Travel in Japan 



To date: 36/47 prefectures 
 
日本北海道 Hokkaido
1. 北海道 Hokkaido (2024/12 Sapporo, Otaru, Kutchan, Niseko, Lake Toya, Asahikawa, Sounkyo Onsen ）

日本東北 Tohoku

2. 青森 Aomori

3. 岩手 Iwate

4. 宮城 Miyagi (2025/11 Sendai, Matsushima, Shiogama)

5. 秋田 Akita

6. 山形 Yamagata (2025/11 Yamadera)

7. 福島 Fukushima (2025/11 Fukushima City, Iizaka Onsen Town)


日本關东 Kanto

8. 茨城 Ibaraki (2025/04 Mito, Oarai, Hitachi Seaside Park)

9. 栃木 Tochigi (2024/05 Nikko )

10. 群馬 Gunma (2025/04 Takasaki)

11. 埼玉 Saitama (2023/10 Kawagoe 2025/04 Omiya )

12. 千葉 Chiba (2025/04 Chiba City, Yamakanaya, Umihotaru, Chibafornia, Makuhari)

13. 東京 Tokyo (2018/02, 2019/11, 2023/03, 2023/10, 2024/05, 2025/03, 2025/11-12)

14. 神奈川 Kanagawa (2019/11 Hakone ; 2023/10 Kamakura, Yokohama ; 2024/05 Fujisawa, Kamakura, Enoshima ; 2025/04 Yokohama, Kawasaki)


日本中部 Chubu

15. 新潟 Niigata (2026/04 Niigata City, Joetsu City)

16. 富山 Toyama (2026/11)

17. 石川 Ishikawa (2026/11）

18. 福井 Fukui (2026/11)

19. 山梨 Yamanashi (2018/02, 2019/11 Kawaguchiko ; 2023/03 Kawaguchiko, Fujiyoshida)

20. 長野 Nagano (2023/03 Nagano City, Yamanouchi, Yudanaka, Obuse, Matsumoto 2026/04 Nagano City Nagano Marathon, Ueda City)

21. 岐阜 Gifu (2025/12 Gifu City)

22. 靜岡 Shizuoka (2019/11 Gotemba / Hakone; 2023/10 Fujinomiya, Shizuoka City ; 2025/12 Hamamatsu, Lake Hamanako, Shimoda, Ito, Atami)

23. 愛知 Aichi (2025/12 Nagoya City)


日本關西 Kansai

24. 三重 Mie

25. 滋賀 Shiga (2019/02, 2024/11 Otsu City)

26. 京都 Kyoto (2019/02, 2023/04, 2024/11 Kyoto)

27. 大阪 Osaka (2019/02, 2023/04, 2024/11 Osaka)

28. 兵庫 Hyogo (2023/04 Kobe ; 2024/11Kobe ; 2024.11.17 Kobe Marathon)

29. 奈良 Nara (2023/04, 2024/11 Nara City )

30. 和歌山 Wakayama (2024/11 Wakayama City)


日本中國 Chigoku

31. 鳥取 Tottori (2026/12 Tottori City, Yonago, Sakaiminato)

32. 島根 Shimane (2026/12 Matsue City, Izuno, Matsue Castle Marathon 2026)

33. 岡山 Okayama (2026/11 Okayama City)

34. 廣島 Hiroshima (2023/11 Hiroshima City, Miyajima)

35. 山口 Yamaguchi (2026/11 Yuda Onsen, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi City)


日本四國 Shikoku

36. 德島 Tokushima (2024/11 Tokushima City, Naruto)

37. 香川 Kagawa (2026/11 Naoshima Island)

38. 愛媛 Ehime

39. 高知 Kochi


日本九州 Kyushu

40. 福岡 Fukuoka (2023/11 Fukuoka City, Kitakyushu ; 2024/06 Fukuoka City)

41. 佐賀 Saga

42. 長崎 Nagasaki (2023/11 Nagasaki City )

43. 熊本 Kumamoto (2024/06 Kumamoto City, Mount Aso )

44. 大分 Oita (2023/11 Beppu )

45. 宮崎 Miyazaki (2024/06 Miyazaki City, Aoshima, Takachiho Gorge )

46. 鹿兒島 Kagoshima (2024/06 Kagoshima City, Sakurajima )

47. 沖繩 Okinawa


Running in Japan 

  • Leisure Run
    • Tokyo
      • 2024.05.11 - 23 km
      • 2024.05.18 - 16 km
      • 2024.05.25 - 18 km
      • 2025.03.31 - 14 km (Akihabara - Sumida River - Tokyo Skytree)
      • 2025.04.04 - 10.5 km (Akihabara - Ueno Park)
      • 2025.04.07 - 15 km (Akihabara - Imperial Palace - Chidorigafuchi - Hibiya Park) 
    • Takasaki, Gunma
      • 2025.04.14 - 10 km
    • Nikko
      • 2024.05.14 - 10 km
    • Fujisawa / Enoshima / Kamakura
      • 2024.05.21 - 30 km
    • Kumamoto
      • 2024.06.09 - 21 km
      • 2024.06.11 - 11 km
    • Kagoshima
      • 2024.06.16 - 14 km
    • Miyazaki
      • 2024.06.19 - 24 km
    • Kyoto
      • 2024.11.06 - 12 km
      • 2024.11.11 - 11 km
    • Otsu
      • 2024.11.13 - 12 km
    • Tokushima
      • 2024.11.22 - 6 km
    • Ito City, Shizuoka 
      • 2025.12.15 - 7 km

Japanese Movies

01. Yudo: The Way of the Bath (April 18, 2023 by ANA)
02. Show Me the Way to the Station ( Oct 19, 2024 by JFKL at Mid Valley)
03. Only the Cats Know (Aug 17, 2024 by JFKL at Mid Valley) 
04. 90 Years Old - So What? (Nov 5, 2024 by ANA)
05. Tomorrow in the Finder (Nov 5, 2024 by ANA)
06. Mentai-piriri (Feb 17, 2025 by JFKL at Mid Valley)
07. Showtime 7 (Sept 14, 2025 Japanese Film Festival at MyTown)
08. 366 Days (Sept 14, 2025 Japanese Film Festival at MyTown)
09. Northern Food Story (Sept 15, 2025 Japanese Film Festival at One Utama)
10. Sunset Sunrise (Sept 15, 2025 Japanese Film Festival at One Utama) 
11. Angry Squad: The Civil Servant and the Seven Swindlers (Sept 15, 2025 Japanese Film Festival at One Utama) 
12. Teasing Master Takagi-san  (Sept 16, 2025 Japanese Film Festival at MyTown)
13. Petals and Memories  (Sept 16, 2025 Japanese Film Festival at MyTown)
14. The Solitary Gourmet  (Sept 17, 2025 Japanese Film Festival at One Utama) 
15. 6 Lying University Students  (Sept 17, 2025 Japanese Film Festival at One Utama)
16. TOKYO MER: Mobile Emergency Room (Nov 17, 2025 ANA flight)
17. What Did You Eat Yesterday? (Nov 17, 2025 ANA flight)
18. 100 Meters Hyakuemu - Anime (Dec 19, 2025 ANA flight)
19. Wolf Children - Anime (Dec 19, 2025 ANA flight)
20. Faceless (2026.05.06 ANA flight)
21. Tokyo Taxi (2026.05.06 ANA flight)
22. Monster (2026.05.06 ANA flight)
23. Mt. Fuji and Happiness Code (2026.05.31 MAS flight)
24. Nagasaki - in the Shadow of the Flash (2026.06.11 MAS flight)
25. Bishu - The World's Kindest Clothes (2026.06.20 Japan Foundation KL, GSC Midvalley)
26. The Real You 本心 (2026.08.15 Japan Foundation KL, GSC Midvalley)


Sunday Services in Japan

01. Reinanzaka Church, Tokyo (26 May 2024)

02. Harvest Church Kumamoto, Kumamoto City (2 June 2024)

03. Mustard Seed Church Kyoto, Gion, Kyoto (10 Nov 2024)

04. His Call Church Hizukoru Church, Nagoya City (Met Ming, Malaysian from Penang who serves at the church; 30 Nov 2025)

Playing Street Pianos in Japan 

01. Spirited Away - Always with Me | Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan | November 22, 2025
02. 童話 | Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan | November 24, 2025
03. Canon in D | Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan | December 1, 2025
04. Jingle Bells | Ogaki City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan | December 4, 2025
05. Cant' Help Falling in Love | Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan | December 5, 2025
06. River Flows in You | Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan | April 23, 2026

Japanese Language Self-Study Course: Genki - An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese 

  • University Course Name
    • Genki - An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese 
  • Course Duration
    • University Classroom: 2 academic years (August 1, 2026 - July 31, 2028) 
    • Relaxed / Casual: 18 months (August 1, 2026 - January 31, 2028)
    • Standard Self-Study: 9 months (August 1, 2026 - April 30, 2027)
  • Study Materials
    • Genki 1 & 2 Textbooks (Reading and Grammar)
    • Genki 1 & 2 Workbooks (Listening and Writing)
    • Genki 1 & 2 Answer Key Book


About Genki study materials:


It takes 6 to 9 months of consistent daily study to complete both Genki I and Genki II for most self-taught learners. In a traditional university setting, professors typically spread these two textbooks across four semesters (two academic years). 


According to the publisher, The Japan Times, completing all 23 lessons across both books requires roughly 200 to 300 total hours of dedicated study and practice. 


Time Breakdowns by Pace

Your actual timeline depends entirely on how many hours you can invest each week.


Study Pace

Estimated Hours per Day

Time to Complete Genki I & II

Intense Pace

2 – 3 hours daily

3 – 4 months

Standard Self-Study

1 hour daily

6 – 9 months

Relaxed / Casual

30 minutes daily

12 – 18 months

University Classroom

4 – 5 hours weekly

2 academic years


Realistic Lesson Breakdown

Genki I contains 12 lessons and Genki II contains 11 lessons, making 23 lessons total.

  • The "One Lesson per Week" Track: Spending 9 to 12 hours per lesson allows you to finish both books in about 6 months. This gives you enough time to memorize vocabulary, grasp grammar points, and complete workbook exercises. 
  • The "Two Weeks per Lesson" Track: Spending roughly 45 minutes a day allows you to finish a lesson every two weeks. This structure spaces out the content comfortably, bringing you to the finish line in just under one year. 

What You Achieve After Both Books

Completing both textbooks provides a massive milestone in Japanese proficiency. You will have studied:

  • 1,700 vocabulary words
  • 317 Kanji characters
  • All foundational Japanese grammar 

Finishing Genki II means you have officially covered all the material required to sit for the JLPT N4 exam(Japanese Language Proficiency Test). 


Japanese Language : Learning Journey (2024 - 2026)

  • 2026.08.01
    • Self-studying Japanese language has been a challenging journey for me. I wanted to give up several times. Whatever grammar or vocabulary I have learned, I forgot the next day.  Very frustrating indeed. I felt that I have not been progressing much. Then I realised that the way I learned through self-study has been very unstructured, unorganised, unfocused. 
    • I brought up my Japanese language self-study challenges to a runner friend lately.  She is very passionate about learning Japanese language. Her current JLPT level is N3 or higher. 
    • Through her personal experience, she recommends me to use Genki textbooks to do self-study. Genki textbooks are more structured and very comprehensive. They are also used in universities to teach Japanese language.
    • Genki 1 is equivalent to JLPT N5  (800 vocabulary words, 100 essential Kanji characters, simple grammar)
    • Genki 2 is equivalent to JLPT N4 (1,500 vocabulary words, 300 essential Kanji characters, basic grammar)

    • With the help and guidance of this runner friend, I'm inspired and encouraged to embark on Japanese language self-study journey through Genki in a structured manner. It's like a self-study university courses in Japanese language. I hope that this method will help me progress further. I'm very grateful to this friend. 
    • Should I feel like giving up again during the journey, I shall constantly remind myself, "Never stop trying. Never stop believing. Never give up. Your day will come."

  • 2025.12.01: I bought 日本語基本单語 from Maruzen in Nagoya City, Japan 

  • 2025.03.27: I bought Konnichiwa, Nihongo! Revised Edition (Simple, Ready-to-use Expressions for Living in Japan) from Maruzen Bookstore Tokyo Station.

  • 2024.11.16: I bought Odekake Nihongo Kaiwa 日本语会话 from Junkudo 淳久堂书店, Kobe, Japan

  • 2024.08.01: I completed Japanese Online Course on JF Japanese e-learning Minato online course; Katakana A1 Self-Study.

  • 2024.07.30 - 2024.10.08: Japanese General Course 2024/2025 Starter Part 2 Course by Japan Foundation Kuala Lumpur. I attended only 3 lessons and I discontinued.


  • 2024.01 - 2024.02: Self study via YouTube and other online materials: How to read and write Japanese Katakana.