From Yakushima to Sapporo: A Nationwide Train Journey Across Japan

Posted on November 19, 2024  •  2 minutes  • 363 words  • Other languages:  Korean

Time to Go!

When my resignation was finalized in August, the thought of traveling began to bubble up in my mind.
From 2020, I had spent two years preparing to transition into a developer role, followed by another two years working as a developer—during which I hadn’t traveled at all.
As my career came to a pause, I felt an urge to rethink my future: how I wanted to live and what kind of work I wanted to pursue.
Instead of rushing forward blindly, I wanted to stop for a moment and recalibrate the direction of my life.
Surely, travel is the best way to go about it.

Where to Go?

Given the four years without a proper trip, I knew I wanted this journey to be a long one.
As someone who enjoys walking and reflecting, I had recently become fascinated with trekking.
Naturally, the first destination that came to mind was the Camino de Santiago, the famous pilgrimage route.
Spending long hours walking seemed like a perfect way to organize my thoughts and plan my future.

But I quickly changed my mind.
I didn’t want my trip to feel too ascetic.
After such a long time without traveling, I wanted a trip filled with variety and excitement.
Rather than getting lost in endless introspection, I craved a journey where I could let loose and fully enjoy myself.
That’s when I decided to explore a single country thoroughly—traveling across its length and breadth.
7 years ago, I had spent a month traveling through Thailand, and the fond memories of that trip pushed me toward a similar kind of adventure.

Japan It Is!

The destination I eventually settled on was Japan.
I had heard a lot about the weak yen, and the fact that I had never been to Japan made it even more appealing.
What sealed the deal, though, was the JR Pass , which would allow me to travel across the country with ease.
With that, I planned a 24-day trip to Japan: the maximum 21-day JR Pass duration, with an additional three days to round it off.