“Can we learn valuable lessons from our adventures in our daily lives? Yes or No?”

Hello, my name is Hiroshi, and I have been in education for more than 2o years. Also, I have been married for almost 5 years, and I have an amazing wife and 3 kids. So, I have been an educator longer than I have been a dad. I would like to share our experience on how amazing it is to raise kids in Japan, and also our epic adventure in Japan. Brace for impact!

Last summer, one of our camp staff asked us, “Can we learn valuable lessons from our adventures in our daily lives? Yes or No?”

My answer was “No, you need to go on an adventure to learn those valuable lessons.” But, I am not quite sure about my answer now because my kids come home with a lot of stories every day, and it means a lot to them. I don’t think my answer applies to my kids. They have the power to turn anything into their epic adventure.  Anyway, I think I need to rethink my answer with my kids. 

What makes an adventure? 

What are the elements you value when you are on adventure?

A couple of years ago, I was on a road trip with my students. We camped at Kings Canyon National Park and took an overnight hike to Twin Lake. We could not believe that there would be lakes on top of the mountain. We relied on the signpost on the trail to get to Twin Lake. We stopped at the tiny waterfall to purify water to make our drinking water. We tried dehydrated food we had never tried, including pudding. We needed to walk fast where the lightning hit many trees. We need to be careful about the time when we start to walk on the trail so that we don’t run into bears. Twin Lakes were just for us. An amazing view was waiting for us. I truly enjoyed the hike. On the way home, we drove to Yosemite and saw an amazing waterfall, El Capitan, a very famous place. 

When we came home, we talked a lot about the hike to Twin Lakes, and not so much about the time in Yosemite. I think it is because we were just tourists in Yosemite, not the explorers in Kings Canyon. We bought souvenirs from the gift shop in Yosemite, instead of having the adventure stories. 

So, what is important for me when I go on an adventure? 

I come home with a bunch of stories. Instead of things to have or give, I believe “stories” are the best souvenir from the adventure. In addition, when we talk about the stories from the adventure, we celebrate who we were.

These are some important ingredients for my adventure.

① Embrace the unexpected. I love taking back roads and finding beautiful places to rest, or stopping at local shops to chat with a store person. I see flyers for local events in local shops, and those are the ones that sometimes give me unexpected experiences. 

② Random conversations with random people. I enjoy talking with people when I travel. For me, those are the people who give me “food for thought,” which enriches my experience during the adventure. You can be whoever you want. Try “Act as if” Act as if you are the most friendly person they will meet that day!

③ Bring “YOUR” adventure. Immerse. Be in a moment. Be present. How do you capture the moment? Journaling? drawing pictures?… My son was making a rubber stamp “Hanko” when he was inspired by the place during the trip, and negotiated to leave it so that some people may find it fun at the sightseeing places, train stations, or ferry terminals, where you find commemorative stamps. 

④ Try new things.  It does not matter whether small or big. Do you have moments like this? You feel you don’t need to even try because you know what’s going to happen, although you have not tried yet. When I have those feelings and thoughts, I want to make sure that I try. 

I want to share with my family what’s important to me during an adventure that I cannot share with them at home. And, I am sure that I will add more to my important elements when I go adventure with my family.

Imase family adventure begins.