ERIC KIM

Hanoi Diary #8: Going to Japan for 2 Weeks

Singapore, 2016
Singapore, 2016

Dear friend,

I’m currently at the Hanoi International airport, ready to go to Japan for two weeks, and wanted to give you a life update:

It’s 6:50am, and currently enjoying my espresso — still trying to wake up. I got up today at around 4:30am, rolled around a bit, had some eggs for breakfast, and waved goodbye to Cindy — as I rode the taxi to the airport.

Surprisingly, getting to the Hanoi international airport was easy. I got there, checked in (no luggage) in about 5 minutes, went through the gate (1–2 people in line, took me 1 minute), and went through immigration (another 2 minutes). Easier to commute to the airport than to get to downtown Hanoi. Love how convenient and seamless modern life has become.

Anyways, I’m flying out to Japan for two weeks— doing a street photography workshop in Tokyo this weekend, and another in Kyoto the weekend after (with my buddies Sean Lotman and Junku Nishimura— two of my favorite street photographers, and good friends).

It has been a while since I’ve been back to Japan. I’m especially excited for all the great food in Toykyo — sushi, kobe beef, and ramen. Not only that, but to catch up with my good friends. I’m staying with my buddies Todd and Joel, who are flying over to Tokyo from LA — and crashing with them at an AirBNB in ‘Gotanda’ (area where the workshop venue is).

Not only that, but excited for Kyoto — the place has always been my ‘zen shrine’ — super relaxing, peaceful, and meditative.

Update from Singapore

Singapore, 2016
Singapore, 2016

I just taught a workshop in Singapore this past weekend, and had a phenomenal time. The students were all amazing (check out their great photos), and thanks to my buddies Callan, Dav, and Aik Beng for such a memorable time.

Honestly, Singapore is pretty awesome to travel to. Love the food (chicken rice, and more), the friendliness of the people (super social), and the diversity.

In terms of street photography, was a huge fan of Chinatown, Arab Street, and Little India. There are a lot of great subjects there to photograph. The narrow streets of Arab Street are good for juxtaposition/layering shots, Chinatown good for portraits, and Little India to get a more ‘local’ vibe.

Also while in Singapore, had the chance to test out the Leica M-D (no LCD on the back) for 2 days. In short, I loved the camera. Probably the coolest camera Leica has put out in recent history, and certainly the most gutsy and innovative.

Traveling for me

Singapore, 2016
Singapore, 2016

I’m so blessed to have the opportunity to travel, see the world, understand new cultures, meet new people, and have new experiences. But part of me hurts leaving ‘home’ now. To be away from Cindy even for a weekend is pretty painful. And not only that, but I feel like I no longer “need” to travel anymore. In the past, I traveled to escape myself — I was miserable with my life back home, and I thought travel would be an end to my miseries.

Travel did do me a lot of good in the past. It helped me appreciate home better— because I realized after traveling, life abroad was (more similar) than dissimilar back home. Furthermore, I learned that you could live a happy and meaningful life anywhere you live (as long as there is a good wifi connection and good coffee).

I’m excited to go to Japan for these two weeks, but also excited to come back to Hanoi. To me, Hanoi has become a bit of a fairytale— like the Paris of Southeast Asia for me. I love how stress-free life is — not having to worry about paying rent (super cheap compared to America), living expenses (eating out), all the wonderful cafes I can get caffeinated and do some meaningful work at, and also all of our good friends here. But I know I’m not going to be in Hanoi forever— sooner or later Cindy and I are going back home to the states. So I know I can’t get ‘too comfortable.’

Creative flourishing

Singapore, 2016
Singapore, 2016

I met up my friend Ryan the other day — he was visiting from Saigon. He has been an English teacher in Saigon for about 4 years, and he’s been loving his life. Only working 15 hours a week, and using his extra time to learn Vietnamese, pursue his photography, and other creative interests.

Which makes me wonder — in the states (and the rest of the world), we are struggling to make a living. We put in 40+ hour weeks just to pay the rent, and feed ourselves. What if we lived in a society where we only had to work fewer than 20 hours, and use the rest of our energy, time, and focus for creative work? How much more ‘human flourishing’ would we see?

Of course, I’m speaking from the privileged perspective of an American — earning western wages, while living in a developing country. Life is good for me, but still tough for millions of Vietnamese living paycheck-to-paycheck.

Ultralight

For my trip to Japan, I’m trying to pack as “ultralight” as possible. I have my ThinkTank Perception 15 backpack, Ricoh GR II camera, smartphone, laptop (13’’ MacBook Pro), 1 pair of extra clothes (uniqlo airism mesh v-neck shirt, exofficio boxers, quick-dry socks, and uniqlo ‘ultralight down’ jacket). It is probably the lightest I’ve ever traveled — and it is liberating.

I feel so much more nimble, agile, when I am moving around. Not having any luggage to checkin at the airport makes life 100% less stressful. Not only that, but I feel mentally lighter — I have fewer concerns, stresses, and things to worry about.

I also used to have this fear of being bored on a flight. Before each long flight, I’d download tons of books, apps, games, movies, songs, podcasts, to keep me ‘entertained’. But now, I have been able to just enjoy the flight— to do nothing, to take a nap, to daydream, to jot down some notes and reflections, to read a little, and have a friendly chat to my neighbor, and occasionally watching a movie (if there is anything good on the flight).

I’ve written about this in the past— but I’ve been also trying to keep up a practice of uninstalling one superfluous app a day from my phone. I am pretty much at the minimum now— but I have found another trick that works well: hiding apps.

I use the “Nova” launcher on my Android smartphone, and can hide apps that I don’t use often. This way, I am not always distracted to check something I might not need. Something you might want to try out, if you want to be less hooked on your phone.

Living as an overseas American

Singapore, 2016
Singapore, 2016

Cindy and I voted overseas— (of course Hilary), and honestly, the process was a pain in the ass. We had to go to the embassy, fill out all these forms, hike up the stairs, down, getting another envelope, and the entire ordeal took nearly half a day. We were told earlier it was a ‘seamless’ process — but it wasn’t the case.

Anyways, I’m very glad that we voted and fulfilled our civic duty. I am in mourning with the rest of the world, seeing how Trump has made it into office.

But honestly, I am still optimistic about the world. There are still millions of amazing people all around the world, with positive energy, spirit, and enthusiasm. I see it a lot here with the youth in Vietnam — they are eager to start their own businesses, to self-teach themselves, and to make a positive change.

Whenever shit looks down, make sure to look up. I see it pointless to overly distress over the negatives in the world. Because no matter what, there are always ways we can turn it into positives.

Whenever life gives you shit, make gold.

Information is everything

I taught a free workshop in Hanoi recently, you can see the presentation here, and had a great time. Over 100 enthusiastic students came out, and huge thanks to Chu Viet Ha for organizing it.

The thing that I learned was how privileged I am as an American to have access to information. The internet is biased towards those who speak English — almost all of the information out there is in English.

I think that not only is information power; information is everything.

Information is what empowers us. Information is what helps us become the best version of ourself. Information is what helps encourage us to take action in our lives. Information gives us the tools to shape our destiny.

I am blessed to have received such a great education in the states, in public schools, and in university. And I truly feel it is my mission to promote “Open Source” information.

This is another reason why I’m trying to travel less in the future— I feel that my #1 focus should be creating information, improving information, and sharing information. None of that requires for me to travel. I can do it anywhere.

Traveling often gets me out of my rhythm or flow of writing. When I’ve gone a few days without writing (I usually don’t write while I’m traveling), I lose my edge. Not only that, but it usually takes me a few days to get back ‘into the zone.’ I know my life is short, and I want to use my short life to the maximum. I want to help as many people as I can, and while I can definitely help a lot of individuals with my workshops— I feel this blog is the priority.

Photography is life

Singapore, 2016
Singapore, 2016

You might have noticed that a lot of things I’ve been writing about is random — just life related things. And that is what I think we should think about. Not just photography, but how to live a good life.

I see photography as a tool to help empower us, to help us become the best creative versions of ourselves, and to help us better appreciate the world. Photography has helped make me more confident, social, and appreciative. Not only that, but photography has helped me become more empathetic to the needs of others— especially strangers. This is where street photography enters the picture.

So friend, always be grateful for all the blessings you have in your life, and consider how you can continue to empower yourself in photography. Think less about ‘photography’ — and more about living a good life (with a camera).

Upcoming workshops in 2017 and 2018

Hanoi, 2016
Hanoi, 2016

I’ll keep you updated with everything in Japan, Hanoi, and beyond.

If you have been enjoying these letters, want to have some great coffee with me, great food, and a great experience— check out my upcoming week-long Hanoi to Sapa Street Photography Experience (Feb 8–13, 2017). The workshop is certainly not cheap by any means, but I can guarantee it will be an unforgettable experience.

I also am re-considering some of my other workshops for 2017 and 2018. I want to do more “Conquer Your Fear” workshops— as I feel these are the most helpful to the students who attend. I am planning some in Europe (tentatively includes Marseille, Paris, London) and a workshop in NYC (when I visit the states). And also a few more in Asia (another in the future in Tokyo, Saigon, Hanoi, and some other places).

Thank you, thank you

Once again thank you friend for your continued love and support through these travels. There is nothing better than sharing some of my thoughts, experiences, and personal reflections with you.

Always be grateful for what you have, photograph what is in your heart, and imbue your photos with your soul.

Always,

Eric

Hanoi Airport, 7:28am, Thurs, Nov 10, 2016 — feeling a bit sleepy again, time to get another coffee

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