The Era of Go to Travel! - Traveling enriches our minds, inspires us, and develops us as people

I must have traveled overseas 300 times by now. It’s not strange for me at all that I travel a lot because I have been traveling around the world for more than 50 years. I am sometimes asked how I can travel around so much. A long time on the road or in the air doesn’t bother me at all because it’s the perfect opportunity to devote myself to my work. I can concentrate on my work because there are no temptations around me while I’m traveling. I can’t watch TV, take a bath, or go to the convenience store once I get on public transportation... nor can I go to a nearby izakaya to get a drink, so I can make sure that I get my work done. It all depends on one’s outlook.

I know that some might think that working on the computer while in a vehicle is tough. It’s natural for people to get motion sickness when doing work in a car, but over the years I always pushed through the nausea to finish my work, so my body has finally adapted and I no longer get nausea anymore. Surprisingly, I can even take out the computer while I’m riding on a rocky boat. I used to get seasick a long time ago, but now that I’m used to it I have other thoughts that plague me: Now I can’t take a rest during the trip.

The same goes for air travel. A plane ride to the States usually takes about 10 hours one way, but it doesn’t bother me at all when all that time on the plane means that I can concentrate on my work. I have gotten so used to traveling back and forth between Japan and the States that I feel as if I am only traveling from Tokyo to Okinawa. The image of the world in my mind looks so much smaller when traveling from east to west over the Pacific Ocean. The United States of America, which I used to think of as some distant, foreign country, has become so familiar to me since I have lived there and traveled there many times, so I now can say that my whole outlook on life has changed.

Traveling domestically in Japan is no exception. After making nearly 50 round trips between Haneda and Tokushima every year for the past decade, traveling to Tokushima has come to feel like I’m commuting from Tokyo to Narita. The flight time between Tokyo and Tokushima is only 45 minutes. I land in no time, so Tokushima is definitely a commutable area for me. I have gone on many one-day trips from Tokyo to Tokushima. It’s the same when I go to Onagawa in Miyagi Prefecture. Changing trains to go to Onagawa can take some time, but I’m used to it after going on so many trips to Onagawa, which is another commutable town for me.

Traveling like this just makes me realize that the world begins to look even smaller than it did before. Traveling all the way to all of these faraway countries becomes familiar and really deepens a person’s understanding of the world. As a result, a person’s perspective on the world will change. It’s always better to explore than never have known at all, so everyone should step out of their comfort zone and travel more. The experiences that come from traveling help people to grow. Anywhere in Japan, one can find countless beautiful places that capture people’s hearts; Wonderful sightseeing spots, idyllic villages, and spectacular views of nature. Therefore, it is important to find time to travel and that’s why I try to enjoy every kind of travel. Of course, while in transit, I become a workaholic and work nonstop, so arriving at the destination is a reward for my hard work. I am so blessed to be able to travel all over the world and Japan thanks to my work.

Strangely enough, however, many people from Tokushima don’t travel. I have met many people from Tokushima who have never left Tokushima Prefecture. I don’t know why. Perhaps it is simply due to a lack of interest, anxiety about travel costs or traveling itself, but they don’t know what they’re missing. Of course, many of them don’t even have passports and I’m surprised at how many people never even think about going abroad. As long as you have a passport, you can immediately escape Japan to get out in case of emergency. This is why Sound House has a company rule that requires all employees to have passports, but it’s a shame that not all of them follow this rule. I want to say out loud to everyone, “We need to learn more about Japan and the world, so let’s begin going on small trips!”

Last but not least, I would like to share some of my own experiences from my childhood. The first time I went to the States was when I was a 13-year-old junior high school student. It was a summer study tour, and I stayed at a facility called La Mancha near the campus of UCLA for a month and a half to study English with many other international students. I still remember the shock I felt when I returned to Japan. The roads and towns in Japan seemed so small. Since I saw the vast land and wide roads in the States, I was completely used to seeing one of these, but instead, suddenly I found that Tokyo seemed so small to me. I learned so much about the States but at the same time I began to understand just how small Japan is when I looked at the two countries through the lens of a new standard of measurement.

After that experience, I kept going on more trips to the States. By the time I became accustomed to seeing American culture and way of life, I no longer felt that it was so foreign to me. I feel no discomfort driving on the right side of the road in the States and when I come back to Japan I have no problem driving on the left side of the road. The world has dramatically grown smaller since both the States and Japan are now within the sphere of my daily life. Japanese people grow up in an island nation, so they need to look overseas and find out what’s beyond the island instead of being a small frog who knows nothing about the great ocean. Traveling will expand your territory, and various travel experiences will change your world and help you to live more fulfilling lives. Now is the time to take advantage of “Go to Travel”.