This year, 2025, I cycled across Java Island in Indonesia, then flew to Perth, Australia, crossed the Nullarbor Plain to Adelaide, passed through Melbourne, arrived in Sydney, and now I'm staying in Newcastle.
I've traveled to so many places, met so many people, and so much has happened this year. I thought I'd take a moment to look back on it all.
The Journey
Indonesia (January 1 – February 19)
On January 1st, I watched the fireworks in Jakarta, then headed east across Java Island.
It was a country full of experiences. Good things, and well, some troubles too. More food troubles than people troubles, I'd say. I got food poisoning for about a week at one point.
But the people were incredibly kind. Everywhere I went, even though we often couldn't communicate in the same language, basically everyone was so warm and welcoming.
I got to experience tiny towns that had probably never seen a foreign visitor before, as well as big cities like Jakarta. It was a really wonderful time.
Australia (February 20 – Present)
This is the country where I've been staying for a year on a Working Holiday visa. I'm truly grateful. I've been able to stay for so long and have been blessed with amazing people.
The Route:
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Perth — Started from what's known as the most isolated city in the world
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Margaret River — Passed through the famous wine region
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Nullarbor Plain — Cycled 1,200km through almost nothing
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Adelaide — After encountering a sketchy person, I was saved by an incredible family who let me stay for a week
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Melbourne — Winter in Melbourne was freezing cold. At the border between Victoria and New South Wales, all my belongings froze
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New South Wales — So many insane hills
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Sydney — Reunited with a friend I met in Malaysia
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Newcastle — Met someone who reached out via SNS, and ended up staying for 5 months
Looking back, I thought the year would fly by, but it actually felt long. The more I reflect on it, the more I realize how significant all the memories, encounters, and experiences have been.
What I Did Besides Traveling (5 Months in Newcastle)
Basically, I've only been traveling, but in Newcastle, I focused mainly on things other than travel. I barely traveled at all during this time.
1. Writing a Novel
This goes back to my original purpose for traveling in the first place.
The reason I started this journey was because my grandfather once quietly mentioned that he had wanted to become a novelist. For some reason, those words stuck with me.
I don't know why, but I got this feeling like, "Maybe I should try writing a novel." Then I thought about how to gather material for it, and figured that traveling to different places, collecting stories and experiences, could work. So I decided to travel, to go on an adventure around the world.
Then I thought about what would be the most interesting way to travel the world. Flying would work, sure, but the deeper, more meaningful stories are often hidden in small towns. Places you might not be able to reach by plane. That's when I decided to travel by bicycle.
In the end, the book was mostly completed in about 3 and a half months. I wrote it in both Japanese and English. Now I'm working on the publishing process and other procedures.
I've already completed the ISBN registration, which is essential for publishing, so I'm hoping to have it published before February.
2. Creating ZINEs
I wanted to create something easy to read, some kind of readable content, so I decided to make ZINEs. A friend introduced me to the concept, and I thought I could give it a try.
Content: Travel Short Essays
I picked out moments from my travels in each country—thoughts I had, things I felt—and turned them into short essay-style pieces. Starting from Japan and going all the way to Australia, I've created 9 works. Since Australia was such a long journey, I made 4 pieces for it. Generally, I create one ZINE per country. I made them in both Japanese and English.
3. Website Development
I spent about a month organizing everything, making it look clean, and deciding what kind of content to include. It's only in English for now, so it's not quite complete yet.
4. English Learning Service Development
There were people who wanted to learn English, so I created content for them. Kind of like coaching. Since I taught myself English and got to a conversational level, I'm giving back by helping others who want to learn.
5. Work
Even while traveling, I was receiving work, so I kept doing that as well.
About My Stay in Newcastle
Over these 5 months, I was working on 5 different projects. Things got spread out and took more time than expected. But I was able to do everything I wanted to do and everything I set out to accomplish.
Someone I met through SNS let me stay freely for 5 months. That's the only reason I was able to do all of this.
I don't think I'll ever have another experience like staying somewhere for 5 months. Not because I don't like being around people—it's just that being given this much freedom, being allowed to do whatever I wanted, never once being scolded, it was truly incredible.
Around 9pm, the host would say, "Feel free to watch Netflix," and every three days or so, they'd prepare all the food for me. Of course, I cooked sometimes too, but honestly, I received more kindness than I could ever deserve.
It's a debt I could never repay in a lifetime.
I realized that meeting someone who can trust and accept others so completely is incredibly rare. That's why I feel nothing but gratitude.
Summary
This year, I traveled, created, developed—it was probably the busiest year of my life. But I still have ZINE revisions and English service development to finish before December 31st, so there's still more hustle ahead.
I've already got plans for next year, which I'll share tomorrow.