Have you ever dreamed of traveling with your family but couldn’t because of your job? That was me.
It was a dream to have an international business and to be able to travel and not worry (too much) about income.
After a few years of business, our dream became a reality. We were able to to take a week long trip to Japan back in December. This time, we were able to take a 28-day trip!
When we returned home to Hawaii on June 15, a couple days later, our monthly commission was directly deposited to our bank account, even though we were away from home for almost a month. That is the beauty of residual income.
It is continuous income even while you are away.
On this trip, we traveled to Okinawa, Fukuoka, Osaka, Yokohama, Nagoya, and Tokyo. We flew into Narita Airport and we stayed a night in Tokyo flew to Okinawa for a week. We stayed in a large 3 room condominium with a large living room and kitchen.
Okinawa: My Father’s Home Town
Three things I love about Japan: the people, the food, and the transportation. The highlight of the trip is meeting my family on my father’s side. My grandfather was born in Hawaii. My grandmother, father, and uncles were born in Okinawa. They were from Kin Town & Ginoza. We stayed in Ginoza. Cassy and I are part-Okinawan or “Uchinanchu.” It is great to learn more about our heritage. There is a distinction between Okinawan culture and Japanese culture. Okinawans have their own language, dance, and martial arts.
People told me that Okinawa was like Hawaii but more “country.” I was surprised to see major highways with large flashy billboards and Pachinko Parlors. The city Naha looked more urban than Honolulu. It felt a lot more developed.
We attended church service in Kitanakagusuku and visited a friend that was stationed in the Marine base. We did a boat tour and got to see the seafloor from an observation post. The water is a lot clearer than Hawaii. However the skies were gray. In Hawaii, every beach must grant public access. This is not the case in Okinawa as some beaches are restricted. We did a couple of essential oil classes and met a lot of people. At the end of our stay in Okinawa, we visited the Okinawan Aquarium, home to three Jinbei or Whale Sharks.
Yokohama, Kanagawa
From Okinawa, we flew to Fukuoka. We met up with more people from our team. From Fukuoka, we activated our Rail Pass and traveled to Osaka where we ate Kushikatsu, Okonomiyaki, and Ramen. Osaka is also known as the Food Capital of Japan. We frequented Dotonbori, home of the famous Glico Man. We also conducted an essential oil class here as well. We visted Osaka Castle. From Osaka, we traveled to our company’s annual Japan conference in the Pacifico Yokohama. We stayed in a suite at the InterContinental Yokoham hotel. The room is Western size, which is a nice change. We had the view of the Ferris Wheel and the bay from our Hotel Room.
The Gala was nice and we had gourmet French food. It is said that Yokohama has good Chinese food and I have to agree. We went to a made to order, all you can eat Chinese restaurant. It wasn’t mind-blowing, but the restaurant in Yokohama is a lot better than the typical Chinese restaurants in other parts of Japan. From Yokohama, we went back to Nagoya. In Nagoya, we visited one of Toyota museums. We did another class in Nagoya.
Nakano Broadway in Nakano, Tokyo
If you are into buying souvenirs, or manga character figurines. It is a lot cheaper in Nagoya than Osaka and Tokyo. After, we went to Tokyo. We visited Nakano Broadway. We were told that it was the alternative to Akihabara if you loved manga, games, or other things. What I learned later on, is that although the deals are great, you can get even better deals in smaller cities in Japan. My brother and I watched a movie “Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F” (with English subtitles)., while Cassy rested and did some shopping. It was my first experience visiting a movie theater located in a tall building. We got popcorn, but did not realize that the packets they gave us was flavoring to sprinkle on the popcorn. We also visited the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. The Ghibli museum is nice, it takes a while to get there. If you are a die hard fan of Hayao Miyazaki, producer and writer of films such as “Spirited Away” and “My Neighbor Totoro,” you will love the Ghibli Museum. Be forewarned, you have to reserve your tickets MONTHS in advanced, because they sell out quick. We learned that the hard way on our previous trip to Japan.
Osaka: Foodie Destination
We picked up Cassy’s friend who came up to Japan after her graduation and we continued our journey back to Osaka. In Osaka we went to Universal Studios Japan. They had Harry Potter there as well as a few rides like Spider man. Most of the rides were the similar. USJ is the only place where you can see Elmo, Hello Kitty, and Snoopy together. I personally enjoy Tokyo Disney Resort more than USJ. We did another class in Osaka. Before leaving to go back to Tokyo, we visited the friendly deer in Nara.
Tokyo
What’s better than traveling? Traveling with your friends! Because of our previous experience in Tokyo, we were able to show others around. We went to Harajuku, visited Loft in Shibuya, and had great Sashimi and seafood! We went to Odaiba and visited Tokyo Tower for the first time and it featured my favorite manga series One Piece. We also showed our friends our company’s office in Aoyama, Tokyo. We can’t finish off the trip without Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea. Last time, we visited it was Christmas themed. This time we visited, it was Easter themed.
Overall, this trip was a 10 out of 10. Not only were we able to experience great food and entertainment, we were able to conduct business, meet new people, and share the joy with friends and family. I am very thankful and blessed. I thank God that we have a career that allows us to travel and enjoy life.
Our success didn’t happen overnight, but with hard work and persistence, it paid off. Do you have dreams? We help people just like us achieve their dreams.
