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To those travelers and Japan-seekers...

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Screen name:

Turner in Japan

Age:

25

Gender:

Male

If you must know:

I'm single

Travel status:

Traveling now

Hometown:

Dallas, Texas

Currently in:

Kagoshima, Japan

Traveling Next:

New Zealand, and Antarctica Marathon 2010

Favorite places I've been:

All over Japan (from Hokkaido to the southern islands) including Mount Koya, the Sapporo Snow Festival, Tokyo, Shidarezakura in Kyoto, Himmeiji Castle, the 88 temple pilgrimage in Shikoku, Kurokawa Onsen, Nagasaki, Hiroshima, Iwakuni, Matsuyama, Beppu, Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Tanegashima, Yakushima, Sakurajima, Kenai Pennisula in Alaska, the continental US including Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Texas, Lake Charles, Shreveport, Louisiana, Los Angeles, California, Las Vegas, Nevada, New York City, Washington DC, Providence, Ithaca, Jamaica, Mexico, London, Rome, Pompeii, Italy, Cayman Islands, Beijing, China

Places I want to go to:

Angkor Wat, cherry blossom festival in Okinawa, Mt. Everest, skiing in Hokkaido Japan, Hawaii, Maldives, Dunedin in New Zealand, the Outback in Australia, The Void in the Sahara (just the fringe), Mt. Kilimanjaro, running the original marathon in Greece, low Earth orbit with the private space industry, Iceland, Thailand, Egypt, Sweden, Easter Island

About me:

Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, attended the University of Texas at Austin from 2001-2005. After college, I stayed in Austin for a year doing freelance work until I heard about an opportunity to travel to Japan.

www.keepingpaceinjapan.com
www.flickr.com/photos/64521915@N00/sets

Right now, I'm keeping an open mind, advising people on how best to come to the land of the rising sun, and in the meantime, traveling to all the small southern islands, honing my photography skills, and writing practical travel pieces for the inexperienced.

I have a degree in aerospace engineering. I can sing Phantom of the Opera. I once went for 60 hours without sleep (and, consequently, slept for 26 hours after that). I've been the knight in shining armor, saved the maidens fair, and battled for my life. I've woken up at 4 AM to pull a bottom-dwelling fish with 200 feet of fishing line in Alaska. There's still so much more out there waiting.

Keep an open mind when you travel. Everyone has something unique to offer. Explore this world (and perhaps beyond) using all five senses.

Profile URL:

http://matadortravel.com/travel-community/turner-in-japan

Read more about Turner in Japan

I'm fired up on:

Going the distance, skydiving, writing with passion designed to induce feelings rather than convey facts, Japanese hot springs hotels, eating Mexican food while overlooking the sun setting over the Riverwalk in San Antonio

Tunes I rock out to:

Live Like You Were Dying, The Distance

Travel style:

I usually travel based on mood, though almost always by myself; sometimes I enjoy going entirely rural and backpacking through the mountains, relying on nothing but my feet to take me around. On other occasions I feel like checking into an expensive hotel, and making short day trips with plenty of snacking opportunities. I'd consider my trademark to be sleepless sightseeing in Kyushu, Japan: taking the last train to Fukuoka, partying or karaoke all night with friends, then taking the first train to any number of cities, using the local hot springs, and coming out refreshed enough to continue the day

Quote:

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Sports I do:

marathon running, swimming, skydiving, hanggliding, bodysurfing, aquajogging, rock climbing, western horseback riding, weight lifting, cycling, Tai Chi

Favorite books:

Timeline by Michael Crichton, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

Who I'd like to meet on my travels:

A female travel companion who can keep up with me

I want to make a difference by:

The only way I know how. Having an impact on this world isn't all about having your picture on the cover of magazines, or your voice heard by millions... it's about the people around you, and how you treat them. What you leave behind isn't as important as how you lived your life.

Languages spoken, other than English:

Japanese, Latin, a little French

I felt the most immersed in a foreign culture when:

I was packed into a Japanese train car in the middle of Tokyo's rush hour

Why I travel:

I know it's not possible for me to see every square cm of this world before I die, but in the meantime, I'm learning more about foreign cultures, eating things I never thought I would touch back in Texas, and finding myself changing with each experience.

Ideal place to watch the sunrise:

Kanahama Beach on Tanegashima island, Japan

Ideal place to watch the sunset:

Terayama Park overlooking a volcano and Kagoshima city, Japan

Before I die I'd like to:

Skydive over the Hawaiian islands, propose as the sun sets over Maldives, participate in an archeological dig in Egypt

Let's collaborate:

I'm a good writer, but I don't claim to be an expert in travel photography and reporting the kinds of experiences people want to hear; take a look at some of my work and offer me feedback where it's needed. I'll all for collaborating with people in similar positions around the world. In the meantime, I remain a freelance travel photographer, writer, and advisor in Japan.

My links:

www.keepingpaceinjapan.com (my blog)
www.flickr.com/photos/64521915@N00/sets (sample photos)

Post New Comment

by jgbrandt | 2008/02/24

Thanks for the comment. It's one of the most unique experiences you can have, I think.

by Jay Martin | 2007/11/30

Thanks for the comment. That is something I have struggled with, as well.

by Adam | 2007/08/29

The beach in those two pics you've got up looks gorgeous- you should post some more..

by Tim Patterson | 2007/08/29

ようこそ、マタドルヘ！

The Experience

By Turner in Japan | Location: Japan | 01/17/08 | Pics: 0

I stayed in my room a good portion of my high school years. As much as I'd like to report that there was a girl in there with me for the majority of that time, I don't think there were too many in my year who would have appreciated the whole "video game" wallpaper scheme. What can I say... my parents...

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Nakanoshima: Listening to Moonlight

By Turner in Japan | Location: Japan | 11/27/07 | Pics: 4

There's a passage from one of my favorite Michael Crichton books that's easily overlooked the first time around:

"There's no ambient noise here: no radio or TV, no airplanes, no machinery, no passing cars. In the 20th century, we're so accustomed to hearing sound all the time, the silence feels creepy."

Even...

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Hitchhiking in Kyushu

By Turner in Japan | Location: Japan | 11/14/07 | Pics: 1

My experience in the realm of hitchhiking for long distance travel has been rather limited. During the summer I spent working at a fishing lodge in Alaska, my life blood was clean unmarked pieces of cardboard, on which I would inscribe my destination in thick black letters for the benefit of the...

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