Chasing Simplicity in Japan

My boyfriend and I moved to Japan earlier this year so that Jerry could continue to chase his dreams of playing football. When I say football in Japan, most people probably think I'm talking about soccer, but no, they do actually have American football here. I would follow him anywhere but that doesn't mean that I wasn't really nervous about such a big move. I went to college two hours from home, I have lived in the same house my entire life and I can count on one hand the number of times I have been on an airplane. Not to mention, I am a picky eater who insists that everything, and I mean everything, tastes better with ketchup. Needless to say, I was very nervous about the move but I knew it would be a once in a lifetime experience that I couldn't miss out on. We packed all our things into five suitcases and jumped headfirst into life in Tokyo, Japan. 

When we arrived, we were dropped off in a place we didn't know with no Wi-Fi, no money, with temporary housing that had no mattress (apparently that's not a thing in Japan.) I would be lying if I told you I didn't think more than a few times that I wouldn't make it here. But when faced with this challenge, we found that it gave us an unbelievable opportunity to find out what really matters to us. 

We found out that the simpler our lives became, the happier we were. There have been many more challenges along the way, including how to cook an entire dinner on a one burner stove, but with each challenge I have found that I grow a little more and my life becomes a little more simple. We now live in our tiny apartment with just a couch, a bed and a refrigerator and we couldn't be happier. Our key to succeeding in Japan was to keep it simple...And it doesn't hurt to have a comfy pair of shoes to carry us along the way. 

"WE FOUND OUT THAT THE SIMPLER OUR LIVES BECAME, THE HAPPIER WE WERE"

Nicole wears the Satire in Black and Satire in White. Jerry wears the Wingman-D in Olive. For more, visit Nicole (@nicolexknox) and Jerry (@jerryneuheisel) on Instagram.