Even if you get lost, don't look at your smartphone. Author Kumiko Takahashi talks about how to enjoy traveling alone

He often travels alone within Japan, and has visited places he likes many times, such as Hokkaido, Bessho (Nagano), Naoshima and Teshima (Kagawa), Onomichi (Hiroshima), and Yamaga (Kumamoto), and sometimes stays in private lodgings or in the homes of people he meets while traveling.

Perhaps because of his gentle, calm personality, he blends in with the locals and quickly becomes familiar with them, even though he is a traveler. We asked Takahashi about his memories of traveling alone and how he enjoys it.

Text: Yukiko Yasuraku
Photo: Ura Masashi

"When you step away from what surrounds you, the wind comes through."

Takahashi started traveling alone after he left the band and became a writer and songwriter, working on writing lyrics and other writing. When he was facing multiple deadlines, he suddenly felt like going on a trip.

"I was writing lyrics at home, but then I thought, 'I've used up all the air in my room, there's nothing left here.' Whenever I felt like I wanted to write somewhere other than my room, or to get out of myself, I would travel. Even now, I sometimes travel in situations like that."

Last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic had calmed down a bit, I decided to go to Chigasaki (Kanagawa) by myself. I wrote at the Chigasakikan inn, a nationally designated tangible cultural property that was once the regular lodging of the late film director Yasujiro Ozu. When I got tired, I would gaze out at the sea, then return to my room to write again.

"If you spend time there with absolutely no plans...I don't know, rather than something welling up from within me, it's more like the environment is bringing out something, and you start thinking about things you don't normally think about. For example, if you're looking at the ocean for a long time, you might think, 'Mountains have strata, and there are markers that say these layers are tens of thousands of years old, but there's no ocean, so I don't know how old they are.' Such discoveries can sometimes provide hints for creativity or life. So, if you're confused about something, or feel overwhelmed by your current situation, I recommend traveling alone. When you get away from the things that surround you, a breeze will blow through you, and you'll realize that the things you were worrying about before really made you think, 'Oh, there wasn't much to worry about,' and you'll be able to sort out your feelings. It feels like a new fourth-dimensional pocket has popped into your mind."

In his essay collection "Traveling to My Home," which describes his travels, there is a passage in which he writes about traveling alone, "It's precisely because I'm alone that I feel like I'm not alone." Indeed, Takahashi's style is to proactively exchange words with people who live in places he doesn't know.

On the way to Chigasakikan, he enjoyed talking to the bus driver, saying things like, "Why is this Southern Street?" "Well, it's because of Southern All Stars," "That's right, Chigasaki is the town of Southern All Stars!" Even if you don't talk to anyone, just watching other people's daily lives can make you feel calm.

"In Kumamoto, I was having tea at a cafe in the evening and talking to the manager, who said, 'If you're traveling alone, I can introduce you to a great bar,' and he took me to a really nice bar. I ended up drinking with the people there. If I'm interested in someone, I'll strike up a conversation myself."

"In Sapa, a town in the ethnic minority community of Vietnam, I said to a man wearing a hooded traditional costume, 'Your head is cool,' and the conversation got lively. He said, 'Can I stay at your place?' and 'It's far away, but will that be OK?' So I walked for about six hours along mountain paths to stay the night (laughs). Maybe when you're traveling you can be completely naked. That's why it's easy to jump into something, and easy for others to jump into your place."

The unexpected happens when you travel, which is why you can go beyond your own mind

"I feel like I'm traveling to meet people," says Takahashi, who tries not to use his smartphone or rely on information from the internet when traveling. The only guide he carries with him is "Chikyu no Arukikata."

"Recently, when I was traveling in Hokkaido, I was wandering around aimlessly for about 40 minutes without doing any research, and my intuition told me that 'this place is different from the other places,' and I came across a ramen shop. When I went in, it was absolutely delicious. There's nothing more satisfying than discovering something with your own nose. When I go on a trip like that, I never forget it. But sometimes the food tastes terrible (laughs). I still never forget those."

"When I went to Italy for the first time, I didn't have much of an eye for it yet, and every restaurant I went to was terrible (laughs). But after staying there for about a month, I gradually started to understand that 'this place is good'. I understand the desire to research delicious food beforehand, but when I think 'I have to have the perfect trip', I feel like it takes away the excitement. Of course, I go to restaurants I've always wanted to go to, but I think 'the real fun of traveling begins after you get lost and have a bad experience'. It's because things happen that you didn't expect, that you can go beyond your own mind. That's what's fun."

"The real journey begins when you get lost." If you walk with that mindset, it will not be a journey that someone else says is "good," but a journey that is full of originality that is unique to you.

Another thing Takahashi makes sure to do is take notes and record audio.

"In Southeast Asia, women were selling mangoes and papayas under the scorching sun on the sidewalks of roads, wearing umbrellas. Fresh fish were lined up next to them, and although it doesn't show up in the photograph, the sweet smell was mixed with a strong smell that you don't get in Japan. I was captivated by this robustness, which isn't found in Japan, and I took detailed notes about what each item cost, what it smelled like, etc.

I also do a lot of recording. Later, when I listened to some sounds I had recorded in Marrakech (Morocco), I heard the sound of a snake charmer's flute. I was engrossed in the snake at the time and didn't notice, but at the same time, the sound of a donkey pacing was also recorded. Ah, I see, a donkey was pacing at that time. It's interesting that the photograph only captures a limited area, but the sound captures the entire place."

Takahashi talks vividly about his travels and the emotions he felt as if he had just been there recently. The stories are of him using all five senses to experience the journey, and the records are there.

Alone at an unmanned station, that experience became the lyrics

Memories of travels are sometimes projected onto his works. In "Galaxy Picture Diary" (composed by Goro Ito), for which he provided lyrics for Harada Tomoyo, there is a line that says, "A journey isn't just about arriving." This phrase was born when he accidentally got on a train going in the wrong direction and hurriedly got off at the next unmanned station. He sat there for two hours, under the scorching sun, staring only at the wall of the factory in front of him on the platform, and the lyrics were born.

"At that moment, I realized that traveling isn't just about reaching a destination. All this time that seems wasted is also a journey, and that's what life is all about. There's a line in the lyrics that goes, 'Gazing at the Rhine,' but I didn't write it overseas; it was at an unmanned station very close to my parents' house. I realized how much the world can change, even though it's so close by, and it felt like my eyes had been opened to a new light."

The song "Blue Blue Star's Name" (composed by Yudai Ota), which was provided to Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku, was written after he had just visited southern Vietnam, where he felt the seriousness of environmental issues, and was also influenced by the stories he heard when he stayed at the home of an ethnic minority group where many children were making and selling handicrafts instead of going to school. "We may be the ones who can change the tomorrow of that child crying far away." The lyrics are filled with the strong feelings that were born within Takahashi during his travels.

Travel and new discoveries are just around the corner

Takahashi is already a veteran when it comes to solo travel, but his advice to those who want to try it in the future is "don't go too far."

"Even within the same prefecture, there are areas you've never been to, like islands, for example. When you travel there, you'll find that the culture is surprisingly different, and the closer the place is, the less you know. I think traveling is fun no matter where you go, but if you want to take it a step further, it's a good idea to get a map from a tourist information center and ask the staff, 'Tell me about some places that aren't often visited by tourists.'

Even if you're traveling nearby, going by train instead of car or taxi makes the trip feel much more enjoyable. From the station, rent a bicycle or take a local bus. Use a map and your intuition, and avoid using your smartphone as much as possible. If you don't know the way, it's a good idea to pop into a store and ask for directions. If possible, go into a traditional Japanese sweets store, ask, and then eat some Japanese sweets. It's great. Tasting sake at a liquor store is also fun for an adult trip."

Unfortunately, it's not a good time to travel right now. But Takahashi is still enjoying little trips in his neighborhood. When he walks through a neighboring town, he finds a quaint public bathhouse and says, "It makes me feel like I'm in Yugawara." In residential areas, he also enjoys the miscellaneous goods and handicrafts that are displayed on the eaves of houses with a message saying, "Please help yourself."

"When you're alone, you don't have anyone to talk to, so you end up looking around town. It's a constant process of discovery, like, what is this, what is that? Of course, going far away is one of the joys of traveling, but I think that discovering new things in the same area is also a part of traveling."

Traveling can take you to places far away, or right in the vicinity of your everyday life, and there are places, people, and scenery that you can encounter by chance only by walking freely alone. And these things can be a breath of fresh air in your stagnant daily life and rigid thoughts.

Rather than meticulously planning and researching, it might be a good idea to go on a solo trip and enjoy the randomness that comes with it, just like Takahashi-san did.

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