(Note: I use AI to help me translate my stories from Japanese to English.)
One day in 2018, while I was lying in bed, I got an idea. I decided to make a blog about my town.
A few days later, I bought a book about how to make a blog. Then I created my blog while reading it. I was able to finish it in several days. This book changed my life.
Before making a blog, I didn’t produce much output.
I really liked reading books and always input a lot of information. However, I was no longer satisfied with just reading books. I wanted to write something by myself.
Before making my blog, I had passed an English exam. That is why I decided to write my blog in English.
I thought making a blog would be difficult. However, it was easier than I had expected. This became a turning point in my life. For some people, making a blog is not a big deal. However, for me, it was a big step.
This was the first time I had written something publicly.
As of 2026, about 40,000 people have visited my blog.
I have been writing my blog for five years. I wrote about one article per month. I have written about 70 articles in total. I wrote about my hometown’s food, sightseeing spots, events, history, and sports.
When I wrote articles about food, I tried to eat the food myself. It was an exciting experience.
When I wrote articles about sightseeing spots, I tried to visit them myself. I took trains, buses, and taxis. Sometimes I had to walk for a long time because there was no public transportation.
Q: What were the difficult things when I made my blog?
- Immediately after I made my blog, the COVID-19 pandemic began. It was difficult to go outside. I had to protect myself from COVID-19. When I wrote about food, I went to restaurants to eat. I was worried about getting infected.
- I climbed a small mountain to take pictures of a port from a high place. While walking in the mountain, I saw a sign that said, “Be careful of bears.” I was very scared and wanted to turn back. However, because I wanted to take the picture, I kept going. In the end, I was able to take beautiful photos.
- It was difficult to write articles in English. First, I wrote articles in Japanese. Then I translated them into English. After that, native English speakers corrected my English. (There was no AI at that time.)
- I attended an academic conference to listen to speeches. The speeches were in English, so I recorded them. At home, I transcribed them one by one. This was very difficult.
- It was hard to read many documents in order to write articles. I searched for academic papers on the Internet. I borrowed books from libraries. I bought books on Amazon. I tried to collect as many materials as possible.
Q: What made me happy when I made my blog?
- I was happy when I learned that many visitors came to my blog from different countries around the world. It was interesting and exciting.
- I was happy when I searched on Google and found my own posts.
- I was happy when I learned that my posts were linked on other websites.
- I was happy when I received comments from visitors. Some visitors wrote “thank you.”
- I was happy that I was able to eat a lot of food while writing about food.
- I was happy that I was able to learn a lot about my hometown. I visited many sightseeing spots, ate local food, and read many books about my hometown.
Q: Has my life changed because of my blog?
Yes, it has. Before, I was a consumer who only consumed information. Now, I have become a producer. My ability to convey messages has improved a lot. I have gained confidence through making my blog.
I spent a lot of money to create my blog. I used an English correction service, which was very expensive. However, I have no regrets.
I was able to contribute to my hometown by making this blog. I was also able to learn about my town more deeply.
If you haven’t made a blog yet, why don’t you try it? It is easier than you think. It is fun to see your articles on the Internet. It is exciting to know that people around the world will read your posts.