【Why I Travel 2020 #findyouraww】Megumi

Occupation
- Aww Founder, Producer

Address
- Tokyo

Hobby
- Travel, moving, drawing

Favorite country
- United States · India · Bali

Favorite food
- Condiments in general

My motto
- Live in this very moment.

Q1 When did you travel for the first time?

Since I was little, I traveled with my family both in Japan and abroad, but the first time I decided on my own to set out on a journey was when I went to study abroad in San Diego, USA at 21. Since it was study abroad, I’m not sure if it counts as travel, but it was the first time I chose to go myself and took action.

Q2 Why did you decide to go?

At the time, I just wanted to get away from the environment and situation I was in, no matter what (lol). I was right in the middle of job hunting, and while everyone around me was steadily deciding their future paths, I completely lost sight of my own future.
As I dug deeper and deeper into myself, I felt like I had no real strengths, and that my entire past life—without having built up anything—had all been a waste. I created this kind of invisible pressure for myself, thinking, "People around me are getting jobs at places like this, so I need to work somewhere similar too or I won't be able to hold my head up," and it was just painfully hard.
Driven solely by the desire to get out of that situation, I ran away to another country (lol). To be honest, until then I had no interest in traveling or going abroad, and I didn't really care where I studied abroad (lol).
More than anything, I just wanted to grow as a person in a new place. I even told the study abroad agency, "Anywhere is fine, so please send me to the place I can get to the fastest."

Q3 What experiences awaited you while studying abroad in San Diego?

Every day was a continuous learning experience. What surprised me most was how many people were truly enjoying life and living on their own terms, rather than by others' standards.
I was doing a homestay, and my host mother started studying a completely new medical field from scratch at the age of 60. On weekdays, she studied online after work, and on weekends she went to university classes for adult learners. I was deeply inspired by the way she kept wholeheartedly taking on things she was interested in, no matter her age.
She was also divorced once, and it was kind of refreshing how she regularly had a new boyfriend (lol). Like, "Wait, is that a different boyfriend from last week?" Watching her freely enjoy romance and life no matter her age made me truly feel that there’s no such thing as too late or too early in life.
For me, having denied my past, tormented myself, and tried to live my life on tracks laid by others, it was a series of encounters with values that opened my eyes.

Q5 What’s a memorable episode from your travels?

When I went to Sicily, Italy, I accidentally left my most important bag—with my passport and wallet in it—on the bus.
Sicily has some areas that aren’t very safe, and right after saying, “We need to be careful,” I went and forgot about it...
The Italian embassy is in Milan, so if my passport hadn’t been found, I would have had to travel by boat to the mainland and then take a train to Milan. My mind went completely blank. I was sure there was no way it would be found, but when I told the waiter at the restaurant I had gone into, the manager and staff all pitched in, contacting the bus company and even going to the terminal to look for it.
Eventually, it was miraculously found...!!! I was deeply moved by how incredibly kind the restaurant staff were to me, a Japanese person they had never met before, even though we couldn’t communicate well with words and our appearance and cultures were completely different, and I truly felt from the bottom of my heart that we were connected by love.
People distinguish others by race or nationality, but there’s really no difference between human beings in the flesh, and I came to feel that human love is something much simpler.

Q6 When do you feel like going on a trip?

I think travel both broadens your horizons and brings you back to your true self.
During everyday life, I often find myself unconsciously creating a false version of who I am through relationships and work titles, or overreacting to the expectations of those around me.
“Ah, I’m feeling suffocated,” and I immediately want to go on a trip when that happens.
When you go on a journey, you can return having rediscovered your true core.

Q7 Did your strong passion for travel play a part in launching Aww?

That’s true. Looking around, I feel like there are so many people living by suppressing their true feelings simply because social norms say they have to.
Especially for women, I think many are still choosing their lives within the confines of fixed ideas, but when they travel, see breathtaking scenery that truly moves them, or encounter values beyond the ones they know, it can remind them of the self they had buried deep in their hearts, and make them intuitively realize what truly matters.
I think we’re entering an age without rules, so I hope more women will live their own authentic lifestyles on their own terms. Travel is exactly the kind of thing that encourages that way of living, which is why I launched a travel brand.

Q8 Do you also want people to learn about other cultures through travel?

There is, isn't there.
Now that the world is connected online and we live in an age where people can move freely, I think all kinds of boundaries will gradually disappear.
Although every country is currently in lockdown due to the coronavirus, the reason the virus spread this far in an instant in the first place is undoubtedly because the world is connected as one.
It’s my belief that everything is becoming borderless—from national borders and race to gender, ideologies, and even the line between play and work—and through travel, I want to feel that kind of collective consciousness, and I want others to feel it too.

Q9 What are your travel essentials? What are your packing preferences?

Because heavy luggage gets tiring, I carry a mini bag.
When I’m in countries where cashless payments are common, I hardly exchange money and just use my card, so I only carry a card case. Also a charger, sunglasses, lip balm, and hand sanitizer.
I coordinate and pack clothes not only for the climate at my destination, but also to match the atmosphere of the country.
Choose your suitcase to match your mood at the time and the vibe of your destination!
I really do feel like there’s a kind of magic that makes it seem as if I live in that country when what I wear and carry matches it, so I choose while indulging in lots of daydreaming.

Q10 What place would you like to visit again?

I’d like to go to India.
India is actually a memorable place I traveled to alone before graduating from university. At the time, I just wanted to become stronger no matter what, so I booked the trip on a whim and went—but soon after I arrived, there was a bombing near the hotel where I was staying (lol).
I was reminded once again how grateful I am to be able to live safely every day as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I also find it fascinating how, within the disorderly, eclectic, and chaotic nature of local life, you can catch glimpses of order and culture rooted in religion. I also really love hand-made embroidery and textiles. You can feel the makers’ love and intentions in them, and it gives me a warm feeling.
I often had opportunities to visit India back when I was a company employee, so it’s a country I feel somehow connected to.

Q11 What are you looking for in travel in the age of living with COVID, and where do you want to go next?

There are many places around the world I’d like to visit, but first I plan to launch a campaign to enjoy traveling closer to home.
I want to enjoy a staycation at stylish hotels and hot springs in Japan, or go on picnics, and travel while avoiding crowds.
After that, I'm planning to swap homes with a friend for a set period and play Airbnb (lol). Just changing where you live and the house you're in can feel so refreshing, right?