Today, once again, I ended up not waking up until after noon. As expected, when I first wake up my head is still half-asleep, so my imagination runs free. Because of that, I found myself thinking about the person I'm interested in.
Fried chicken for 50 baht in a local area
After that I showered, got ready, and headed out. I decided to try a different khao man gai restaurant and went up to a place I had in mind. But the restaurant I wanted was closed, so I went into a similar place next door. At first I thought it was the one I was looking for, but after going in I realized it wasn't.
After looking through the menu I ordered the fried chicken with rice. The large size was 50 baht (about 225 yen). Ridiculously cheap. Since it came with garlic, sweet sauce, and spicy sauce, I told the woman, 'No garlic, no spicy, no sweet.'
Yes, I didn't want those spice things. Garlic makes my breath stink, I don't like spicy food, and sweet things make you fat. The woman looked a little puzzled, like 'huh?'. She prepared it right away, and when it came out it was really just fried chicken sitting on top of rice. She had the sauces prepared separately on little plates.
I appreciated that. I actually tried it, and I decided it was better to skip the sweet sauce — it was too sweet, the spicy sauce was spicy, and there was garlic.
So I just ate the rice and chicken. Even so, it was really delicious. The area I went to was a local one with almost no tourists. I paid 50 baht and said goodbye.
Then I decided to walk to another restaurant nearby. It was also a khao man gai place. It seemed to be open, so I went in there too.
Similarly, I ordered the large khao man gai. This time it was the regular chicken, not fried. It was good too. So far the best khao man gai I've had was that place in Bangkok — the spot near Chinatown was incredibly good. So I want to go back.
A cafe open until 11 PM and Starbucks Reserve
There was a cafe nearby open until 11 PM, so I decided to go. Most of the customers were locals; there weren't many foreigners. The staff felt very fresh. Since I haven't met many memorable people since coming to Chiang Mai, it felt refreshing.
I ordered a coconut & matcha tea. It was green, but it tasted like coconut with a faint hint of matcha. I wouldn't say it was tasty. I worked and studied React there for about three hours. I thought I could stay since it was open until 11, but there was nowhere to charge my device, and before I knew it I was down to 10%, so I left and walked to a nearby Starbucks.
At first I thought about going to another Starbucks I hadn't been to, but when I went there I didn't like the vibe — there were a lot of people and I didn't like the layout. I felt that instinctively. So I turned around and went back.
So in the end I went to the Starbucks Reserve I often visit. I ordered a decaf cold brew (probably), and there I studied React and worked. I spent my time like that.
Studying React is becoming fun
I've been studying React recently, and I'm starting to understand its structure and the basics, so I feel like I'm actually grasping it — which made me really happy. Today I learned about fetch and converting API data into JSON.
I also learned about async/await. I think the fastest way to learn is by building an app in practice. Learning on sites like Progate is good, but learning through the process of making an actual app or something you'll use is more efficient.
Anyway, I had a massage booked at 9:30 PM today, so I stayed holed up in Starbucks studying until then. I felt that learning something new is truly enjoyable. I even reached a state of flow — it was really fun.
There's no end to imagining how much my life would improve if I could wake up at 8 AM. First I want to change that habit and get back to going to bed early and waking up early. That's my goal right now.
Goal-oriented realist × emotion-immersed romantic
I've been asking ChatGPT to analyze my psychology and personality based on my actions and journal. Apparently I'm completely opposite in work versus private life.
Apparently I'm a goal-oriented realist × an emotion-immersed romantic. I think that's an interesting analysis. It's because I have some leeway now that I'm able to get to know myself. That's really important — knowing yourself is truly important. So through this trip I want to learn a lot about myself.
Before the massage, the tourist problem again
For dinner I had khao man gai at a nearby large mall-like place with a nice atmosphere. It was reliably delicious. Honestly, this khao man gai might simply be the best. I can't really tell which is truly number one, though. I finished it in ten minutes and then went to the massage place.
I think it was called Relax Express. Today's menu was a 60-minute facial massage.
When I arrived there were a lot of customers waiting outside, and it made me feel a bit uneasy. They were all foreigners, zero locals, which made me even more unsettled. When you're traveling and there are a lot of tourists like you, it somehow makes you feel uncomfortable.
Before, if I realized there were Japanese people nearby, for some reason I'd suddenly become self-conscious and lose my composure. Lately I feel that way about tourists in general. Why is that? What's happening inside me?
There is no 'right answer'.
There's no doubt I'm too obsessed with finding the 'right' answer — like thinking there's a correct way to behave. I want to smash that kind of thinking to pieces. It will surely take a lot of time, but there's no such thing as 'you should do it this way.'
I feel that the habit of seeking the 'correct answer' that I picked up growing up in Japan has made me this constrained. I should be able to be more free.
But getting angry about it won't help. I have to accept it and transform it from a flaw into a strength.
Life is difficult, and as long as we live as human beings there are dark parts. The more purely you live, the darker and harsher it can be. Humans are sad creatures, dark creatures.
But that's just something you don't notice when you're living an ordinary life — busy with work or having fun with friends. But if you take a two-week period without interacting with anyone and spend it in a rural town, the dark parts that you hadn't seen before will suddenly surface.
It's overwhelming — the dark, sad, countless conflicts of being human. But perhaps this is the true human condition, and there's value in knowing it. I think you can feel that only when you have a sustained period without busyness. A short two-day vacation relaxing in a nearby park won't reveal human nature. Go farther. To the countryside.
Then create a period of no contact with anyone. You'll really get drawn in more and more — frighteningly so. But that's okay. If you get pulled in that far, go all the way to the bottom of Nara. After that, you have no choice but to come back up.
The 'cultural distance' I feel while traveling
When I went to the 7-Eleven at night, I saw tourists filling their baskets with a ton of snacks and drinks and getting really excited. They were saying things like, 'If we win the perfect prize, let's do such-and-such.' I totally get that short overseas trips are special when you have little vacation time and people get hyped. I understand that feeling, but maybe because I'm traveling long-term, I feel a temperature gap with that kind of excitement.
I find myself thinking it's wasteful — the way they spend money or time. If you're throwing a party, going to a supermarket is cheaper than a convenience store, and they'd be better off enjoying the party itself than chasing some 'perfect prize.' But that's different for everyone, and I shouldn't meddle in other people's lives. It's their freedom how they behave or live.
At the massage place I was made to wait about twenty minutes. The receptionist was worn out from the busyness. Her smile was a forced smile; she didn't have any composure. I picked up on that right away. After that, I was finally shown in.
Having a lot of people in the same quiet space feels really uncomfortable. I especially notice that when I'm abroad — the degree of attention people pay to others differs a lot by culture. In Japan, whether on trains or in the city, you sometimes feel the eyes of people around you.
When you're in a country with a low-interference culture, you can relax a lot. When I was in Vietnam, I hardly felt any gazes. I think many people there are focused on themselves. Of course I really respect the sensitivity and consideration Japanese people have — there's so much to admire about Japanese virtues. Still, personality-wise I feel I fit better with a non-interfering atmosphere.
Facial treatment, 3,000 yen
The massage started with a foot wash, then I went upstairs for a facial treatment. They applied things that smelled like yogurt, pineapple, and coconut, massaged, and then wiped it off with water — that's basically how the treatment went. Sorry, that sounds a bit blunt. But it was just okay. It cost 3,000 yen. Fine, whatever. But I'm never going again. Vietnam was much better.
Massages in Vietnam are very comfortable. I don't know why. There's really a big difference between Thailand and Vietnam. For me, Vietnam is like another world — very distant from Japan, psychologically and culturally. Thailand doesn't feel that different, so maybe that's why it's less comfortable. I'm not sure.
So the massage ended. They gave me tea and snacks. But this felt like the most rushed experience so far. There were so many customers around that they couldn't treat each person carefully. Well, it's because they're busy. So I've decided not to book at 9:30 PM anymore. Going during the day or early evening is definitely better. I really felt that. Taylor Swift's Reputation album works so well. Really. I'm listening to it now and I love it.
Also, I thought maybe the masseuse was trying to lighten the mood with small talk — 'Do you do Muay Thai?' or 'It's hot, right? Tell me if it's too hot!' But I really prefer minimal conversation. Because I'll never see that person again. So I'd rather they just do the massage quietly. The purpose of a massage is to be healed and treated, after all. That's how I think. What is wrong with me?
Conclusion: 'When there are many tourists it feels uncomfortable' → 'In high-interference cultures psychological safety is low' → 'I adapt more easily to non-interfering cultures'
