Aloha

After 8 amazing years, we said one last “aloha” to friends and our home in Honolulu, packed almost all our stuff up and shipped it to the west coast. Then the three of us – Kanako, my wife, Asa, our 3yr old son, and I – packed our remaining things and headed the other direction. It took months of thought, planning and convincing (ourselves and each other) just to be ready to get on the plane.

Fujisan from Adachi

Konnichiwa

But actually the first part of the adventure was to spend a few months in Japan to spend some time with family and in-laws. Before settling in Tokyo we spent a couple weeks doing tour through Kyoto, Kanazawa, a short stay at a ryokan in Noto, and an old style house in Gokayama. Kanako and I also spent a few days down in Fukuoka meeting friends and getting a taste of a more relaxed life compared to the rush of Tokyo.

But our 2.5 months in Tokyo was special for all of us. We stayed in Adachi district, outside the craziness of central Tokyo, but an easy subway ride to wherever we needed to go. Asa went to a nearby preschool, and enjoyed time with grandparents, especially Kanako’s father’s cooking. Kanako prepared for her yoga teacher training in Bali. I did my freelance work, practiced my Japanese, and experienced life as a temporary ex-pat (i.e. migrant). It was a useful transition time for us to get ready for the challenges of being without a real home of our own for the next several months.

In early July, we said, Sayounara and boarded a plane for Denpasar, Bali. Our plan, only roughly sketched out at the time, was a several month journey through Southeast Asia. Where would we go? How long would the trip take? What would happen when we finished? This collection of dispatches captures some of the experiences we had along the way.