Beau's Blog

A couple weeks ago I ran in my first trail running race. It was the Okumusashi 35km Trail Running Race; an hour outside of the Tokyo city center starting and ending in a town called Hanno. Since early 2021, I’ve been an off and on trail runner. I usually run solo or with a single…

I’m sitting in a café in Yutenji, the neighborhood where I spent the first four months of my life. At one point in my life, this neighborhood is all I knew. That was a long time ago; this place feels completely foreign. I’ll write for a bit now and then once the caffeine from this…

As I write this, I’m thinking “Dang, this might be the best matcha latte I’ve ever had!” Or maybe it’s normal and all matcha lattes are amazing. Regardless, the latte art is pretty, matcha lattes are where it’s at and life is good. May 26th to June 2nd | Ikebukuro, Tokyo I felt my excitement…

It’s 2:30pm on June 6th. I’m in a cozy corner of Flux Café in Ebisu, Tokyo on a cloudy day feeling sated after a tasty plate of butter chicken with salad. I find it amusing that I chose brown rice. When asked what kind of rice I wanted, I didn’t understand the question and only…

It’s 3:30pm on 5/30 and I’m sipping on rooibos tea at a coworking space in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. I’m happy to be sharing the table with a couple Norwegian friends I met over the weekend at a board game Meetup. There’s gentle elevatorish music and the quiet chatter of a Japanese guy being as polite as…

I’ve been in Japan a month now and have heard this reasonable question a handful of times. I don’t have a crisp response. I don’t need a thoughtful clean story. Despite this, it’s something I wish to work towards. There is no single powerful reason. I view the answer as the result of many lesser…

It’s 10:20pm on May 29th and I’m sitting in bed in Ikebukuro tired from a run. After vegetating for a couple hours watching disc golf and eating konbini food, I’m craving some productivity so here I am writing. May 9th, 2023 | Kyoto Great Food and Long Time Friends The day started with taking a…

It’s noon on May 26th and I’m once again at Hon Dana Café on the 3rd floor of a large building in Tachikawa. I’ve felt compelled to use my café time as opportunities to explore but this café was too perfect so I’m back! It’s a beautiful sunny day and I’m in the midst of…

It’s 3pm on May 23rd and I’m in at Hon Dana Café on the 3rd floor of a large building in Tachikawa on a rainy day. I’m listening to Kaskade and feeling very optimistic. My first few days in Japan generally followed a pattern. Wake up between 630 and 7am, go for a walk, shower,…

It’s 11pm on May 21st and I’m in bed at my Airbnb in Hino (western Tokyo) listening to Muse and feeling self inflicted pressure to catch up more on my blog. Apr 30, 2023 | Final Lil American Day It felt familiar to wake up in my hometown of Los Gatos – yet unfamiliar to…