…..right, so Nicole has her yoga….and I have my weights. Allbeit not very heavy ones, they allow me a certain zen and peace that only a healthy dose of endorphins can provide. As such, I have been patiently perusing the local hoods in search of a gym of sorts to get my fix. This has not been a fruitful journey as the going rate for many establishments approaches $50 a month. Ok, not bad right? Well yes, if that meant I could go anytime I wanted….but I can’t. This rate is the minimal and allows me 3-4 times a week only in the morning. Full access, for over $120 and its all yours bucko. I tend to take the position that for that price, someone else should do the working out for me. Ok, so this will require a decision…..eat food, or use a treadmill as a stage to be gawked at as I sweat profusely trying to suck every dime I can out of my usage. I choose food, naturally.
So, in the meantime we must get creative. Very creative. What you see is the cheapest home gym in all of Japan, quite possibly all of Asia (outside the Indy guys who scoop elephant droppings for a living)…heavy stuff. A suitcase, equipped with a hand towel used for dual hand grips and a variable weight system derived from a series of water bottles. Ok, now, pick up your jaw, because I can only assume my genius has yet again escaped you.
Nicole has managed to carve a space for her TAM (Tracy Andersen Method) workout as well so while its not perfect or traditionally convenient, it works well enough for now. We do walk a lot which is always good exercise and with the exception of the 97 pounds of rice we consume weekly, our diets remain pretty solid. Overall, another facet of stange land living that pushes you to live a lil outside the box…..or in the case of our itsy-bitsy apartment, do more stuff in it.
no pain, no gain 😉
adam
More from Japan
More from Japan
Intentionally and incrementally. Most families who live this way did not leap from conventional to adventurous overnight. They built remote work capacity, paid down debt, tested longer trips, and had increasingly honest conversations about what they actually want from their lives. The leap feels bigger from outside than from inside.
Different for every family. For some it is long-term travel. For others it is weekend adventures close to home. What connects them is intentionality about how time is spent and a preference for experiences over accumulation. The version that fits your family is the right one.
By finding stability within the adventure rather than treating them as opposites. Routines, rituals, and family rhythms travel with you. Familiar foods, bedtime routines, and predictable family dynamics provide stability even when the location changes. Kids need consistency in relationships more than consistency in geography.
That people are fundamentally similar across cultures in what they want for their families. That comfort zone is a smaller circle than it feels from inside. That the things worth having in life require effort and discomfort to get. And that time together doing hard interesting things is the most reliable source of family closeness.
By getting clear on why you made the choices you made and returning to that clarity when the outside noise gets loud. Most families living unconventionally describe an initial period of explaining themselves that gradually gives way to just living the life. The explaining becomes less necessary as the results become visible.
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Sweet!
What a way to improvise…