Podcast Episode “Kyoto & the Japan Travel Bubble”
In Season 1, Episode 3 of the Japan Travel Pros Podcast, Brad joins us for the first gues episode - we talk about Kyoto, the travel bubble, tech & much more!
Our very first guest episode!
An old friend joins us for a great conversation. Brad has been connected with Japan for 4 decades, having both lived here and experienced Japan as a visitor.
In this episode, Ari is joined by Brad for the first guest episode of Japan Travel Pros.
Brad first visited Japan in the 1980s, lived here in the 1990s and recently returned with his family. In this conversation, Brad & Ari talk about how Japan has changed over the years, what still feels familiar and why the small moments often feel more meaningful than the big checklist items.
They talk about Kyoto, bullet trains, food, taxis, Japan over the years, travel bubbles and the pressure people feel to “do Japan right.”
Mostly, it’s a conversation about staying curious, getting a little uncomfortable and giving yourself permission to have the trip that actually works for you.
Episode Chapters:
(00:00) Intro
(01:34) Japan Then & Now, In the Media & More
(05:45) Living in Japan, Appreciating the Details
(13:40) Perceptions & Reality in Japan
(21:02) Cultural Awareness & Effort
(28:30) Kyoto
(42:46) Brad's Advice for Travelers to Japan
(51:36) Closing Remarks with Ari
Ari’s Notes:
There’s nobody in the world I would have rather kicked off our guest episodes with than Brad! We go way back, actually before high school. Started studying Japanese in high school - big thanks to Satoh-sensei for being a part of the journey.
Brad and I have overlapping journeys in Japan - and connected to Japan - but also some unique and distinct experiences. We were able to help Brad and his family plan their visit to Tokyo and Kyoto recently, and we got to meet in Kyoto and catch up.
We did our best not to sound like two old guys talking about the good ol’ days in Japan (ok boomer lol). But I kinda like to think we’re not that old, at least at heart, and we’ve managed to stay on the cutting edge of a lot of things… including Japan.
Great quotes from Brad from this episode:
“Do something new and the other is do something you've done but do it again and do it slower and see if you don't see something different.”
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“All cultures make sense in their own terms.”
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