When Malaysia announced that the Covid-19 lockdown would go into effect on March 18, 2020, Cheesie decided to move to Japan “quickly”.
“I bought the last flight on the 17th. I said to myself, ‘If I’m stuck in lockdown, I wanted to be in Japan.’
The 39-year-old blogger’s love for Japan was evident even before her big move to Tokyo – the Malaysian traveled to Japan at least 56 times, covering all 47 prefectures.
It got to the point where I stopped traveling the world… the more I went to Japan, the more obsessed I became.
“I love Japan very much [intensely]. I used to travel to other countries, but every time I was somewhere else, I always thought, ‘Why am I not in Japan instead?'” she added.
“It got to the point where I gave up on traveling the world… the more I went to Japan, the more obsessed I became.
Cheesie’s love for Japan goes beyond its delicious food and the more tangible aspects of its rich culture. She said the country’s practices and philosophies have greatly enriched her life, and she told CNBC Make It about three of them.
1. Gratitude
It’s not hard to find something new to be thankful for in Japan, Cheesie said.
This is because the practice is “carefully integrated into everyday life”.
One example is saying “itadakimasu” before eating, which means accepting the food in front of you with humility—a way of showing appreciation to all those involved in its preparation.
And saying “otsukaresama desu” to your colleagues after a long day at work is a way to acknowledge and thank them for their hard work.
“It’s the little things or gestures that I find really fascinating and they make it so much easier to appreciate things in life,” Cheesie said.
2. “Unconditional Acceptance”
Cheesie’s love for Japan is also deeply rooted in how it taught her to accept herself and her circumstances.
“In general, people in Japan are really nice and polite. And it’s only natural that if people are nice to you, you’ll be nice to people,” she said.
“That has become the nature of my being here—giving and receiving kindness.
That’s a huge change from who she was – “a very mean self-critic” who always thought she wasn’t good enough.
I became the person I liked. This country changed my life.
“I became the person I liked. This country changed my life.”
Cheesie shared her experience of last year’s four-day “Yamabushi training” at Dewa Sanzan, three mountains in Yamagata Prefecture that are considered sacred.
“In ancient times, it was practiced by monks who lived an ascetic life in the mountains,” she said.
“But in modern times, it’s adapted for city people, where they go to the mountains and pray for four days without speaking.”
Last year, Cheesie completed four days of “Yamabushi training” at Dewa Sanzan, three mountains in Yamagata Prefecture that are considered sacred.
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The only word one could utter was “uketamo” or “unconditional acceptance” of those around you.
“Even if it starts raining or you don’t have food, you have to accept it. You can just say ‘uketamo,'” Cheesie added.
The “transformational experience” allowed her to master the art of acceptance in life regardless of life’s ups and downs.
“It’s one of the most powerful tools I’ve picked up.
3. Traditional way of life
Cheesie, who was previously based in Singapore and Malaysia, said that compared to Japan, these countries had “modernized too much”.
In Japan, you can still experience the traditional way of life in nature, away from the hustle and bustle of cities like Tokyo and Osaka.
For example, she recently visited Kudaku—the remote island of Okinawa—where she saw islanders catching poisonous sea snakes with their bare hands without nets or tools.
Pictured is “irabu-jiru” or sea snake soup, a delicacy from Kudaka Island. A poisonous snake is caught with the bare hands of the islanders.
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