In this part of my IKIGAI series, Rosy and I take the JR Pass from Osaka to Kyoto and try to soak in the “classic” spots—Fushimi Inari, Nishiki Market, Kiyomizudera, Arashiyama, Dotonbori, and even a day with the deer at Nara Park (yes… it smells like poop everywhere, and there’s a weird “male deer milk” vibe if you know what I mean). Kyoto is insanely busy, and I went into it with this goal of documenting everything—both for myself and for you—but I didn’t want my memories to just be crowds and lines for photos. The problem is, I let filming become the main thing. I was rushing, under-eating, walking 30,000 steps, and stuck in this mindset of “if I can’t show a story, what’s the point?” Recording started to feel like a chore and I got burnt out trying to split my attention between living in the moment and getting “good content.” I kept blaming the crowds, but honestly the issue was me—being unable to just be present. So I made a decision: put the experience first and worry about the rest later. And that’s when I finally started to enjoy Japan again. This video is basically my reminder (and maybe yours) that chasing the perfect image can quietly steal the authenticity we’re trying so hard to capture.