This might be one of my more imaginative titles,b ut the truth about tour guiding is that I don’t get much regular sleep. This is intensified on these more vigorous and involved group tours. I’ve written plenty about the strain and stress involved with these tours. There’s always is plenty of work going on behind the scenes. Some of this emotional stress and damage is self-inflicted. I do a lot of work on my blog, brand, skillset, and dream.

Dreams. . . funny how many things that one word can mean. Here’s how the Oxford English Dictionary defines it:

Dream

  • a series of images, events and feelings that happen in your mind while you are asleep
  • wish to have or be something, especially one that seems difficult to achieve
  • state of mind or a situation in which things do not seem real or part of normal life
  • a beautiful/wonderful person or thing

What a flexible word with many meanings. The Japanese word, 夢 yume, has much of the same usage. When we’re young, everyone is so curious about our dreams, we are encouraged to pursue them. As you age, your wings are clipped, and instead of pushing you towards a dream, the world is dragging you into the cold, hard reality in front of you. Like the Wicked Witch of the West, I’ve been trying to defy gravity — but eventually, dreams shift from one meaning to another. From a wish to have or be something, to the ethereal series of images or events that can only happen in your mind.

I’ve seen almost every dream I have dissolve into thin air. One of the reasons I wake every day is trying to cling to a small inkling of achieving “my dream.” Whatever that has become. To sit in a race car, perform at a festival, or even have a daughter(named Yume) seems impossible. How can you dream if you can’t even sleep?

Laidback Log: April 14, 2025

0000 Watching the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix

F1 is something that I’ve fallen in and out of love with. In early 2011, my friend Nick and I would watch Formula 1 videos. After we would play F1 2011 on the Xbox 360. There’s a film called Senna, that shapes a lot of my life. In my college years, I was too busy with eSports to notice what was happening in the F1 world, but two years ago, after a suggestion from a coworker, I started watching Drive to Survive. I was immediately brought into the world of F1 again. Like my 17-year-old self, I loved the racing, but I matured in other areas.

Nearing thirty, I started to appreciate the drama, budget caps, and engineering battles. Even in just two and a half years of following F1 again, I’d seen a favorite retire, a new champion rise, and dominance like nothing else.

I wanted to know more about F1, so I watch the races whenever I can. Unlike football, basketball, or even eSports, I can watch every race and keep up with all the events.

This year’s Bahrain Grand Prix was entertaining. There were tight battles, passing, and a little drama with Red Bull Struggling.

Favorite Team

A side tangent. Although my favorite team was Red Bull Racing, I’ve recently had a change of alliance.

I first fell for Red Bull Racing in 2012, when my Xbox 360 copy of F1 2011 had the Red Bull RB8 on the cover. Back then, I barely knew anything about racing—the Red Bull logo was one of the few things I recognized when I booted up the game.Plus, Red Bull drivers were constantly toward the front of the grid. They must be a good team if they are always at the front of the grid.

My love for Redbull continued as I matured. They are an energy drinks company in the racing world. This identity defies what seems logical in racing, where it’s usually car manufacturers. When I watched Drive to Survive, Daniel Ricciardo’s personality immediately stood out. And although he had gone through different teams and struggles, Red Bull took him back into the Junior team.

A Person You Wanted Better For

Sitting up late at night and wishing well on your favorite driver is as useless as worrying about whether your high school sports team will win or not, but I think I finally understood a shred of what those people in the stands might have felt.

When Red Bull cut Daniel Riccardo after what was looking like a hopeful return to the main team, I was gutted. Although I like Max and his no-nonsense approach to driving, I had to find a new team. Now I wish well mainly on Williams and their two drivers. There’s a small shred of me that also likes Hamilton and wants to see him do well at Ferrari, but for some reason, I can’t get behind the McLaren team. Personalities like Mercedes George Russell and McLaren’s Lando Norris have me, with no logical reason, rooting against them.

0200 Sleep

At 0200, after the race, I had gotten the chance to rest my eyes. Despite my excitement for the race, I had fallen asleep a couple of times and was woken up when I heard shouting in my Bluetooth headphones. . . That can’t be good for my sleep quality, but at least I got to see some great battles.

I really don’t get enough sleep on tours.

0500

At five in the morning, I was worried about meeting my group the next day. Getting out of bed, I took the time to review my notes. I always wanted to make sure I had the correct dates, names, events, and facts fresh on my mind for guiding the next day. Sometimes I even look at new events and research to expand my library.

0730

I took the moment to double-check everything again. This includes itineraries, reservation dates, and any other miscellaneous information that has to do with my tours. In Japan, they do a lot of Kakunin 確認 or confirmation/checking. When I first moved here, it felt a little annoying — but once I got used to it, I preferred to measure twice and cut once. You hear stories of surgeons and people cutting open the wrong side of someone because they didn’t confirm where the injury was. . . That won’t be me. First of all, I’m not a surgeon; second, if I were a surgeon, I would kakunin.

0830 Intro Briefing

Wanting to diversify my tech knowledge, I adapted two Apple products into my life. My iPad mini and my Apple iPhone have strengths and weaknesses like any other tech product, but I love how well they integrate. I’m not a fan of Apple’s predatory anti-consumeristic practices, but I must admit their ecosystem works well together. Even with overpriced RAM, hard drive space, and inefficient cooling, I have to admit — linking my iPad to my iPhone is convenient.

iPad’s Keynote has allowed me to make a simple presentation for my intro briefing. It not only allows me to be engaging, but it also ensures that I cover all the topics I need to address. I find that sharing a personal narrative of my story in Japan helps my guests to open up and be more vulnerable. It’s a bit of a funny story, but I also tell all my groups that I have high-functioning autism.

0900 Sensoji Temple

Once again, I find myself at Sensoji temple. . . I think the monks inside might mistake me for a practicing Buddhist with how often I’m around. Sensoji is an essential part of a Japan trip. Even though it’s crowded, that atmosphere is worth seeing. It’s the oldest temple in Tokyo, and it was the family temple of the Tokugawa Shogunate. For my groups who know nothing about Japan, Japanese Culture, or Buddhism, I also take the time to explain some basic things about the wider history and significance of Buddhism.

1140 Boat to Hamarikyu

After explaining the history of the area, some landmarks, snacks, and general knowledge of the culture, I gave the guests a little free time. During this time, it was an opportunity to check in with my group for the river boat cruise. Unlike last time, where I was able to change our arrival destination from Hinode Pier to Hamarikyu Gardens, this time there was a bit of a hitch.

The attendant told me the only way to change the destination was to cancel the current tickets and purchase new ones. I looked over at the line to purchase new ones, a couple of foreign tourists holding up the line, then some Japanese people. My phone warned me that there were twenty minutes to departure.

Not knowing what to do, I contacted my office. As a last resort, I called the office. Because the office is busy, I usually like to solve problems myself.

You can take the bus over to Hinode Pier and take the train.

After receiving instructions, I went to the front desk.

I Already Canceled The Tickets

Mou

RagebackMarco

I sighed and said Mou in Japanese to show my exasperation. . . This is a LaidbackMarco and Japanese version of crashing out. Showing your emotions this strongly is frowned upon in Japanese culture. I honestly frown upon this moment myself. It’s really not who I am. Throughout my study of Zen, conflict resolution, and personal improvement, the best thing to do would have been to stop. Take a deep breath, pause, and slow down.

What’s done was done. Despite being worried about the tickets selling out, I secured the tickets in time for us to board. . . That was stress I didn’t need. We sailed down the river and went to Hamarikyu Gardens.

1220 Hamarikyu Walk Around

This image allowed me to explain depth of field

We walked around the Hamarikyu Gardens. I brought my camera, but I only took one photo. It was spring, so it was an excellent time to look at the local wildlife. My guest, who had just bought a Canon camera, had asked me a photography question. In my introduction PowerPoint, I tell all my guests I love photography. What followed was an impromptu photography session. In the park, I explained some photography basics.

Not being confident in my photography skills, I always gave a little disclaimer first. But I described how opening the aperture or lowering the F-stop number would reduce her depth of field. This can be exaggerated by increasing her focal length, which would also lower her field of view. The image, as a result, would show a better level of depth and separation. See the flower image above.

1400 It’s Worth Waiting an Hour For Ramen

I make fun of a lot of tourists who wait an hour for ramen. So why would I do the exact same thing? The ramen that your typical tourist waits for is Ichiran. Ichiran is a chain store with good, but not great, Tonkotsu Ramen. It’s customizable, decent, fast, and the best part is you can usually eat it fast and by yourself. Certain tourists will wait at one in Shibuya for up to two and a half hours because it was featured on a YouTube video. They could just go almost anywhere else and eat right away. Look how many of them there are.

If I hadn’t lived in Japan for the last seven years, I probably would have been content with Ichiran. I might have been crazy enough to stand there for two hours just to get a bowl. Ichiran is good, but I’ve been searching for “great”. I’ve sampled Yokohama Ikke Ramen, Rich Miso Ramen from Gunma, and my Go to in Tokyo Kinkanbo. After refining my pallet, Ichiran doesn’t hit the same. If you eat ramen in Japan make sure to try a variety of different flavors, styles, and tastes.

Kinkanbo the Ramen that Changed my Mind

(Kinkanbo Video Placeholder) Will Upload Later

Even after moving to Japan I was a little lukewarm on Ramen. My heart had always loved Pho soup for it’s variety of flavors. While Pho is still my favorite soup, there was a couple of Ramen places that changed my mind. One of which is in a little city called Karuizawa, another in gunma, and finally Kinkanbo. Kinkanbo has a fun theme of being surrounded by little Oni, or demons. The soup provides varying level of spices from 1-5. With miso, porkbroth, and spices the flavors delite your taste buds. Like a good curry, the spices don’t burn—they lift the flavor and awaken your senses.

There are only two kinkanbo Shops, I went to the 本店 Honten or flagship/main store in Kanda station. When we sat down I sat down to two cute girls and a loud and annoying tourist. He was shouting chinese into his phone while pointing it everywhere haphazardly livestreaming. While I was also trying to record a video on my After930 sponsored DJI Osmo Pocket 3, I didn’t record people’s faces or try to make a scene.

1530 Power Nap

Because it was a free afternoon I took the liberty to take a nap with an alarm and my notifications on max volume. Most of the PAX seemed okay but I needed to be available to help them at any moment. I took a quick nap to recharge my batteries. There’s a part of me that feels guilty to rest even though I know it is good for me. It always feels like I should be grinding and pushing for something that I want to achieve.

1700 Blog Writing

At 1700 I woke up naturally. Wiping off my groggy eyes I sat up and began writing again. I’ve written about this extensively, but I believe it’s better to set a project down and come back when rested. At this point I was pretty behind on my blogging project. With hard work I’d be able to make up some blogs and back date some things.

1800 Free Beer

Although I’ve been trying to get healthy again, when there was free beer I had to drink some of it. I also find that this idle time is the perfect opportunity to get to know my groups. In the lobby the Canadian Weeb was sitting with his son again. While once again I didn’t agree with everything that the Canadian weeb was saying, it made for interesting conversation. His son, a psychologist, made a suggestion for a nearby bar. The younger son also had a little notebook he carried on to jot down notes of things he wanted to do in Japan. I envied his organization — and wished I could bring a little more of that into my own life. Organization helps help the world feel less chaotic and more predictable.

Althouhg to be fair it’s a little hard to feel life isn’t chaotic as a tour leader. On one day you could be in Tokyo, the next week you could be all the way across the country.

1845 Dinner at Torikizoku

I’ve listed Torikizoku as a must-do Japanese experience. Sure, it’s a chain, but the atmosphere is great, the food’s quick and tasty, and the beer flows freely. I only had one—I’d pregamed at the hotel—but the real highlight for me was the craft ginger soda. Highly recommend.

2100 Next Day Breifing

After dinner I was a little tipsy. . . although that doesn’t mean I can’t do my job. After informing the group about the plan for shipping bags I also informed them of the meeting location and time. When I got back to the hotel it was around 2115. Plopping down on my bed I scrolled YouTube and then played some Legends of Runeterra. Although there’s always that hanging thought in the back of my mind that’s telling me.

You need to find a way to make money or build a skill that allows you to get more of it.

Late Night Thoughts

I pushed them to the back of my brain because even I need a break from doom and gloom

2200

At 2200 I packed my things. You would think as a tour leader I would learn to pack lightly. Here I sat with my heavy gaming laptop, multiple sketchbooks, reference books, and reading books. I think it’s a symptom as being raised as a millennial, but you always want the option available to do something. As an aspiring artist who will probably be successful, the best thing you can do is to carry a sketchbook around and hope you can improve. After putting my bags away I laid down on the bed and scrolled my phone. . . I should start tracking my screen time and such as a way to help me remember what I did.

2330

Late at night I went on a supply run for my tour. I always use small plastic envelopes to help me organize my tickets for the PAX. If everything is organized beforehand by the time we get to the train platform tomorrow it was easy. All the tickets would be labeled and if I made sure there were no errors now, things would go more smoothly. It also ensured that once I offloaded the tickets which had monetary value, it was on them if they lost them and not me.

Shortly after organizing the tickets I hit the sack ready for the next adventure.

YouTube

There is a video version of my adventure below.

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