Lindsay is yet again another backpacker I met in Australia. We share a few close friends and I approached her because on her Instagram she’s always travelling, whether that’s at home or overseas. It makes you want to dust off your backpack and go for a hike around the London woodlands…
Here we cover her time living and working in Japan. Read on for more on how she prepared and where her favourite food spot is, plus the Japanese words she liked using daily.
What made you decide to move to Japan?
I met a guy in a hostel in Cambodia (SHOCKER) and he had a job lined up in Japan. I figured what the hell, why not?! I’ve been to Japan before and loved it.
Where in Japan did you go?
Prior to this trip I went to Niseko, Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. On this trip I lived in Kutchan, which is only 15 mins outside of Niseko in Hokkaido and I took a trip to Sapporo for the snow festival.
Do you know any Japanese? How was it navigating streets and life without a fluent grasp of the language?
I know some phrases… I wish I could spell them out in Japanese but my most used were: “thank you very much”, “excuse me”, and I used to know how to order a beer. Haha it’s been a minute since I’ve recalled.
The streets were easy to navigate. Everything was in English and Japanese luckily, I think because it was so close to a ski resort. Japanese people are so sweet and always willing to help, so it was never an issue getting around. Honestly the safest place I’ve ever traveled!
What work did you do out there?
Bar work / bar manager – as per my usual.
How did you manage with the language barrier?
Not many Japanese people speak great English but the people are incredibly sweet and always try to help as much as they can. Also, I lived in a ski resort town so there were plenty of English speakers around me at all times.
How did you go about getting your job?
It’s all about who ya know! My boyfriend at the time had a friend who owned a bar and I have about 10 years of bar experience under my belt, so he hired me on the spot. If I couldn’t find work before we headed to Japan we were going to head straight to New Zealand instead.
Your favourite aspect of Japanese culture?
There is TOO much to love about Japan in all honesty. First off the culture is unreal, everyone is so kind and helpful. Taking shoes off in restaurants was something that I had to get used to as well. Japan is unlike any other country I’ve ever been to. It’s so futuristic but at the same time pretty far behind… they still have DVD stores but have toilets that will play music and heat up for you!
What were your major struggles when first moving and major highlights?
Not many Japanese people speak the best of English and living in more of a local town proved to be very hard… I also worked down the street from a ski resort and I’m not an avid skiier and snowboarder.
The snow was pretty difficult as well after living on an island in Cambodia for three months prior. They get around 7 meters of snow in Niseko.
The major highlight were the incredible people that I’ve met. In my opinion so much of the people make the place. I was very fortunate to meet some incredible people.
Since this was more of a ‘work away’ instead of exploring the country my highlights included busy nights at the bar or dominating in darts. The Sapporo ice festival was incredible as well. Everyone must go to Ramen Alley Susukini in Sapporo’s downtown area… this street was my heaven and you can sample a variety of ramen.
Talk to me about Japanese food. Favourite dishes and restaurants?
I’M OBSESSED WITH THE FOOD.
Gyoza, ramen, udon noodles, soup curry… all so incredible. Soup curry would have to be my favorite. You can pick the spice level and the meat (highly recommend the meatballs if they have any) and Ramen Alley in Sapporo. You can’t go wrong with any of it. Ramen is by far the trending food up in Niseko; there’s a restaurant that does its own potato ramen which is incredible, called Kazahana, it’s their homemade dish! Their spicy miso is also to die for.
There wasn’t much of a coffee scene that I saw- they’re much more into tea. Not many breakfast spots. Oh but things you have to try are homemade cheese tarts and butter rum mojitos. The only thing I disliked about some bars and restaurants is that you could smoke in some and as a non-smoker it made it hard to stay out in pubs all night long. The only thing that made it possible were the nomihodai which some bars offered – all you can drink for up to 2 hours!
Tell me a bit more about your previous travel experiences – quick overview of where you’ve travelled and lived?
Wow where do I begin… I started travelling around the age of twenty, fell in love with it when I went to Europe with my sister when I was 22-23. I haven’t stopped since! Backpacked throughout Europe for 3 months with a friend; lived in Holland for 3 months shortly after; went back and forth between Europe and tropical islands in the pacific. Moved and traveled through Australia for 6 months and went to Japan for a month in between.
Backpacked parts of the US for a month with a dear mutual friend of ours, a few more Europe trips and then a solo trip to Southeast Asia. I spent a month in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, where I eventually went back for three months to live. Then last but not least three months in Japan and a lovely 3 weeks in Taiwan a few months ago. And in between all of this I have had my home base in Boston Massachusetts!
Any travel quote that you love and want to share?
- “Neverland is not a place but a state of mind”
- “Impossible is a word only found in the dictionary of fools”
- “There’s no way I was born to just pay bills and die”
- There are so many but I live by these three. I even have a tattoo for the first one! Just pretty much anything is possible if you put your mind to it and that traveling really makes me feel as if I’m in my own Neverland.
I can always go back whenever I want to… all the travelers I meet remind me of lost boys as well. It’s a fairytale land that is always possible to get to by booking a flight (aka my fairy dust).
Is there a specific place or trip in Japan you would recommend?
KYOTO! If You really want to see the culture go there! There are temples EVERYWHERE. I rented push bikes and rode around the entire city temple hopping… oh and did I mention the bamboo Forest!?
One item you wouldn’t go travelling without?
My iPad and headphones. Life savers for long trips and when you need to pop something on to drown out the snoring in the hostels.
Where did you last travel to and how are you coping with the travel restrictions during the pandemic?
Taiwan!!! Ugh I miss it. Unfortunately we were forced to come home in late March due to the US closing borders. Luckily I haven’t been home in a while and it’s great weather over here at the moment, so I’m surviving but ITCHING to get on a plane. This will be the longest I’ve been in the US in almost 5 years and I’m LOSING MY MIND.
PS: highly recommend everyone put Taiwan on their travelling bucket list… by far one of my top five favorite countries.
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