decide to stay or end up staying despite plans to leave (happens surprisingly often).