Week 9: Motivation

Hi guys!

Today I would like to introduce the courage and self-confidence topic.

Self-motivation and preparing oneself for an event/occasion etc.

Definition of motivation can be found anywhere on  the Internet : “Motivation is a psychological feature that arouses an organism to act towards a desired goal and elicits, controls, and sustains certain goal-directed behaviors. It can be considered a driving force; a psychological one that compels or reinforces an action toward a desired goal. For example, hunger is a motivation that elicits a desire to eat. Motivation is the purpose or psychological cause of an action.

Motivation has been shown to have roots in physiological, behavioral, cognitive, and social areas. Motivation may be rooted in a basic impulse to optimize well-being, minimize physical pain and maximize pleasure. It can also originate from specific physical needs such as eating, sleeping or resting, and sex.

Motivation is an inner drive to behave or act in a certain manner.  Once I  came across a sentence on a website , psychologytoday.com  : "It's the difference between waking up before dawn to pound the pavement and lazing around the house all day." These inner conditions such as wishes, desires, goals, activate to move in a particular direction in behavior.”

But how does the theory confronts with reality?

I found problems in motivating myself on many occasions. I lacked in perseverance on completing my tasks before deadline and suddenly it came to me like a shock - I had a problem, I realized that from my school when I started  getting bad marks because of not doing tasks or doing them wrong, in a hurry. I read a lot and talked with my friends  about how they motivated themselves. Then a solution was clear - no matter how many time I spent on thinking what I should do it didn't bring me closer to achieve my goals. Then I tried the simplest thing ever – I tried doing tasks on the same day or day after I received it. It was very hard at  the beginning but soon after I noticed that my marks got better.

Now I will tell you something about my friend.... It's a secret... I recently talked to my friend about motivation and how life goes by. This is what I heard from him: " I've wanted to start my driver's course since September last year when I came back from the States. But I am the type of a  person that needs time to process a lot of information and, more accurately, I need to find time and motivation to enroll. So I wanted to, but was too lazy to actually do the first step. :) However, I am the type of person that makes decision REALLY quickly when I must or am forced to. For example during my university years (I miss them!) when there was one (!) day left to apply for another major (spanish Philology) and no time to lose, I managed to get all the papers, take some necessary photographs of my horrible face, fill in all the paperwork and officially apply. If I had had more than a day (like maybe two weeks), I probably would not have done anything, and never would have enrolled! The same thing was with this driver's course. As I was saying, I wanted to but had no motivation. Then one of my work buddies (another English teacher) said she had just enrolled and was waiting for the first class. She asked me to join (as we spoke about the necessity of having a licence a  month before) and having NO TIME to make up my mind, I decided "what the hell! It's time!" and did it"

It gave me lots to think about.

 It's basically about the first step - and then I either get involved or not.

How is it with you guys?

Do you need to force yourselves to get somewhere?

Do you need someone to push you a bit?

Here is some video about motivation I found:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQfE0SMU4Ck

Week 9: Pokemon

I would like to tell about the  Pokemon phenomenon. One can think of the target audience between ages of 10 and 14 playing funny looking handheld games and trading card games. Is it real the picture and archetype of the target customer group? To be honest - no. When I was younger, like 9 years old (1998) Pokemon first appeared on Western and Polish television as well as gameboy games and trading card games. They were great and at that moment I found them very addictive. Many people aged between 9 and 16 at that time became addicted to funny looking monsters and simple idea of collecting them and trading them with other players ( this was the main intention of their creators because of different versions with ‘exclusive’ obtainable creatures). Nowadays they are in their late 20s or 30s and still they try to “Catch ‘em all!” ( the motto of animated Pokemon series). I have to admit that the first version was available only on the gameboy but over time developed 'Emulators' for the systems by which started to play well on consoles, computers, and not just on gameboys. How did it start?

In 1996 a Japanese company named Nintendo created an odd-looking game with a simple idea: to collect monsters, train them, trade them via the transfer cable with other players and to become best trainer. First two Pokémon games were released in Japan : Pokémon Green and Pokémon Red. What is in one game cannot be present in the other. This idea encouraged players to interact with other people to trade monsters. At that time it was revolutionary, because player battles, trades and society ( things outside the game ) became the most important parts of a game.

Original covers of first games (Pocket Monsters Trainer)

http://i2.listal.com/image/1804419/600full-pokemon-green-version-cover.jpg

http://theologygaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Pokemon_red_box_ja.jpg

Evolution-revolution

This series became very popular inside and outside Japan. Soon after original release Nintendo created manga, anime and a trading card game. ‘Western’ release brought another three games : Blue, Red, Yellow (last one was based loosely on animated series). These games are known as the first generation. Nintendo made a few mechanism of unique pokemon not obtainable in any way than attending events licensed by the Japanese company. After wireless network became more popular Nintendo implemented battling and trading via Wi-Fi.

Outside electronic game

Hasbro (owner of Pokemon and many other TCG*) still organizes tournaments of Pokemon Trading Card Game online and offline ( with real cards ). I used to attend them in Warsaw at one of Warsaw stores which sold board games and various trading card games and I saw many times people playing pokemon. They looked as though they had been between 25 and 40 years old. I was a Pokemaniac. Still,  I sold my old Gameboy color many years ago along with a few games ( Pokemon games as well). Now I pity my old handheld console which gave me so many positive memories.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCOo6SAVI80

* Were you into Pokémon? Did you collect cards or other collectibles?
* Do you feel nostalgic about things you loved to do as a child?

Week 9: Dreams

All articles that I wan't to write, are those without any youtube videos, nor photos. I would love to give some tips on teaching kids, how to make them listen, but it wouldn't suffice.
So I will talk about dreams, and chasing them. Something quite personal, a little bit like an entery to a diary...
When I finished high-school I wen't to Brussels. I didn't know what to study, what to do with myself, and so I decided to take a year off. It didn't work that way. I was there four whole, wonderful years.
I remember that few months before my departure I was very exited. Finally, on my own! I would be the queen of myself! But as the date was approaching, I started to be terrified. What if I wouldn't find my place? But my parents pushed me to this bus, taking me to Brussels, and 24 hours later I was on my own, alone, in an unknown city, not knowing the language or anyone. Three months later (after a period of being completely lost) I passed my exams to an artistic school, and six months later I was fluent in french. Then I decided to prolongue my "year off". I wantesd to finish graphic novels studies. And I did. I got a degree I wouldn't even dream about in high-school. I came back to Poland very satisfied of myself.
I would love to repeat that experience with my husband. But he's in the stadium of being affraid. Our plan is to go for a six month internship in New York (yes, we are fully aware that it's nearly impossible), and then go for our 6 month trip trough USA. For us it's our last moment. In next few years we're planning on having a bunch of kids, finding a steady job. So it's now or never. But again, we're terrified. We have no idea, what will happen in US, what to expect, if we're going to return and when we would, if we'd find a job. Those kind of questions you start to ask, when you grow up. It sucks...
But you know what? Even thought we're affraid, we're still gonna at least try to do it. We're going for it. We're making a leap of faith. We're risking everything to chase our dream.


Do you have dreams? What kind? Do you chase them, and how?
If you don't do it, why? You know, that the only thing, that stops you from bringing this dream alive is you?

Here's some video touching this subject :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pFv0qM6vmI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Week 9: Importance of Photography

Hi, I would like to talk a little bit about importance of photography, especially in newspapers.
Few years ago the majors newspapers like Gazeta gave the photographers an anex for a contract, which encluded a small, but very important clausule: that all rights to those photos would be sold to only one newspaper f.ex. Gazeta Wyborcza, and that this newspaper can use those photos in a future without notice or extra payement. Also, the payement would be much lower. Reason? Crisis. So lots of them just left, decided to be a freelancers, or just changed the job. Like this manhttp://natemat.pl/13143,znakomity-fotograf-gazety-wyborczej-zostaje-barista-historia-jednego-czlowieka-i-calego-zawodu-wywiad
Sorry, I could fin this article only in polish.
Anyway, photos are arround us all the time. We all have mobiles with camera build in, or we have our
digital cameras. Making photos was never easier! We do have instagram, and so everyone can do basicly good and interesting photos. That's why people don't even think, that the job of a photographer is quite important. His job is to show an impartial way of given situation (of course I mean photojurnalisme, not photos from vacations....). And people tend to forget it.
Few weeks ago a french newspaper Libération published one number without any photos... And you can see a terrible difference...http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2013/nov/15/news-photography-france
They did it to show the importance of photos in newspapers.

And cherry on the top: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtAqLGMDomU

So, before you think about not paying e penny for a photographers work, please remember, they do an enormous work. But right now, there are so many of them, and maybe some of you are trying out in photography. So, here's some help, on how charge for your work: http://digitalcamerapolska.pl/warsztat/339-ile-zarabia-fotograf-w-polsce-zobacz-realne-stawki (again in polish, because I assume, you're doing photos in Poland...)

And what do you think about that? Do you feel importance of photographes in newspapers? Do you see a difference now in Gazeta Wyborcza (two years ago, pros were making them. Now there are only amatures...)

Week 9: XXI century addictions

XXI century has brought us to a time when addiction has a much broader meaning than it had few years ago. Alcoholism or drug abuse aren't the only popular addictions anymore. Nowadays, people are prone to many more types of addiction, some of which could be considered absurd. It can be mental or psychosomatic, but it's always dangerous when one has a withdrawal symptoms.

Let's start with an innocent one - Chocolate. It is a confectionery product which everyone knows and usually likes. It is one of the basic contents of many cakes or other deserts but is sometimes considered an addictive product. Chocolate addiction happens when one loses control over the amount of substance he eats. It's very easy to succumb to it. Chocolate can affect the human brain in a way that a person feels euphoria, happiness or even sexual arousal. Theobromine, an alkaloid stimulant contained in chocolate is not addictive but it works similarly to caffeine. It acts on the central nervous system. Caffeine itself can also be found in chocolate and is one of the most addictive drugs. Although the quantity of it is too small it can also bring a person to addiction at some point. Tryptophan is another substance that boosts the mood, transmitting serotonin. It's not addictive by itself but people find it easy to get addicted to pleasure. Summing up, chocolate most likely cannot be addictive by itself, however the feeling after eating a chocolate bar can be hard to resist.

(Source:http://www.yummy.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Mixed-Chocs-chocolate-33338405-1366-768.png)

Another popular addiction is a tanning addiction, often called tanorexia. It happens when a person overuses sunbathing or tanning beds. How can it be addictive? Some tan-lovers tend to release a substance called opioid which stimulates human mood, acting similarly to heroine, morphine or codeine. Tanorexia is very dangerous as it often requires UV radiation that may lead to skin cancer, sight loss, depression or some serious burns.

Workaholism is another problem which never was bigger than in XXI century. People nowadays have much more job opportunities, and desires. Commercials are part of peoples everyday lives making them crave new objects. Workaholic is a person who dedicated his or her life to work, often taking pleasure out of it.  It is not the same as working hard. Workaholics tend to be proud of the term they are described by. But the addiction has a negative effect on other aspects of life that are neglected (such as family or social relations). Addicted people often lose track of time while working. They ruin their health due to shortage of sleep. They feel the urge to be busy all the time, doing tasks that aren't really necessary.  Psychologists say that overworking can be a mask for anxiety, low self-esteem, and intimacy issues and is a serious problem that can lead to early death.

Internet addiction disorder (IAD) is a very elaborate subject. This is probably the most common XXI century addiction. People  use Internet in many ways. Having access to it almost all the time, they depend on it for many things. Since the Internet has a broad variety of subjects it created lots of cyber addictions:

• Cybersexual addicton - watching pornography, discussing on sex-related subjects.
• Cyber-relationship addiction - an addiction to cyber society.
• Net compulsions - a need to be connected to the net all the time.
• Information overload - getting more and more information
• Computer addiction - spending time working on computer, not necessarily connected to the Internet

Yet another addiction worth mentioning is oniomania, otherwise known as shopping addiction. There are oniomaniacs or compulsive shoppers in almost every neighborhood. Studies suggest that compulsive buying affects more than one in 20 adults. The mania has been linked to depression since shopping can rise up one's self-esteem, giving them false feeling of power and strength.

Sex Addiction, being one of better known addictions, was always present in history, but presently people turn the urge into a compulsive behavior, having sex regardless of their relations or beliefs. Easy access to porn through TV or the Internet makes the problem bigger now then it was ever before.

Exercise Addiction happens when finding a limit to physical exercising is hard. An addict dedicate his life to the gym, sacrificing other life aspects. It can cause several dysfunctions in life. People tend to deny themselves rest, while it's really important for muscles in order to regenerate. It can be also harmful for the body if it's not used to the imposed effort. The amount of exercises creates euphoria in the addict, driving him to work harder and longer. It brings him to the situation when he must exercise more every time to achieve the euphoric feeling. This addiction often comes along with many disorders, mostly regarding food.

(Source: http://www.exercisesoftware.com/mediaImg/exsoft.jpg)

Every pleasure in life can be dangerous if it's overused. People need to remember that there's a thin line between pleasure and  self-destruction.

Questions:

Have you heard about anyone with one of those addictions?

Which one of those addictions would you succumb to?

Week 9: St. Andrew's Day

I think we're all familiar with the St. Andrew's Day, which in Poland is known as Andrzejki. It is a feast day celebrated on the 30th of November. The date is approaching, so it's good to know few facts about it.

Saint Andrew was one of the 12 apostles. The story has it that after the death of Jesus Andrew was travelling and teaching about the word of God. Eventually he died for his believes on a X-shaped cross. Nowadays he's the patron of Scotland, Greece and Russia. The tradition of celebrating St. Andrew's Day comes most likely from Scotland. It is said that the cross on Scottish flag comes from the one Andrew died on. Now in Scotland it's celebrated pompously, with lots of dances and singing. But how it looked like at its beginning?

(Source: 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/St_Andrew_the_Apostle_-_Bulgarian_icon.jpg)

The time when this tradition originated isn't known. In Poland the term "Andrzejki" was first used by Marcin Bielski in his play in 1557. But it was already used by Europeans in XII century. Fortunetelling was really popular back then, but at the beginning it was meant only for young girls. Boys had their own day - the 24th of November which was St. Catherine's day. People believed that the night between the 29th and the 30th was the only time when magic was available for everyone. It was believed that the spirits who could tell the future arrived at this time. Girls, mostly unmarried, were practicing divination mostly to know about their future love.

The first well-known ritual was pouring wax, tin or lead (lead was said to bring luck) through a keyhole to a bowl with cold water. The key was the symbol of fertility and mystery, it opened the variety of possibilities in future. Then, when the liquid was solidified, girls put it out to see a shadow it casted. It was supposed to give the answer, if the girl will be married, go to convent or die. The answer depended only on imagination, but any symbol they came up with had its own significance. For example, a branch or a flower had a double meaning: a girl could have become a bride really soon or a spinster. There was also this belief that marriage foreseen with lead would be much more permanent than the one foreseen with wax.

(Source: http://alternatywnie.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/andrzejki.jpg)

Another popular way for fortunetelling was looking into a well. In moonlight a girl could see a face of her future husband.  Yet another one was a barking dog. The place from where it was barking was the direction the future love will come from. A way to know his name was to write down numerous of names on sheets of paper and put them under a pillow for the night. In the morning the first name the girl would take out, was the name her future husband would have. The first girl to be married was chosen in a different ritual. Girls lined up their shoes in a room till they touched the wall. The last shoe touching the wall won. 

In time, the feast became collective, both for girls and boys. Many countries created their own customs. 

In southern Poland people believed that St. Andrew's night was the time when all the witches and ghost came to steal cow's milk. To prevent that, people marked their doors with garlic in a cross sign. Garlic was believed to have its own magical properties. When a girl ate 3 cloves of garlic she could have a dream about her true love.

In the eastern parts of Poland people were eavesdropping by their neighbors' windows. When they heard a word "yes" they knew a marriage will be soon. Any other word meant that it wasn't time for that yet. In the west girls put together 3 candle wicks which were the symbols of a wife, a husband and a priest. It brought them great luck in marriage. They were also praying a lot.

Nowadays, the St. Andrew's Day is still celebrated but with a pinch of salt. People still enjoy carrying on this tradition, creating more games and rituals that predict the future or just bring luck.

Questions:

Have you ever tried any St. Andrew's Day's fortune-telling?

Do you know any other rituals?

Are you planning to celebrate St. Andrew's Day this year?­

Week 9: Junk food advertisement vs. childhood obesity

There's no need to explain why fast food is often called "junk". We all know about its negative aspects. And we are all aware of the fact that nowadays obesity is getting more and more serious and simultaneously more dangerous.  And while adults may consciously make everyday decision on what to eat, considering all pros and cons of the meal, the kids on the other hand want only what they see - juicy burgers, sweet sodas or double chocolate shakes that often come along with a trendy toy. Should they be the vulnerable victims of fast-food ads?

(Source: http://www.designinfographics.com/infographics-images/kings-of-fast-food.png)

Are you aware, that over 70% of all McDonald's ads are commercials targeted at children? Fast-food industry spends $2 billion every year on advertising targeting kids all over the world. They encourage, persuade and manipulate children. There are thousands of specialists in each food chains working only on kids behavior, needs and likes. And with such an effort from these companies to feed kids only but salt-and-sweet, the battle to teach kids the proper eating habits seems to be bound to fail. But what is crucial here is the fact that kids are not looking for food in these ads - they want toys and other giveaways that go with it. They want something colorful and shiny, they do not think about food quality. But they will still eat these cheeseburgers along with fatty french fries while playing with a new toy. Let's have a look on a compilation of some  junk food ads for kids.

Are they really showing food? Not particularly - they describe to this child in front of TV a day full of funny adventures, with all the friends and toys.  What you may have noticed is that in children's meal ads the branding is very important, there's often an image of food's packaging, while, in comparison, in adult's ads a street view of a restaurant is the most important. Another interesting fact is that the food images in the ads aimed at kids averaged only 20% of the screen diagonal, while in those aimed at adults it's over 45%. They aren't emphasize the food, because something else is important: brand, premiums (such as toy giveaways) ,a funny side story. But, of course, the food comes along.

This way it seems to be harmless. But such ads lead to overeating of sugar, salt and fat. Vegetables, fruits and other healthy products are no longer desired. If the parents are not reacting quick enough and do not limit the quantity of junk food eaten by their kids, these unhealthy habits will follow with dangerous addiction, obesity, allergies and most likely some fatal diseases.

(Source:http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/71/c8/f0/71c8f0b831ee59779e0935ae9efe0e8c.jpg)

But can you really run away from ads? The governments in many countries, including Poland, introduced the law that describe what exactly can ads for kids include. It is interesting, for example, that they cannot attack kids with slogans - like "you MUST have it" or "all your friends have it. Do you?". These can lead to low self-esteem if one cannot have the desired product. Kids are very trusting and gullible, especially when the knowledge comes from an authority such as teachers or parents. That is also banned in commercials - not to show any kind of recommenda­­tion.

With ongoing healthy lifestyle trend and awareness even junk food companies are striving for image change. For example, few years ago McDonald's began adding an apple to their happymeals, their introduced new menu entries, like salads, healthy sandwiches, they even made a list of calorific value. How that responds to the nutrients of a meal? This is only an illusion, part of a smart marketing. The increasing problem of children obesity is the best answer to that. Hopefully, parents will see the risk and act in time, teaching their kids the proper eating habits.

Questions:

What do you think?

Should fast food ads for kids be banned?

Who should be responsible for the content in those commercials?

Are kids in danger of obesity these days?

Week 8: Asia Trip: Part 2 - South Korea

This can be found in downtown Seoul

Another great country to visit in Asia is South Korea. Especially considering their recent growth and new, modern infrastructure and architecture to be seen.

Contrary to my opinion about Japan’s capital not being the “true” Japanese place to visit, Seoul is great if you want to see the best of Korea. Actually half of Korea lives there. 

Most of Korean traditional architecture and history had been destroyed by the Japanese (so Korean dislike towards Japan is very widespread, just like many Polish people not liking Russians or Germans).

Also downtown Seoul

So the Seoul area features some of the most beautiful and authentic-looking reconstructions. Also, Seoul is the place to visit to experience modern Korea and experience the core of their economy and development - it is one of the most modern, clean and well-organized cities in the world with great balance between modern skyscrapers, traditional architecture and green areas all in extremely organized urban architecture - probably one of the best in the world.

Most foreign tourists will want to see places such as Gangnam - the business area with expensive shops and restaurants. In reality there is not much to see there, contrary to what the Korean pop icon would like you to believe. There are just countless businesses and overpriced products and services to be found there - which doesn't stop the Koreans from shopping there, their economy allows them to afford a lot. Gangnam is also home to some of the most expensive apartment buildings in Korea.

Gangnam

Hongdae

Another interesting area is Hongdae - THE area for the young people around the Hongik University, which is filled with bars and restaurants.On any typical evening it’s extremely crowded with students looking for a place to get drunk - and by extremely crowded I really mean it. Hongdae is also filled with hostels and is popular for foreign exchange students - most dorms are located there. The thing is, to put it in perspective, Hongdae "party area" is the size of an average district in Warsaw.

It shows perhaps the most underestimated feature of the culture - drinking. They can drink at least as much as the Polish people, and they do it more often. Many people drink beer with everything, even with breakfast or during the lunch break at work - it's completely usual in South Korea.

There are many, many interesting areas in Seoul, each of them is special. For instance, itaewon is a very popular foreigner shopping and residential area, there are little "towns" for major Korean companies and as a matter of fact cities located near Seoul are probably soon to become parts of Seoul.

If you have a little more time and truly want to know all about Korea you should totally take a trip across Korea. If you have even more time, you should take a trip to the Jeju island, which is basically a Korean paradise island:

Jeju Island

Jeju island. Source: https://www.visit7wonders.com/

But back to the trip across the "main" South Korea, hanging out in towns near the North Korean border might be a cool experience for most people. Some of them are mostly occupied by North Korean residents, who are really nice people, and those places feel like time stopped for them in the 60s and it's standing still:

Sokcho

There are many beautiful nature spots. South Korea has some of the most beautiful mountain areas I've ever seen, perhaps being beat only by British Columbia and western Alberta in Canada, and maybe the Guilin area in China.

Seoraksan National Park

Seoraksan National Park

Seoraksan in the morning. Source: Visitkorea.or.kr

I could go on and on about the beauty of the place, but just like with Japan, you should see it yourself and I don't want to spoil your journey too much ;-)

So I'll talk shortly about food. The Koreans like meat - especially beef, so being in Korea you HAVE TO try Bulgogi. They also like Kimchi, beer, seafood and garlic. However, the most interesting part of their eating habits is the Korean BBQ - Gogigui. It is indeed very special, as you are preparing your own food from raw ingredients provided by the restaurant - you have to cook them together with the people you eat with, which makes for one of the most social restaurant experiences ever.

The best Asian food experience, Gogigui

Finally I'll mention my experience with the Korean people, as they are very unique. There are stereotypes about the Asian people known in Poland, but to tell you the truth, each country in Asia is entirely different. While people in Japan are very polite, they seem to be somewhat dishonest about it. In Korea, people are also polite, well organized and act selflessly, but they are very honest and will tell you exactly how they feel. They are much more open towards strangers and they are genuinely nice people to be around - Koreans are some of the best friends you might have. Quiet and emphatic on transit and work (where they spend half of their lives); loud and happy at the bar.

I thought I shouldn't make my blog posts THAT long, so I'll just cut this short and go right to the questions:

What do YOU know about Korea? What do you think about that country? Would you like to visit?

Sources: Own experience and photos.

Week 8: Asia Trip: Part 1 - Japan

This week on the Blog I would like to talk about something a little different. I would like to give basic insight about one of the most interesting journeys I’ve had - traveling in Eastern Asia. I’ve divided this blog entry into 3 parts. Each is related to a different country as each country in Asia provides totally different kind of experience and atmosphere.

The first part is related to the country perhaps most familiar with fellow students of our university. Obviously I mean Japan. The country of blooming cherry trees (Sakura), Manga, martial arts, geishas and robots. That’s what most people imagine when they think of Japan, I suppose. In reality one has to truly experience Japan to really know what it’s about and realize that the generalizations about Japan are very shallow, while the culture and things you’re likely to experience in Japan will leave you with very amazing impressions that go way beyond what you’re likely told about that place and the people living there.

While most people associate Japan with Tokyo as the main city representing that country, to truly experience Japan you have to visit the Kansai area. To get there you have to travel to the magnificent, artificial island airport - the Kansai airport. You can get there from Poland in 12-15 hours by plane including stopover (you're just an average "Asian" work day length away from being there ;-) )

Reaching the Kansai Area

The stunning views of Japan’s most beautiful regions and the airport, which is possibly one of the leading examples of amazing, modern construction engineering will greet you as you arrive.

Kyoto, near the top of the Fushimi Inari

From the airport, you should travel to Kyoto - the fastest way to get there is by the limited express - “Haruka”. 
A train that will get you from Osaka to Kyoto in about 40 minutes, that departs straight from the airport terminal and stops in Kyoto’s central district. 
Right next to the Kyoto Tower, the most "crowded" area (Kyoto is not a crowded place, it's more like the Japan that you see in anime/ manga) and most hostels/traditional guest houses.














Speaking of which, a stay at a Japanese guest house is a very memorable experience, so I truly recommend  trying it at least for a night or two. 

A small, cheap guest house room in Kyoto

Kyoto is what most people fascinated with the older part of the Japanese culture will be absolutely in love with. The life in Kyoto is slow, it doesn’t feel like a city at all - it feels like a small town living its own, Japanese life. People riding bikes to work, traditional Japanese architecture everywhere, temples, small restaurants, geishas, shrines. 

The Fushimi Inari entrance, it's just like this for the first 20 minutes of the hike..
 the rest is for you to explore

Speaking of shrines, you haven’t truly lived if you haven’t visited Fushimi Inari. It is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. A scenic route to the top of a mountain covered with hundreds of gates, dozens of shrines and small cemeteries. If you go there after dark, that’s a lifetime experience for many people. 

There’s so much more to Kyoto, but you just have to visit to truly feel the atmosphere, and what this beautiful place really is about. To me it was the essence of what I liked the most about Japan. 
I arrived with high expectations, and when I started exploring the place they were only superseded.

Kyoto hostel balcony

Kyoto, Emperor Tokugawa's estates

The "Golden Pavilion", Kyoto

Kyoto, Gion

Another very traditional place you absolutely have to visit in Japan is Nara. It houses the oldest temples in Japan, the most beautiful nature and wild animals just roaming around the streets and approaching people(!). 

Nara's oldest temple

In general, there seems to be some informal conflict between Kyoto and Nara, as the two most traditional cities in Japan - Kyoto is said to contain more famous historical places, but Nara is said to be more beautiful and it is a fact that it is also older in general (it was the capital city before Kyoto too).

Nara

Nara's chilling wildlife

Nara's hostile ;-) wildlife

Streets of Kobe

 If you want a very livable city, look no further than Kobe. The city known for Kobe Beef, mountains and beautiful harbor, as well as home to most Yakuza houses and a giant earthquake that forced the city to rebuild a lot of its infrastructure, which happened in just 2-3 years, Japanese style. I think it's totally worth a visit, as you might just want to stay, like the biggest group of foreign expats moving to Japan.

Kobe

Kobe from a cool mountain nearby

The Himeji castle, interior

Other than those mentioned above, amongst others, Kansai region houses such things as the Himeji Castle - perhaps the most famous building of Japan that is currently being renovated.















But also Iga - the place where Ninjas originated from, and where you can check the original Ninja museum with all the weapons, floor traps and hidden wall passages, as well as learn some Ninjutsu straight from the descendants of real “Ninjas”.

In fact, probably everything you love about Japan, minus Manga emerged from the Kansai region. That’s where the Japanese history happened, and where it still lives!

Finally Osaka- the flagship city, the biggest one of the Kansai region. It gets a lot of comparison to Tokyo, but really it’s an entirely different world. People speak with the famous “Kansai” dialect and really are entirely different compared to Tokyo people. The place, despite soaking the western culture is still far more “Japanese” feeling than Tokyo. You can just hang around Umeda, see the Sky building with an amazing panorama of Osaka, check the Osaka castle and learn about “uniting” Japan, numerous museums, crazy shops, amazing food.. and so on, so on, there’s just so much there. Best of all, it’s less than an hour away from each of those places mentioned in this post by amazing Japanese trains, and costs less than a Polish train.

Osaka from the Osaka castle

You have to be in Japan to truly experience Japan and know what it’s about. It’s an amazing place, every bit as amazing and it’s said to be, and even more. I could say a lot about the people there, as well as many other things, but I’m running out of space ;-) Dozens of pictures will not even give you a glimpse of what's to come after you visit. It's necessary to feel it. I just recommend you to go, and totally make Kansai area your destination. The prices of goods are not much higher than Polish prices, which probably contradicts opinions of people who go to Tokyo, where you’re not likely to feel the same Japan you probably want to find there anyway. So totally, as soon as you get some time, book a trip to Osaka and travel around. There’s a JR West Rail pass that you can buy at the airport, that will enable you to take any trains in the Kansai area and because of their speeds, you can see all those places within a week, and it’s probably going to be one of your most enriching weeks of your life.

Finally, some Japanese curiosities seen shopping in Osaka:

Question time. Being a student of a Polish-Japanese university.. 
Have you ever been to Japan? If not, why? 
Do you plan to go, and if yes, what would you like to see? What do you expect to experience?

Sources: Own experiences and photos
PS. Sorry for poor formatting under some browser window widths, and some browsers. I tried but couldn't fix it, looks like it's Google's job now.