Twelve days, 3,600 km, punishing enough to put most men to shame —
that is the world of motorsport Komochan has been taking on (laughs).
The blog is covering the whole twelve-day event day by day,
so I would love it if you followed along in order.
This trip was the warm-up for a world motorsport event, and a first-for-a-Japanese-woman challenge at that —
the 14,000 km, 37-day Peking to Paris.
Ahead of a long rally — 4,600 km over twelve days — I took a single day’s rest
in Spain to adjust to the time difference.
Why do I feel more like myself abroad?
Strange, isn’t it? Colours I would never wear in Japan, I suddenly want to put on abroad.
Worrying about looking heavy, or thinking “a bikini at my age??” — all the limits I put on myself just fall away, all at once!
I live-streamed that experience and the view back to everyone in Japan, and the response caught me completely off guard!
“That suits you so well over there.”
“You blend right into the scenery.”
“You look great in it!” — one compliment after another!!
Hm??
The values of me abroad, and me in Japan
Spain was full of stylish people. You think Italy or America when you think fashion, but there were so many people abroad wearing bold colours with real ease.
I had time, so I took a sightseeing boat too — and look, nobody there cared
whether their stomach showed, or their backside was large.
There really are fewer people in Japan wearing primary colours, aren’t there?
On a weekday train, it’s black, white and grey, over and over.
There is a certain chic quality to that, but it inevitably drifts towards “safe.”
In the end, choosing what to wear comes down to whether you care what people around you think —
and day after day, you end up matching everyone else, dressing safely.
What is the first step to breaking your own assumptions?
Every time I go abroad, I notice the same thing about myself: I had always thought I lived true to my own values, but in practice I had kept myself “safe”, always weighing harmony with the people around me.
And putting on the clothes I actually likefeels like it tells me,“it’s all right, this is who you are.”
Wearing clothes you love, you feel yourself unconsciously growing to match them —
as though remembering a version of yourself you had forgotten.
Is fashion a tool for remembering who you are?
Back in Japan, with no time to sit and savour it, the days flying by in a rush of busyness,
the memory of those photos from Spain came flooding back, and I found myself thinking again about
being myself, living as myself.
I hope I can carve out even a little time, here in Japan too, to wear the fashion I actually love, with confidence,
and shake off other people’s eyes, other people’s judgement.
It all comes down to yourself, in the end, doesn’t it!
A first-for-a-Japanese-woman challenge! I would love it if you had a look at this too!
I have never once seen someone succeed by worrying what people think of them, and never seen anyone reach a goal by reading everyone else’s face.
Once you notice how genuinely simple most things in this world actually are, life gets a hundred times more fun.