Building on the crisis-induced clarity acquired last year, my 46th year starts with 5-day birthday holidays. I celebrated today with a charming flower tea in Yokohama at Monkey-Magic Teahouse Chaso, appreciating our era of freedom and long healthy life in good company 🙂 I resumed meditation and played more with my cats (running & cooking will follow). I feel this year in Japan will be awesome!
Well-Being For Self & Work
Complementing last year’s solutions to better control my workload & time at Japan Travel KK, I’m already:
- Spreading my holidays throughout the year to remain fresh, creative and motivated.
- Experimenting with generative AI in personal & professional contexts to enhance efficiency & effectiveness.
Professional Firsts
Stepping into new territory this year too, I:
- Am finalizing a partnership with a Japanese news agency (press release under way). This collaboration will open up new avenues for my work.
- Am collaborating with our travel department to create a public itinerary for Minobu, going beyond our existing vegan tour for this area.
- Am the main consultant for a colleague’s project promoting Nansatsu, including remote work and 5+ days in the region.
- Will visit Happo-en’s new kitchen dedicated to halal preparations.
Strategic Focus On Aichi’s MICE Year
Aichi prefecture is a major opportunity for business development this year. Next month, it will host Tourism Expo Japan for the first time, which should attract diverse local stakeholders. In addition, its 2026 Asian Games should attract 12,000+ athletes and many more spectators. I’m accordingly reactivating/building relationships with local businesses, chambers of commerce, and tourism agencies to forge timely/lasting partnerships and drive sales.
Well-Deserved World-Class Me Time
Dedicating days off to enjoy world-class Japan, I look forward to:
- Staying at the world’s oldest hotel Koshu Nishiyama Hot Spring Keiunkan, which is 3 hours from my home and operates since 705!
- Dining at Saido, which is 1½ hour from my home and ranked World №1 Vegan Restaurant in 2020!
This year is about balancing the demands of a thriving agency with the joys of a well-lived life… and I’m definitely excited about these two world-class experiences 🙂