S03 E11: Discovering Japan, One Journey at a time with Boyang

Misadventures of a Sneaker || A Travel Podcast

In this episode, host Revati interviews Boyang Xue, a seasoned traveler who has visited over 60 countries. The conversation focuses on Boyan

Key takeaways

• Boyang studied Japanese at Waseda University, the same alma mater as author Haruki Murakami.
• He utilized the 'Seishun 18' Japan Rail pass to travel extensively on local trains.

Main topics

• Japan Travel Adventures
• Solo vs Group Traveling

Notable quotes

Japan is probably not the coolest among all these 60 countries... I would still stick with Japan.

Conclusion

The episode illustrates how intentional, slow travel can turn global d

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:01) That could potentially be Lebanon. Like I went there last year when it was literally in a war with Israel. Speaker 2 (0:10) You chose the adventure. Speaker 1 (0:12) Right. It's because I had a friend who's working for the UN and he's based in Berlin. Speaker 2 (0:18) He Speaker 1 (0:18) literally told me like, are you sure you want to come? Speaker 2 (0:21) Because there were Speaker 1 (0:22) drone attacks every now and then. People were told Speaker 2 (0:25) to leave and you're going in. Oh my God. Speaker 1 (0:27) So I decided to go. Anyways, I remember when I was entering the border, the immigration officer literally told me, asked me why you're here. And then I said, I'm here for tourism. And he literally said, good luck. Because you don't really hear that from an immigration officer, like good luck. Ouch, ouch. Speaker 1 (0:50) So Japan Rail offers what's called the Sesshun Junhachi Kibu. It means youth 18 ticket. So originally it's something that's for students to return home after semester and they sell it at a really cheap price. Speaker 2 (1:10) Nice. As Speaker 1 (1:11) long as it's within five days, you can ride trains, unlimited train rides within Japan. Wow. This you can only take the slowest trains. You can't take Shinkansen high speed trains. But it's unlimited and actually anybody can just go in. Speaker 2 (1:29) I was going to ask, do you need a student ID to get the ticket? Speaker 1 (1:32) You don't need it. Anyone can get it. So you can stay young forever. Speaker 2 (1:38) The moral of the story was nice. You can stay young forever. Speaker 1 (1:42) I love it. You know, I was like 26. I already went for it. couple of years I was using that. Speaker 2 (1:48) Yeah, yeah when I go to a bar and they ask for my id I'm very happy I'm like oh yeah yeah please see my id I'm beyond 18 thank you. Speaker 1 (1:56) Very nice. Speaker 2 (2:01) Today's guest is what I'd call a professional collector of stories. Because honestly, how else do you describe someone who has traveled to over 60 countries, lived in Colombia, worked in Switzerland, wandered through Italy, and yet, despite all that, still insists that Japan is his true love. And that guest for you is the storyteller, Boyang. Welcome to this episode of Misadventures of a Sneaker. And I am your host, Revati. So our guest today, Boyang, is someone who makes it a point to visit Japan at least once a year and explore a different part of it each time. He has biked across Japan, camped under the stars, taken the slowest of the slow trains to Hokkaido, chilled in the Japanese onsen in the hot springs, hiked its mountains, and even studied Japanese at the very university. where his favorite author Murakami once studied and wrote. Basically, if Japan had a loyalty program, Boyan would be platinum for life. And the best part, he's charming, he's funny, and has stories after stories after stories. So buckle up because this episode is going to feel like a bike ride across Japan. Scenic, unexpected, and full of surprises. But before that... Let's take a quick little break and then jump in. Hey, do you know we've recently launched a travel journal? A journal that's perfect for everyone, no matter your age. Where each page includes a fun prompt to spark creativity. Whether you're writing, drawing or sticking in little memorabilia. Pick one for yourself or gift it to your friend or to a kid. It'll be a keepsake where your favourite moments will live and where a silly sketch will bring back a whole story. You will find the link to order the journal in our show notes. Happy journaling and thank you. All right, so let's welcome our guest. Hi, Poyang. Welcome to my podcast. We are called The Misadventures of a Sneaker. It's a travel podcast where I have a bunch of guests coming and talking about a lot of their experiences while traveling or traveling to a destination and things like that. So both of us have a common friend. She's Gayatri and I met her sometime end of last year. I was talking to her about the podcast. Her husband's been on the show earlier as well, Rahul. Fantastic stories about a trip to Sikkim. And while she was hearing a lot about the stories that I was sharing with her, she thought about you and she said, oh my God, I have this friend. He's never at one place. So whenever I ping him, it's a standard question, which place are you in? and phenomenal story so i'm just going to try and connect you guys and i'm really thankful to Gayatri that she did this because just in the first call with you Boyang you told me so many of your travel stories so i'm really excited about this conversation with you thank you so much for coming to my podcast and welcome thank Speaker 1 (5:04) you Rati it's a pleasure to be here thanks for the invitation and i'm looking forward to the conversation today Speaker 2 (5:11) Yes, there's a huge hype created around you. So you have very high expectations. Speaker 1 (5:17) No pressure at all. I Speaker 2 (5:19) didn't say that. So we've been chatting and we've been speaking a lot over the last month, month and a half to. and the variety of stories and experiences that you told me was so fun. So tell me Boyan, tell me something about yourself. We've not met before and we've just been speaking over Speaker 1 (5:38) Zoom Speaker 2 (5:39) and WhatsApp and things like that. Tell me something about yourself. Where are you from? What do you do? You know, all of it. Speaker 1 (5:47) Sounds great. So I'm Boyan originally from China, born and raised there. And I think I lived in China before about 20 years and then moved abroad mostly for the last 15 years and spent time in Japan, the US, Latin America, Singapore and up until now and from last year I've been in Switzerland and right now I'm working in an NGO focused on promoting public-private partnership to basically companies, governments across the world. Yeah, a pleasure to... to meet you and your listeners. Speaker 2 (6:27) Oh, very excited. And on behalf of listeners, also very excited. Wonderful. So you just rattled away some names of countries that you said that you've stayed in. So these are places you've stayed in when you said US, Singapore, Japan, of course, China's where you've lived for large part of your life. These are the places that you've lived in? Speaker 1 (6:46) Yeah, those are the places where I spent a significant amount of time either as a student or work. So this is apart from interests I've been to as a visitor. Speaker 2 (6:58) Wow. And then when you were talking earlier, you said you've traveled to 60 plus countries. So this is something that you do usually as a sabbatical of sorts or between jobs or I mean, how is it? 60 is a big number, right? Speaker 1 (7:14) It's Speaker 2 (7:15) not like you can just go on a vacation and then do that many. So how do you usually plan your travel? Speaker 1 (7:21) Yeah, I think I only started traveling abroad when I was like. 19 or so. And I think initially I just went to places when there are meetings or events for students. And I think when I studied abroad in Colombia, I did my university, I traveled to a few places. And that's kind of when I met a lot of people who are just backpacking around South America. And I realized that's also. a way of life. And so I think since then I kind of wanted to take some time off from my normal study or professional life and just explore the world. So between 2013 to 2015, I kind of took one and a half to two years of gap years. And then that's when I was at sufficient time to explore many parts of the world in Asia and Latin America and so on. Speaker 1 (8:20) And then since then, it's just kind of every year I try to take advantage of my vacations and just visit places. Speaker 2 (8:29) Beautiful. So very often, you know, when I meet someone who enjoys traveling, we used to say that there's a seed to all of this, which is usually something that you've done when you were a child. It's a habit that you get built or it's Speaker 1 (8:43) a Speaker 2 (8:43) curiosity that gets built when you are a child. So do you have any such memories of traveling with family, traveling with your friends when you were in school or early college when you were in China? Speaker 1 (8:54) Yeah, I had many of these trips. I remember my first ever trip abroad was a trip to the United States for a model United Nations in Harvard and I went with Speaker 2 (9:05) friends Speaker 1 (9:06) from my college. But I think I kind of clearly remember that from the beginning of the trip I really wanted to explore the country on my own. Speaker 2 (9:16) So Speaker 1 (9:16) I didn't book any of the hostels with them so I just stayed by myself. Although I, you know, from occasionally met with them for dinner and whatnot but I think this appetite for solo trip is just very acute in the beginning of my travel. I just kind of maintained that even until this day. I mean occasionally I travel with friends but I think I especially for exploring new countries and countries that I think are adventurous, solo travel is my preferred mode of traveling. Speaker 2 (9:52) Oh wow. Why solo versus with friends? You have a strong preference. Why is that? What's your observation or opinion that you have between the two? Speaker 1 (10:02) The reason why I said when I visit new countries or countries that are adventurous or countries that I have a strong preference for, when I go there on my own, I feel like I have complete freedom and control over my time and how I want to explore the place. And also, I don't like to aggressively plan when you travel. Because some people have a, I don't know, like, get down to, like, every single minute what you'll be doing. Five things Speaker 2 (10:32) to see for five days. Speaker 1 (10:35) So I like the freedom and just having the control over my agenda and just not having to go to places based on a routine. I think that also helps you to discover new things on unexpected days. Yeah. But I would say I wouldn't do that if I go to Bali or Copenhagen as I spent last weekend with friends there. I think for these places, it's better to go with friends. Speaker 2 (11:05) Yeah. Yeah. So places where maybe you can chill for a larger part of your day. So when you go to Maldives, what adventure can you do except maybe go for... great scuba dives there Speaker 1 (11:17) right so in Speaker 2 (11:18) some places like that you know chilling with friends or family etc it's a great idea whereas places that you go hiking or you know through the forests and things that probably it's a good point it's a good point the flexibility is a big it's a big plus point Speaker 1 (11:29) so Speaker 2 (11:30) from your earlier travels i'm not necessarily when you were in school or college and things but from your earlier memories of one of the most crazy in quotes craziest experiences that you've had or countries that you've been, what would you think of? Speaker 1 (11:47) Okay. Speaker 2 (11:48) I know you have a list in your head. Speaker 1 (11:51) Yeah. Definitely have been on some kind of crazy adventure trips. I would say probably, I actually think my trip to India is one of those most memorable. Speaker 2 (12:02) Oh, Speaker 1 (12:02) tell us Speaker 2 (12:03) more. Speaker 1 (12:03) I spent about, I think, 50 days in the country. So first I went to, I flew to Chennai for an event. It's the World University Debating Championship. Speaker 2 (12:14) And then Speaker 1 (12:14) I actually didn't know, I didn't have a return flight. So one-way flight, I didn't know how long I wanted to stay in the country. Because I was out of my gap year, I really didn't have to go back to work or anything. And then just started exploring the country, just taking buses. It's a fascinating country with vast differences between different regions. I went to places that are totally out of this world. I remember going to Humpey. You see the geography there. I was just totally blown away. Then I went to Goa. It kind of feels like Macau. It's just very different. And then I went all the way to Rajasthan. In Rajasthan, you have the Golden City, the Blue City, the Pink City. Each city is just so different. It's something that comes out of a Gerard Tolkien novel for me. It's like you keep it really original. I think that's really cool. Unlike in places in China, for example, I think due to mass urban planning, we Speaker 2 (13:14) kind Speaker 1 (13:14) of have the sense that a lot of the cities lost a lot of originality to keep things similar. Speaker 2 (13:21) That is true, very true. I mean, go to places like Hampi and all. I love that place. I mean, I almost say that my experience traveling across Hampi is very similar to how it is in Cambodia when you go to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat and all that. I would place both on the same pedestal in terms of experience, in terms of stories that you get to hear. I am a huge fan of historically relevant places. It's so beautiful to listen to the stories. Okay, so India is coming. India is in one of your top numbers. Why did it come under the crazy category when you thought of India? Speaker 1 (13:57) Because I think that first, there are a lot of uncertainties. At the time, I knew very little about the country. I didn't know how to navigate the public transportation. Because in media, you always see all these crowded trains. So you would be like, how am I going to book a ticket? Speaker 2 (14:12) Yeah. Speaker 1 (14:13) I went all the way north in the mountains in the Himalayas. About two or three hours away from Shimla, it's kind of close to the border with Tibet and it snowed heavily. And so for three days I had like the road was blocked, I had to stay in the mountain and I lost my phone on the truck. Speaker 2 (14:34) Truck? Speaker 1 (14:35) Yeah, I think eventually had to take a truck to get to the town. So Speaker 2 (14:39) my eyes popped out when you said lost the phone and then my eyes double popped out when you said truck. Seriously, I have never driven a truck, by the way. Yeah, Speaker 1 (14:46) I think because it snowed so heavily, the bus couldn't get you to the village. So I had to jump on a truck and somehow I think I lost my phone and then I couldn't contact my family. But eventually, because these villages are quite small and they're kind of connected, so I just told my hotel manager that I lost my phone and they actually helped me to get back my phone after three days. Wow. when the road transportation was like recovered. So that Speaker 2 (15:16) was Speaker 1 (15:18) kind of like a fascinating story. Speaker 2 (15:22) Wow. Up in the north, this thing happens quite frequently if you do it during the winters. I don't know if you noticed this, you know, while traveling in the Himalayan parts of India, a lot of roads in the different Himalayan regions in India are maintained by the border army forces. So they put up very interesting road signages across a lot of these places. So it is all the way, all the border areas between from, you know, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. And if you even go to the northeast, a lot of the road signages, you know, travel carefully and don't speed up and things like that. They mostly put up by the border organization and they are known for having a sense of humor. So they put up wacky road signs, you know, be gentle on my curves and you know. Speaker 2 (16:11) It's so funny. I've been dying to do a trip there and take pictures of, you know, all of, because I remember all of this from a travel, from multiple travels that happened many years ago, but then I never thought of running a podcast. So now I really am itching that I have to go back and take pictures and, you know, put it out to show people the kind of road signages they put up. Speaker 1 (16:30) They have got a really good sense Speaker 2 (16:32) of Speaker 1 (16:32) humor. Speaker 2 (16:35) Very nice. So you said that you spent time in Latin America as well, right? You said Colombia, studying there and all. Speaker 1 (16:41) I am Speaker 2 (16:42) sure you must have had some crazy experiences in Colombia. So I have done a podcast, I think two episodes with folks who have done, there was one who did a six-month sabbatical trip across Latin America, multiple countries. He had a bunch of stories, you know, gun related ones, of course, drug related ones, meeting drug lords and all of that. I mean, these are like so exciting. You only see these in Narcos and all that, right? You don't see this in real life. What were your experiences like when you were, you know, traveling around that part of the world? Speaker 1 (17:16) Yeah, it seems like your friend had a fair share of his stories in the region, despite, you know, just struggling around. Speaker 2 (17:24) I Speaker 1 (17:24) would say if you go to places like Colombia, Colombia is definitely one of the more special places or countries for me in the region, given that I've spent more time there. And when you talk to the locals, they would really appreciate foreigners who go there and they're welcoming and friendly. And I think one thing you notice is that it's actually not Narcos like every day. Oh, no. Speaker 2 (17:49) I like the drama. Speaker 1 (17:53) And I think if you try to stay cautious and be street smart, most of the time you're still fine as a traveler. You can get out of the country in one piece. Although I would say I'm probably not one of the most street smart persons or unscrupulous. I've got myself into situations where it's a little bit undesirable. Speaker 2 (18:17) I like how you're building up, you know, like introduction, body, conclusion. You said I'm not the most. That was the introduction. So I'm now excited about what actually happened to you. Speaker 1 (18:27) Yeah, I try to, you know, believe in myself, not the country. Yeah, I remember last time when I was there, during my last days there, I made a trip to Medellin. And Medellin, since the pandemic has... run into a city for digital romance. And it's a beautiful city, great weather. So I remember one night I was spending time in this bar area with a friend. And then my friend had to go back. So I decided to explore the region on my own. And, you know, at the time I was going back to Singapore very soon. And while I'm in Colombia, I should take advantage of the opportunity to try to get myself my fair share of marijuana. Speaker 2 (19:13) Right, of course. I'm Speaker 1 (19:14) not sure about its current status, but it's kind of all over the place and it's not difficult to get. So I went to get a joint and then started to smoke the joint near the river, a little bit away from the bars. And then I saw a couple who just walked over to me and said, can I borrow a lighter? Usually in this instance, I would be a little bit careful, but I think because it's a guy and a girl. maybe they're not as risky or dangerous. We started to have a conversation and they asked what I'm doing here and by myself. So I just thought they're friendly locals. And then they asked me about, you know, what are you smoking? And then they happily shared with me their joint, which seems to be a higher quality one. Speaker 2 (20:02) And so Speaker 1 (20:03) the conversation continued and they asked me if I wanted to grab a drink. So we walked over to a bar, but... When we sat down, I realized that I started to kind of lose my conscience a little bit. It was Speaker 2 (20:18) getting Speaker 1 (20:19) so bad that I actually found it a bit difficult to concentrate or focus on the menu. Speaker 1 (20:27) And then I realized, oh, probably this is not a typical marijuana joint that they offer. Maybe it's something else. And I think Speaker 2 (20:35) it's Speaker 1 (20:36) only because that I read in the news just a few weeks earlier that some foreigners are getting drugged in bars in Colombia by friendly locals. Speaker 2 (20:49) And then Speaker 1 (20:50) the next day they would wake up in the middle of nowhere or some people have lost their lives. and then it's at that moment i realized that this is probably not just marijuana it's probably something stronger and also because the guy kept mentioning that he's gay and the girl is available and single and i think oh the fact that they really focus on that fact um it's probably leading somewhere else after this drink um so it was the time i realized i probably in a day or situation. I told them I'm going to use the bathroom. So I went into the bar and I told the bartenders what's happening to me with my limited conscience at the time, because I was literally almost not able to express myself. Speaker 2 (21:38) Oh my God. And language was not a barrier there. Speaker 1 (21:41) Right. So I actually made, I didn't mention this earlier, but I actually majored in Spanish. So it's fully fluent. Speaker 2 (21:49) That's taken care of. Speaker 1 (21:50) Otherwise. It could be another type of challenge as well. Speaker 2 (21:55) Okay, okay. So you went and told the bartender in whatever sense that you were in. Speaker 1 (21:59) Yeah, and they immediately got it and asked me to sit in the bar while they deal with the situation. So I felt totally taken care of. And so I could remember they called the police and the police came like in five to ten minutes and they were chasing after this couple. I saw them Speaker 2 (22:18) running Speaker 1 (22:19) uphill and so after that I was just feeling really bad so I asked them to take me to the hospital and they recovered gradually since then but I literally felt that I was totally gonna pass out if I didn't get out of that situation Speaker 2 (22:39) Wow. And I'm quite impressed with the bartenders. Often, you know, these places, they are very hand in glove. So, I mean, there's this couple would have taken you to a place where they are, you know, like friends with the bartenders and all that. And they'll all be handed the glove into the, in this whole thing. But I'm glad that at least you could get out of the whole thing safely. Oh my God. Wow. That's pretty close too. You were like almost there. Speaker 2 (23:05) And this was in? Speaker 1 (23:06) This was in Medellin in Speaker 2 (23:07) 2022. Wow. But Medellin is known for a lot of such kind of stories. I mean, again, the narcos kind of stories. This is very much that comes in that kind of category. But yeah, yeah, yeah. Wow. I Speaker 1 (23:22) just kept reading later, like in the Wall Street Journal, I think in the same year, but I think the title was like, Americans went to Colombia for love instead to get killed by gangsters. And I think one way that happens is that a lot of them would get matched on Tinder dating apps. Speaker 2 (23:41) And Speaker 1 (23:42) then that actually eventually led to their killing. Speaker 2 (23:48) So yeah, Speaker 1 (23:49) definitely got to, you know, navigate and be careful. Yeah. Speaker 2 (23:54) Don't be gullible. Stick to your own joint. That's all. Speaker 1 (23:59) And Speaker 2 (23:59) maybe not do a lot of Tinder over there and try and meet people in the bar or maybe something like that. But I really do not know. See, when people come and talk to you, I love talking to locals. You know, when they come and talk, you can chat up, you can get so many stories through that. I always say that, especially when I'm in a bar, I love to sit by the bar and talk to the bartender. And, you know, it's a great conversation. And then people around, we always yap. And it's a part of the whole experience. And then here, if you have to be so careful, it's like... Speaker 2 (24:28) I would say Speaker 1 (24:29) that Colombia for me is a country of vast contrasts. You meet some of the most friendly people you'll ever meet in your life and at the same time you're sometimes exposed to the you know the most precarious situations that actually Speaker 2 (24:45) happens in so many countries that this is a story that is i mean you can't you have to be that careful when you're in india you have to be that careful when you're in italy france spain you have so many such stories everywhere so that is that wow my god that's quite a story that i've gotten out of you wow oh god And amidst all these stories and places, you still chose to speak about Japan on this episode. Though, I mean, I love Japan. This is the country that I went to this year for my vacation. So it's actually closest in terms of timeline as well. So I love it that you chose the country. But, oh my God, why Japan over all the other places that you've been to for this podcast? Speaker 1 (25:32) Yeah, actually. Whenever people ask me, you know, among the 60 or 60 plus countries you've been to, which is your favorite travel destination? And I just feel like Japan is probably not the coolest among all these 60 countries. It's not the most adventurous. But I think if I just speak my mind without, you know, trying to create some kind of personality. or image, I would still stick with Japan. It's just a country I would try to visit at least once a year. Speaker 2 (26:06) Yeah. Speaker 1 (26:07) My first trip to Japan was in 2009. Speaker 2 (26:12) And I Speaker 1 (26:12) think ever since then, I tried to visit the country almost every year, you know, apart from the pandemic years. And I just like, you know, always have the best combination of experiences. as well as the overall utility you get out of a travel experience, like the food and the quality of accommodation, places you get to explore, and it's the aesthetics, which I think is very important as well. Yeah, just Japan, I think, still stands out. Speaker 2 (26:43) Wow. Yeah. There is something about the place, it's difficult for me to pinpoint why. You know, I loved it so much. I mean, there are a lot of reasons, but there was something that made it extra special and I do not know what it is. But there was one sentence that you just said now that it probably wasn't one of the coolest or the most adventurous, again, in quotes kind. So which place would be, would fall under the coolest or the most adventurous place that you've been to? Speaker 1 (27:14) That could potentially be Lebanon. I went there last year when it was literally in a war with Israel. I went there. Speaker 2 (27:24) You chose the adventure. Speaker 1 (27:27) Right. So I was actively looking for adventures. It's because I had a friend who's working for the UN and he's based in Berlin. Speaker 2 (27:36) He Speaker 1 (27:36) literally told me, like, are you sure you want to come? Speaker 1 (27:40) We were on a tax every now and then. People were told to Speaker 2 (27:43) leave and you're going in. Oh my God. Speaker 1 (27:45) So I decided to go anyways. And I remember when I was entering the border, the immigration officer literally told me, asked me why you're here. And then I said, I'm here for tourism. And he literally said, good luck. Because you don't really hear that from a... immigration officer like good luck but Speaker 2 (28:04) i'm Speaker 1 (28:07) sure he meant well and so i just thought it was really interesting okay Speaker 2 (28:13) so the adventurous category is lebanon then what about the coolest category coolest Speaker 1 (28:19) category yeah i was just i'm just wondering probably different people have different definitions for fullness Speaker 1 (28:28) I guess Japan is actually really cool in many ways, it's just really not adventurous. I think a country that is really cool... Speaker 2 (28:40) Even I'm trying to break my head as to which country that I have been to would come under the coolest category for me. Speaker 1 (28:47) Yeah, what would be the coolest? Because I think cool has the connotation of not being mainstream as well. If a place is too mainstream, I wouldn't say that's super cool. Speaker 2 (28:59) Jordan, Speaker 1 (29:00) maybe for Speaker 2 (29:00) me. Speaker 1 (29:01) If Speaker 2 (29:01) I think more, there'll be two more that I will add. But yeah. Speaker 1 (29:06) Jordan, I wonder... A couple of years ago. And I mean, Petra has always been a place I really wanted to visit. Speaker 2 (29:14) I Speaker 1 (29:15) didn't go to Wadi Rum. I actually really wanted to go back to visit that place. Speaker 2 (29:21) Yes. Speaker 1 (29:22) But Petra for me was very kind of out of this world. Speaker 2 (29:26)