Travel While You Can

 

It is best to travel while you can. As we grow older, especially after retirement, travel can gradually feel more like a chore, and the desire to explore often fades—though, of course, this varies from person to person. In surveys of older adults in Japan, one of the most common reflections is, “I wish I had traveled more and experienced different parts of the world.” Perhaps due to my profession and my love of travel, I have been fortunate to journey both within Japan and abroad more than the average person. As AI continues to advance, simply acquiring knowledge will not be enough. To live meaningfully alongside AI, we will need rich human experiences—moments filled with joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness across diverse environments. Through such experiences, we gain wisdom and deepen our understanding of ourselves. In this sense, travel offers far more than pleasant memories; it provides valuable opportunities for growth. For that reason, I especially encourage young people to travel as much as they can.

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