Be One hobbyist 
My travel history for the year was as follows.
Cities: Malaka / Kuala Lumpur
I’ve come to view Malaysia as a popular destination for Japanese expats, likely due to its safety, convenience, and low cost of living.
Indeed, Malaysia felt metropolitan. Kuala Lumpur could easily be compared to Tokyo’s Ginza district.
However, my impression was that interpersonal relationships seemed somewhat superficial, a trait I attribute to national character. This was particularly noticeable when comparing my experiences in Brunei, where the people were warm and kind.
Unfortunately, my trip was marred by several unpleasant incidents, leaving me with a somewhat negative impression of the country, unrelated to its cultural or societal aspects.
Visiting Malaysia highlighted for me how distinct it is from Brunei, despite both countries having Malay-majority populations. Brunei’s culture felt more unique and left a stronger impression on me.
Cities: Alexandria / Giza / Cairo
I was hesitant about visiting Egypt, often dubbed one of the more challenging travel destinations.
To my relief, my concerns were unfounded.
However, I was disappointed that, despite visiting a large market, it didn’t leave a significant impact on me.
Cities: Libreville / Cidade de São Tomé
I wanted to travel to a distant country and chose Gabon and Sao Tomé, even farther than Cameroon, which I also wished to visit someday.
Sao Tomé, with its few tourists, offered an authentic African experience.
While I’ll skip the details, this trip was challenging but immensely rewarding. It helped solidify my travel focus on origins, crafts, and local specialties. This realization came after visiting the Information Center and traveling to Monte Café (a coffee bean origin) and Roça Diogo Vaz (a cocoa origin).
Cities: Cirebon / Jakarta
I wanted to visit places outside the capital for the New Year holidays, but ended up in Jakarta due to flight costs.
A memorable part of the trip was visiting Cirebon, located between the capital Jakarta and Surabaya, the second city. It’s a flourishing center for Batik (a wax-dye fabric technique), and I hardly saw any foreigners there. Seeing this Batik reinforced my travel focus established after Sao Tomé.
In Cirebon, I was struck by the kindness of the people. This visit made me appreciate Indonesia’s beauty, turning it into one of my favorite destinations.
