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The Benefits of Traveling Alone

YOKOYAMA Nobuyuki (Hakodate National College of Technology)

Have you ever traveled by yourself? I wonder how many of the students here like to travel alone. How about the teachers and the judges? So far, I have traveled alone to eleven places in Honshu and Kyushu.

Some people　might say that I am rich enough to afford so many travels. I am not. Actually, each trip was supported by Hakodate National College of Technology, through a unique project called, “Hitoritabi no susume,” which started in 2008 as a student education program. The college designed this project to encourage Hakodate Kosen students, who are willing to challenge themselves but hesitate to act. This program allows a student to gain confidence and a successful experience by completing the school mission of traveling alone.

Some people think that I am a naturally successful person, so traveling alone would be easy. To tell you the truth, I have experienced many failures. In my junior high school days, I suffered from “Toko-kyohi”, school rejection syndrome. As a result, I could not get good marks in the third grade, and failed to enter the high school of my first choice. With lowered motivation, I couldn’t make the grade in Hakodate Kosen and repeated the first school year. I reflected on what I had done, decided to study hard at Hakodate Kosen, and came across this “Hitoritabi no susume Project.” Today, I would like to demonstrate three benefits of traveling alone that I learned through my rewarding experiences.

Traveling alone makes you understand how much you have been sheltered at home. Two years ago, during spring break, I went on my first trip alone to Nagasaki. After taking a local JR train from Hakodate for more than 10 hours, I stopped by Yamaguchi-city. At around 6 p.m., I became very hungry, so I decided to have dinner in the prefectural capital. For two hours I optimistically searched for restaurants but could not find any. I could not find any pedestrians to whom I could ask for help, either. I missed home. Then I realized, in Hakodate, whenever I felt hungry, my mother always served me a good meal. At home I had never worried about when, where or what I could eat. I finally understood how I had been blessed with my mother’s support. Through this experience, I gained appreciation for my mother’s hard work in raising me.

Furthermore, traveling alone helps you learn the importance of positive thinking, especially when you are lost. I realized this through my experience traveling to Fushimi-Inari Shrine in Kyoto. One Shinto priest I met suggested taking a local shrine path not drawn on a map. After walking for more than 30 minutes, I was lost. Against the evening sky, my path continued deep into a forest. I was very anxious, but at the same time, my optimism was stronger than my scary thoughts. So, I kept walking. Then I saw an elderly man walking toward me in the dark. He was a local resident and told me that I was totally off the shrine path. He kindly told me how to get back to the shrine. This fortunate meeting saved me. My positive thinking gave me the luck to meet the man.

Moreover, traveling alone makes you feel gratitude for others. Many of you might automatically greet someone with, "Good morning” or “Good night." I used to do that, also. When I took a train to Yokohama, I found myself in a car full of commuting high school students. They looked very happy as they chatted. Suddenly, I felt lonely. I had nobody to talk to, or anyone to whom I could say, “Good bye. See you tomorrow.” This feeling of solitude helped me understand how important it is to have someone I can talk to. My family, my friends and my girlfriend, whom I see every day, are the people I can not replace. Even a casual greeting is an important personal interaction with them.

Finally, I would like to tell you about my future travels. Last November, I met an Australian professor in Hakodate. He said, “Traveling alone in Japan is EASY. You use Japanese everywhere. Traveling where you can not use Japanese is more rewarding.” His stimulating words have encouraged me to plan to travel abroad by myself, and to step out of my shelter named Japan.

Traveling alone has offered me benefits; appreciation for home, the importance of positive thinking, and gratitude for others. From now on, I will challenge myself to travel alone by stepping out of my comfort zone. I believe that when I see myself surpass my limits, I will find a new reward.