Traveling and experiencing the "just right" feeling of places and people is very satisfying.
JAL: You're not too greedy, but you do seem to visit your favorite travel destinations multiple times. In your book "Today's Shopping" (Petit Gras Publishing), there was a story that left a strong impression on me about how you visited a hot spring resort multiple times just to see the beautiful signboards there.
Okamoto: Not only when I travel, but I also go back to places I like over and over again. However, although it's comfortable, it makes my world narrow. That's why I bring along friends with different sensibilities. Then I can see a different side of the usual place.
JAL: What do the destinations you visit again and again have in common?
Okamoto: I think it's the "just right" information, tempo, and communication. Being in such a place and with the people who live there makes me feel comfortable and happy.
JAL: Please tell us about a travel experience in which you felt that sense of rightness.
Okamoto: When I went to Chiang Mai in Thailand, I went into a vegetarian deli. Inside the simple shop, there were about eight side dishes and rice in an electric rice cooker lined up, with plates roughly stacked next to them. You serve yourself on the plates, put them on the scale, and pay a few baht per gram. There were several round tables in the shop, one of which was the living room of the owner's family, where everyone was chatting.
There's no frivolous things or service, but it doesn't feel cold at all. It's the same with the self-service Sanuki udon restaurant in Shikoku. It's a simple restaurant, and customers don't ask for too much. And of course it's cheap. It feels really good. Maybe I go there again and again to confirm that sense of "just right."
Since I do a lot of walking when I travel, I feel like I have many opportunities to witness unusual moments.
JAL: One of the charms of travel is the "accidental experiences" you have. Is there anything you pay attention to in order to bring out these experiences?
Okamoto: Contemporary musician Yan Tomita often uses the phrase "inevitable coincidences." He means that there are coincidences that only come to those who continue to train. In my case, I'm not training in anything, but when I travel, I just walk, so I feel like I have many opportunities to encounter small coincidences.
JAL: For example, what kind of coincidences?
Okamoto: The other day, I went to Odori Park in Sapporo to see the slide called "Black Slide Mantra" by sculptor Isamu Noguchi, but there was still snow on the ground so I couldn't get close. But the next day, I went back and saw five or six old men in work clothes, clearing the snow with a machine that was making a loud buzzing noise. I thought, "Wow! So that's how you do it!" and took lots of photos, but I realized that the charm of traveling is being able to suddenly witness such rare moments.
"Smartphones are convenient, and I take photos like I'm taking notes," says Okamoto.
Wherever I go, I try to keep myself calm by thinking of it as just "taking a walk."
JAL: As you speak to me like this, I get the impression that you are in the middle of traveling in Tokyo.
Okamoto: I see (laughs). It's true that I basically just walk around whether I'm traveling or in Tokyo, so my daily life may not change. I try not to keep coffee or alcohol at home, so that I have a reason to go out. It's the same when I'm traveling. I like walking, so I don't have breakfast at the hotel and go out to drink coffee. Whether I'm in Chiang Mai or Los Angeles, I just walk around.
For Okamoto, who believes that "travel is not something out of the ordinary, but an extension of the everyday," even walking the streets of Tokyo is a form of "travel."
JAL: Finally, please give us some advice on how to enjoy traveling.
Okamoto: I guess it would be "Don't lose your composure." It's important to keep a calm mind when re-examining an extraordinary experience. Also, it's important not to expect too much from one trip. I think traveling should only be done once.
Even if you go on a trip, if you move at the same speed as your everyday life or even faster, you won't see the true charm of the place and everything will look the same. However, if you spend your time without being greedy and with a calm mind, you will understand the usual tempo of the city you are traveling to. I think that's why you want to go back to places where the tempo matches yours again and again. In that sense, I think traveling is something that gently takes you out into the world.
Recommendations for walking alone in Tokyo
Published in April 2017, "Tokyo Solo Walking: My Tokyo Map" is a guidebook in which Okamoto guides you around Tokyo on foot. As Okamoto says, you can't fully appreciate the charm of a place by visiting it just once, the city of Tokyo is constantly changing. "Tokyo is a city that changes quickly, and as I was writing this book, the city's appearance changed and the shops were constantly being replaced. If I had written this book next year, it would have been a completely different book," says Okamoto. The charm of Tokyo is that there is always something new to discover whenever you visit.
Hitoshi Okamoto
Born in Hokkaido. After working at Magazine House as an editor for magazines such as "BRUTUS," "ku:nel," and "relax," he joined Landscape Products. As the company's "person in charge of things without form," he is in charge of concept creation and branding. His books include "Today's Shopping" (Petit Gras Publishing), "My Guide to Kagoshima," "My Guide to Kagawa," "Our Guide to Okayama" (both published by Landscape Products), and "Endless Book Stories" (Book Magazine Publishing).
The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
