Recently, I took a solo trip to Awaji Island with my beloved Taycan.

“Why Awaji Island?” you might ask… well, there’s a bit of a reason behind it. (Not too deep, though! lol)

Lately, I hadn’t been able to update my blog. My husband has been diligently writing, and I also had things I wanted to share, but work was so busy that I couldn’t find the mental space to do so.

Today, I want to write about what inspired me to start blogging again and share some recent insights I’ve had.

The Pitfall of “Work as a Hobby”

I’ve always been confident in my physical stamina. For the past four years, I’ve been doing personal training twice a week, so I feel even stronger now. (Though my upper body has grown so much that my suits no longer fit! lol)

Because of this, even under stress, I’d only get minor breakouts, no headaches or loss of appetite, and my health checkups always came back “no issues.” I was overconfident, thinking, “I’m tough, so I’m fine,” which led me to pack my schedule with work.

In 2021, I launched my second company and am now building a business from scratch as an entrepreneur. The process of creating something from zero to one is genuinely enjoyable. With childcare and housework on top of that, life is busy, but I love my work so much that I kept pushing myself nonstop.

For me, work has become my ultimate “hobby.”

However, recently, something happened that made me think, “This might be a warning sign before my body breaks down.” (Nothing serious, really.) I also had a gut feeling: “I’m probably still okay, but if I keep going like this, it could get dangerous.” That scared me a little.

At that moment, someone said to me:

“Mina, work is your ‘hobby.’ It’s your absolute favorite hobby. So, to keep enjoying that hobby for a long time, you should schedule ‘rest’ as part of your work.”

Those words really hit home for me.

Why It’s Hard to Rest Without a Purpose

That said, I’m naturally a restless person—I always want to be doing something. So even if someone says, “Take a break,” I end up opening my laptop at home anyway. I’m not really drawn to aimless café hopping or spa visits.

If there’s no clear “purpose,” I can’t rest well. Honestly, I’m pretty clumsy at this. So, I was suggested a new idea: visiting shrines and collecting goshuin (shrine stamps).

• Shrines and temples aren’t places where you bring your laptop, so it forces a digital detox.
• Collecting goshuin gives a clear goal (task) to focus on.
• Being in the serene atmosphere of shrines refreshes the mind and body.
• Driving my beloved car to different places is fun.

This felt like a way to treat “rest” as a task, helping me maintain both mind and body. So I decided to give it a try right away.

Driving the Taycan on Awaji Island

The first meaningful trip was to Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto with my kids. This second trip was to Awaji Island.

I remembered Izanagi Shrine, which my husband and I had visited before, and drove about an hour and a half from home. Since I have to pick up my son from kindergarten, I couldn’t go too far, but Awaji Island was just the right distance.

Driving the Taycan was as fun as ever. The highway to Awaji Island was smooth and easy to drive, the weather was mild for the season, and the beautiful blue sea views made for the perfect refresh.

Of course, my love for work won’t change. But to keep working passionately for a long time, it’s essential to rest properly. As a business owner, I also realize the importance of intentionally carving out time to recharge, reflect, and plant seeds for the future.

From now on, I plan to fully enjoy my work while scheduling weekly shrine visits as a task (otherwise, I’ll probably skip them). I’ve also set a goal to collect 50 goshuin by the end of 2026 (which seems achievable at a pace of once a week, though I tend to want to accomplish things too quickly!).

I’m sure this will give me the mental space to write more blog posts. I look forward to sharing more about my drives, shrine visits, the Taycan’s performance, and my car life here.

Thank you all once again for your continued support!