TL;DR
The culture shock in Japan is so real. Everyone here is so respectful, the cities are so clean, the trains are on time, and the food and culture is so unique. What an experience being here!
In some ways, this feels like the first true vacation I’ve allowed myself to take as an entrepreneur. It’s been quite restful, even with all the exploring I’m doing.
The World Cup games have been fantastic so far! Every morning I log into my VPN and watch the highlights from the prior day’s games back home.
CURRENTLY
Documenting my journey
Postcards from Tokyo
I lost my voice today (caught a cold), so I’ll post my weekly update Reel soon. I want to show you all the seven different types of transportation I took in one day to explore the mountain region of Hakone - it was so cool and unique!
For those counting, that’s a subway, bullet train, train, bus, cable car, gondola, and… pirate ship!
Here’s a few interesting reflections on Japan that have surprised me so far:
1) No public trash cans. You have to carry your trash all day and throw it away at home. Overall not a big deal but makes it hard to get a to-go coffee, honestly.
2) The streets are so clean. There’s no litter - anywhere.
3) I really cannot speak Japanese. But the locals are so friendly and accommodating, many have translated for me at restaurants.
4) The sushi is incredible, and way cheaper than in the US. This might be my favorite highlight so far (besides the sweets).
5) Gambling is everywhere. From crane machines to slots to fortunes at the temples.
6) Virtually everyone has a cute character or plush clipped onto their bags. Even adults. Haven’t seen this in the US since elementary school but maybe it’ll make a comeback.
7) Tokyo is insanely big. Like over 2x the population of NYC. Massive.
FINANCES
Money and Investing Updates
¥161. The exchange rate for $1 USD to 1 Japanese Yen. As of this week, it’s literally the highest it’s EVER been - making this the best EVER time to buy souvenirs in Japan. Let me know if you want anything.
Stay tuned to see if my month here ends up costing more or less than my month in Spain back in March!
$1. The price of a water bottle anywhere here. Feels so much better than the corporate greed you see for $5+ bottles of water in stadiums and such in the US.
JAPAN HIGHLIGHTS
No real business updates this week. Enjoy these springtime pictures instead:
Gondola in Hakone
View from a pirate ship (yes, you read that correctly) in Hakone
Peak hydrangea season in Kamakura
A crowded intersection in Shinjuku, Tokyo
Pagoda in the heart of Tokyo
WHAT I’M CONSUMING
YouTube Videos
World Cup Highlights - I’ve seen the extended highlights of every game so far, and they’ve pretty much all been amazing. Hopefully the quality continues to be this high! So many amazing goalkeeping performances, underdogs playing well, and of course, the US looks good so far, too!
I binge-watched Reckless Ben’s LEGO Thief Saga - all these videos were captivating if you haven’t seen them yet.
DESK OF THE WEEK
📍 Tokyo, Japan
I’m calling this my desk of the week because I put in some serious work at this conveyor belt sushi restaurant with the pieces I ate…
WHAT’S NEXT?
Well, the trip to Japan is finally planned and it’s so exciting to be living out that plan everyday.
Working on my Europe exploring, backpacking, and bikepacking plans for the Summer and Fall now…
Adventure is out there!
✌️ Matthew
SUPPORT
From time to time, I may enlist the help of sponsors to help me afford to continue writing this newsletter. And it’s pretty cool to get paid to share my story!
You can check them out below, and find other (totally free) ways to support me via affiliate links here. Cheers!
The newsletter below, Superhuman AI, is one that I actually read daily!
Go from AI overwhelmed to AI savvy professional
AI will eliminate 300 million jobs in the next 5 years.
Yours doesn't have to be one of them.
Here's how to future-proof your career:
Join the Superhuman AI newsletter - read by 1M+ professionals
Learn AI skills in 3 mins a day
Become the AI expert on your team
Not financial advice. Just a guy sharing his journey. Thanks for being here!
Affiliate link disclaimer:
Some of the links on this website and in the Build in Motion newsletter are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase or sign up for a service, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products, tools, and services that I personally use or genuinely believe would be useful to you. Any commission earned helps support the newsletter and keeps this content free. You should assume that any link to a product or service on this site or in any email from Build in Motion may be an affiliate link unless stated otherwise.