Beginner of LIFE

[maybexavier]

Bon dance

Yesterday, I went to two summer festivals. One was in Chuo Ward, and the other was in Taito Ward. I liked the second festival better, so I stayed there longer.

At the second festival, many people were doing the Bon dance in two large circles. They danced to both traditional songs and upbeat songs. I did not join the dance, but I enjoyed watching everyone.

Seeing the Bon dance made me feel that summer had truly arrived. The lively atmosphere and the people dancing together left a strong impression on me.

[maybexavier]

I joined matchmaking event by Tokyo

At the end of June, I attended a matchmaking event organized by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. I am already a member of Tokyo’s official matchmaking app, but only about half of the participants were app members. The other half joined only for the event.

There were 400 participants in total, with 200 men and 200 women. Their ages ranged from their mid-twenties to their early fifties.

We had to complete our profiles in advance. At the event, we used a special service to exchange profiles and view each other’s information. By 9 p.m., we could select up to 18 people we liked. Contact information was exchanged only when both people selected each other.

In the end, I spoke with about 60 ladies, sent likes to 10 people, and matched with one person.

I had attended matchmaking parties before, where I repeatedly talked with each woman for four to twelve minutes. Compared with those events, this one lasted much longer, at around four hours. About half of the process felt unnecessary, and five minutes was far too short for a group of five or six people to talk properly. Overall, there were many areas that could be improved.

I hope things go well with the woman I matched with.

However, I rarely get selected for events organized by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, so I plan to keep applying. Meeting someone is partly a matter of chance, and I believe I need to meet more people if I want to find someone who is truly right for me.

[maybexavier]

Around 1 p.m. today, the doorbell rang, so I went to answer it.

I thought it was the circulator fan I’d ordered from Amazon, but instead, there was a man in a suit standing there.

He asked me to get my next-door neighbor. When I asked what it was about, he said he was from the pension office or something like that.

I’d actually heard someone talking in the next room earlier, so I figured they were probably home. I knocked on their door, but there was no answer. It seemed like they were pretending not to be home.

So I told the man, “It doesn’t seem like they’re in.” Then he asked if there were individual mailboxes, so I told him they were downstairs.

And that was the end of it.

Kind of awkward to get dragged into someone else’s situation like that.

[maybexavier]

the World Cup

At 2 a.m. today, Japan played Brazil in their first match of the World Cup knockout stage.

To my surprise, Japan scored in the first half. Maybe that goal woke Brazil up, or maybe it made me start believing Japan might actually win.

In the second half, Brazil clearly became much more aggressive. It was frustrating that Japan conceded in extra time, but the match was much closer and more exciting than I expected.

By the end, 4 a.m., I was just insanely sleepy.

[maybexavier]

I saw the projection mapping show at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building for the first time.

It was on a Sunday night. The show started with Bocchi the Rock, then moved into scenes of Japanese landscapes, and ended with Pokémon.

The Pokémon part seemed especially popular with international visitors. People around me got really excited after each show, and it made me realize how strongly Pokémon is loved around the world.

[maybexavier]

I never know how to answer when someone asks, “What do you do in your free time?”

I don’t have one clear hobby. I go to cafés, study English, wander around new places, travel, hike, and talk with people from different backgrounds.

Maybe my hobby is collecting new perspectives.

[maybexavier]

English Learning Progress Report Summary

I have successfully completed 85 questions over approximately two months. My expressive capability is a notable strength, with high scores in output volume and paraphrasing. On the other hand, syntax and grammar require focused training to construct more accurate and well-structured sentences.

[maybexavier]

An American Student Vanished in Japan — And the Reason Broke My Heart

An American Student Vanished in Japan — And the Reason Broke My Heart

A 20-year-old college student named James "Weston" Higginbotham from Auburn University, Alabama, went missing during a family vacation in Kyoto, Japan on May 29, 2025.

He was last seen walking away from his parents at a Kyoto train station — after an argument with his mother about using ChatGPT to find restaurants.

His mother had been relying on AI to navigate the trip. Weston got upset about it. He walked off. And he never came back.

After a week-long search involving Japanese police and volunteer rescue teams, his body was found in a mountainous area outside Kyoto. Cause of death is still under investigation.

I keep thinking about this.

A family trip to Japan. A disagreement over something as ordinary as a phone app. A kid who needed space — and the worst possible outcome.

We don't know exactly what happened. But there's something deeply sad about the idea that a moment of frustration, the kind every family has, turned into something irreversible.

Japan is beautiful and vast. The mountains around Kyoto are quiet and deep. If someone is emotionally distressed and walks into that landscape alone — it's terrifying to think about.

What this case makes me feel:

There's a growing conversation about how AI tools are changing the texture of family life — even on vacation. Who navigates. Who decides. Who feels left out or dismissed. It's easy to brush off as a "small thing." But for someone already carrying something heavier inside, small things aren't small.

I'm not blaming the mom. Grief is complicated enough without blame. But I do think this story is worth sitting with.

Rest in peace, Weston. I hope your family finds some kind of peace, too.

Sources: CNN / NBC News / ABC News

[maybexavier]

Do you have that dog in you? 🐕🔥

If someone asks you this, they aren't talking about your pets. It’s a popular slang phrase used to describe someone’s inner grit, hunger for success, and unstoppable work ethic.

Think of it as having that fierce, competitive edge—the refusal to back down when things get tough, just like a fighter. It’s all about having that deep drive and mental toughness to win.

So, when the pressure is on, do you have that dog in you?

[maybexavier]

I was nervous yesterday. Our team members gave presentations about our individual goals and progress.

My presentation focused on one of my three main responsibilities. For the past three months, this has been my primary focus. I spent a lot of time and effort working to create the PowerPoint slides and Excel documentation.

I presented for 10 minutes, followed by a 5-minute Q&A session. Everything finished perfectly on time, so I was really happy and I feel relieved.

[maybexavier]

On Kissaten

Kissaten — traditional Japanese coffee shop

In Japan, there exists a kind of place distinct from the café — the kissaten. There's no clean translation in English. Abroad, the word is often borrowed as-is: Kissaten.

Once, it was a place to sit with a cigarette and a newspaper, and take your time with a cup of coffee. A gathering spot. Somewhere you didn't have to rush.

On weekends, some people still make a habit of visiting several in a day — kissaten-meguri, a kind of slow wandering. Different from café-hopping. There's a sense of intent to it, of choosing something old on purpose.

New kissaten are unlikely to appear. Fewer people smoke, and cafés keep multiplying. The owners are aging, with no one to take over. The question now isn't how to grow — it's how long things can hold.

In ten years, many will probably be gone. So on days off, I try to visit as many as I can, while they're still there.

A quiet story about the gathering places of another era.

[maybexavier]

Country number 48 was Palau.

This is a place that bets everything on the beauty of its waters. Between the amazing island hopping and the convenience of using English and credit cards, it was an easy trip to make. Just keep in mind that prices are steep, getting around is tough, and you really need tours to see the best spots. It is definitely a destination for sea lovers rather than foodies or city explorers.

You can still see the historical links to Japan, but they feel more like echoes of history than part of the modern lifestyle.

[maybexavier]

I Got Kicked Out

So I was living in this share house in Monzen-Nakacho, and there was this ongoing friction with the building’s management association ― stuff like garbage disposal rules and where to park bikes. It just never quite worked out.

Then one day, out of nowhere, they told me I had to leave.

And like… a sudden move-out is rough, right? No place lined up, no plan ― just pure “what do I do now” panic.

But while scrambling to find something, I actually stumbled onto this really interesting place that I never would’ve looked at under normal circumstances. Like, “there’s no way I find this if I’m not desperate” kind of place.

On top of that, the person who helped me move were totally different from anyone who’d helped me before ― and somehow, the whole move wrapped up in five hours. Fastest I’ve ever done it.

So yeah ― I got kicked out, and somehow everything just… worked out better. Honestly? Grateful for that garbage dispute.

[maybexavier]

By valuing my daily routine to ground myself, I want to maintain the strength to stay true to myself amidst any changes.

[maybexavier]

Why Africa? Why the Middle East?

I believe that life needs a touch of the inexplicable. That, perhaps, is the very reason I travel.

Having visited about 45 countries, people often ask me why I find myself drawn to Africa and the Middle East so frequently. I think it is simply because they are far from Japan.

Physical distance naturally leads to a thinning of one's knowledge. Information becomes scarce, and much remains undocumented in guidebooks. For me, Africa and the Middle East are the ultimate examples of this.

South America, despite being distant, is already quite well-known. Europe even more so—it has been talked about far too much.

This is why I feel the urge to go to places where the outlines are still blurred. I want to encounter things I cannot fully comprehend. I want a bit of that "inexplicable" quality in my life.

Most of my daily life is dedicated to work. As an IT engineer, my routine involves gathering facts, researching, and mitigating risks as a matter of course.

It is a rational and necessary attitude.

However, now that the internet has made information about almost the entire world accessible, I find myself more attracted to the lack of information found outside that daily sphere.

My desire to visit unknown places isn't about diving in blindly. In fact, it is the opposite. I gather information in my own way before a trip and even set certain constraints.

But I do it to savor the uncertainty and the inexplicable elements that remain despite those efforts.

Because my daily life is built on grasping everything and reducing risk, the "extraordinary" that lies beyond becomes all the more vivid during my travels. That, I believe, is the greatest reason to embrace the unknown.

[maybexavier]

Seychelles: Seeking the Margin Between Comfort and Chance

Traveling through the Seychelles, a thought kept resurfacing. Perhaps a traveler doesn’t need to stay in perfectly equipped, hotel-like comfort every single day.

Due to the entry requirements of the Seychelles, I had to book all my accommodations in advance. This meant I couldn't follow my usual style of booking only the first night and figuring out the rest on the ground.

The places I stayed were mostly apartment-style rentals, similar to an Airbnb rather than a traditional hotel. They had kitchens and felt like actual living spaces. For a solo traveler, they were more than spacious, with large beds and, in some cases, even washing machines. With access to YouTube on the TV, the facilities were, by all accounts, exceptionally comfortable.

i. Touching the Ceiling of Affluence

These were also quite luxurious compared to my usual standards. Staying in places that cost over 10,000 yen (more than 50 euros) a night made me realize something. I’ve always stayed in dormitories, but perhaps I had grown a bit tired of that lifestyle.

Dormitories represent the floor of travel—the most affordable option. Conversely, I felt that experiencing the "ceiling" of a country's hospitality is also a way of truly knowing a place. If you only know the cheapest options, you might be missing out on a significant part of the local culture.

In that sense, spending the last night or two in a slightly more expensive place isn't a bad idea. The way the facilities are maintained, the professionalism of the staff, and the nuances of their hospitality all reflect the country's character. It becomes more than just a place to sleep. It’s a moment to touch the local sense of luxury and aesthetics. That, too, is a flavor of travel that lingers in the memory.

And yet, something felt missing.

ii. The Margin of Serendipity

Usually, I don't decide on my accommodations too far in advance. I might book the first night, but after that, I prefer to decide as I go. Location, facilities, and the vibe of the owner are things you can't truly grasp until you're there. Photos and reviews only tell half the story. Ultimately, I want to choose based on my own intuition.

Another major factor is the element of chance. When you stay in a dormitory, a conversation might spark with the person in the next bed. Asking where they’re from or where they’re headed next—those simple interactions can redefine your entire day.

Sometimes it leads to unplanned meals or shared journeys. These brief encounters, even with people whose names you eventually forget, often become the most vivid memories of a trip.

iii. A Journey of Predictability

On this trip to the Seychelles, there was very little of that "margin." The rooms were comfortable, and I lacked for nothing. However, there were no chance conversations, no unexpected developments. Because everything was so well-arranged, the trip felt a bit too predictable.

I suppose I’m not just looking for comfort when I travel. Rather, I’m seeking a bit of inconvenience, spontaneous events, and that inexplicable sense of wonder. The uncertainty—of choosing where to stay on a whim or not knowing who you might meet—is exactly what makes traveling so magnetic.

Comfortable lodgings are certainly nice. Touching the upper limits of a country's hospitality can enrich the experience. But when you stay in places devoid of encounters for too long, the journey starts to feel a bit dull. It’s the unpredictable meetings that make a trip feel like a "trip" to me.

I want to experience both the floor of affordability and the ceiling of affluence. Yet, in the end, I believe what stays with me most are the encounters I never planned for.

[maybexavier]

Don't Get Attached to Your Old Ideas

An idea is never just an idea. It is always built on conditions — a time, an environment, a version of yourself. When those change, the idea may no longer fit.

That is what an old idea really is. Not a wrong opinion. A right answer that belonged to an earlier world.

Travel showed me this clearly.

Finding a hotel by walking around was once realistic, even exciting. Today, the same action is slower and less effective — not because the action changed, but because the foundation beneath it did. Procedures moved online. Information became available to anyone. The smartphone became infrastructure, not just a tool.

The question Where should I stay? still sounds the same. But the real problem shifted — from how to find a room, to how to choose wisely from too many options.

We do this in travel, in work, in relationships. We keep trusting answers built for a world that no longer exists.

Letting go is not weakness. It is honesty.

Test your old ideas against reality. Keep what still lives. Release what doesn't.

Your job is not to preserve the past. It is to face the world as it is now.