Dear Readers,

Happily, we had another opportunity to show our documentary “Negative: Nothing” at my hometown Winterthur. If you are interested, please have a look at the website of the tourism organization at http://www.winterthur-tourismus.ch/en/visitor. It was my good fortune to find a seat next to my parents on this occasion, and it was a very special moment for all of us. My parents had been supporting me right from the beginning.

We all are very happy that things for Japan seem to improve. Especially, since we set up a new Japan tour, which is called “We Love Japan Tour”. You will find more information about it at http://www.japan-guide.com/news/0027.html. If you would like to blog for us, please get in touch!

Spring finally also came to Switzerland after a long winter. As every spring time, also this year we had the JapAniManga Night, http://www.japanimanga-night.ch. I got the chance to talk about “Hiking through Japan” there on Saturday on Sunday. The whole event was sold out, and the visitors flocked to the workshops. It was great fun for me to be part of the JapAniManga Night.

Also, we are busy with our preparations to show „Negative: Nothing“ in Germany for the first time. It will part of the program at the Japan Film Festival in Hamburg on 25th May. For the festival program please see http://www.jffh.de/2013/negative-nothing. I am very happy to have been asked to join as special guest in Hamburg.

Have a lovely spring time!

Kindest regards from Switzerland,

Thomas Köhler

One week before the Easter holidays, while Jan and Stephan Knüsel, the producers of the documentary “Negative: Nothing”, http://negativenothing.com, were still staying in Japan, Yoshi Huggler was very active at the JLS in Oerlikon. He gave us a very interesting presentation and lecture on the topic of Japanese religion, Shintoism and Buddhism. Most of it was new to me too, as well, and I learned a lot.

Many people have sent me very kind and encouraging e-mails, both from Japan and Switzerland. I have been very moved to read them, and would like to thank all supporters for their kind words. Also, reactions toward the documentary „Negaitve: Nothing“ have been very positive, if you would like to have a look, please see http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jf4DQdWfDUE

Also, I got the chance to do a keynote speech at a sales meeting of Swiss Post and talk about my journey on foot through Japan. I took this opportunity to talk to the very receptive audience about the beauty of Japan, and the lots of very friendly people I met there while travelling. It was a great occasion, and I got very positive reactions.

It was great for me to see the concert of Paul & Emi Gilbert, and to watch them perform from close by – how could I have missed it! It was really great – see for yourself http://www.emigilbert.com/music.html. I was very impressed by Paul Gilbert’s ability to speak Japanese fluently. It had been a very pleasant surprise to me when Paul and Emi Gilbert responded to my email, saying that they would love to see “Negative: Nothing” soon.
On 6th Apirl, I met with the members of Tomo no kai, and told them about my journey through Japan. It was a very emotional and profound conversation that we had, I received a lot of new insights and thoughts. For this very special afternoon I would like to thank Mayumi Meier, and all the other members very much!

And now I wish you all well, enjoy spring and have a good time!
Thomas Köhler

Carnival was drawing up to a close, and still a cold spell lingered in Switzerland.

On 17th February the Embassy of Japan invited me for a screening of “Negative: Nothing” in the capital city of Bern. A great occasion, I will keep remembering it for sure, and many thanks for it to the organizers! One week later, there was another, this time a public screening in Bern, which I attended as well.

After that, I was invited for an interview by Sushi Yoko (please see http://www.sushi-yoko.ch/?lang=en for more information). There we were lucky to watch and later enjoy the impressive art of Japanese cooking displayed by Mrs. Kinoshita!

At the end of February I joined an educational platform in Rüti with a presentation of “Walking through Japan”. For about 90 minutes I had a chance to talked about my adventures in Japan, and how the situation is today. There was tremendous interest for what I had to say within the audience.

On 4th March Jan Knüsel and myself did a 30 minutes TV interview with Tele Top in Winterthur. A really good one indeed, I was really surprised how much the host Sylvia Michel already knew about my hike through Japan. If you would like to know more, please see http://www.teletop.ch/programm/sendungen/top-talk/detail/artikel/negative-nothing-2900-kilometer-zu-fuss-fuer-japan

On 6th March I had the chance to meet the famous art photographer Ms. Rinko Kawauchi (for more information about her work please see http://www.rinkokawauchi.com/main/index.html) . We had a good chat, and I was very much impressed by her work and what she had to say about it.

When finally 11th March arrived, my thoughts were in Japan.
After the focus talk with Mr. Hannes Hug at radio SRF there was a first public screening of “Negative: Nothing” in Winterthur. Every time I see this picture by Jan and Stephan Knüsel I remember my long trip through Japan. So many thoughts fill my mind, and often I think of Japan and wish this wonderful country only the best.

Well, all the best of course also to you, dear readers, and take care!

I am looking forward to seeing you again on the 11th April, meanwhile have a good time, and best regards,
Thomas Köhler

Time flies! Sometimes it feels like time is running faster where I am than anywhere else. Whether hiking through Japan, organizing trips to Japan or reading books about Japan – it does not matter, as long as it has anything to do with Japan, time flies.

Right from the beginning of this year I had a lot of customers, and I am very busy organizing their trips to Japan. It’s a real pleasure for me to be back in my profession and to book trips to Japan! With Yoshi Huggler I have a very reliable partner at my side, and together we offer the best service to our customers.

A speech on the occasion of the New Year festivities was a real opportunity to me to talk about my experience while “Hiking through Japan”. Even while I spoke, lots of memories came back to my mind.

Another month till 11th March.
On the memorial day of 11th March I will attend the first public screening of “Negative: Nothing” at MAXX Cinema in my hometown Winterthur. Jan & Stephan Knüsel will be in Tokyo at that time, showing the movie on 9th March and some other occasions afterwards. Find out more about it on http://negativenothing.com/en/watch/
Good conversations with my customers, an excursion to Appenzeller country together with Vanja Schildknecht, who runs Sunniva beauty parlour http://www.sunniva-praxis.ch and a very nice raclette dinner with my friends made a very good start of the new year 2013!

You will find my next blog entry on 12th March! Until then, all the best to you, dear readers, and greetings from Switzerland from
Thomas

First of all, a very happy new year to all of you, and I hope your wishes and dreams will come true!

Over the Christmas holidays, me and Jürg Knupper took to the mountains, and together built an igloo there. It was so nice for me, after all the hours and days in the office, to find myself finally once again outside, right in the middle of nature. To feel the cold, and to breathe the fresh air, same as when I was on my hike through Japan.

Another year has gone by since my arrival at Cape Sata.
31st December 2012 for was a day “in between”, in between two worlds, because in my mind, I was in Japan as well as in Switzerland.
There were still a lot of memories coming up all over again, of the last days I spent walking in Japan. The long distances I covered within the last two weeks of my journey have been really intense for me, it was my goal, after all, to reach my destination on the last day of the year 2011.

This year, 2012, also was the first time I got an invitation for the first screening of the documentary: „Negative: Nothing“ in Zurich. Again and again, it is a pleasure for me to see this movie. The audience also once again was really enthusiastic about this oeuvre by Jan & Stephan Knüsel.
Follow this link to see the new supporting film: http://negativenothing.com

I did another radio interview at Radio Energy in Zurich, and also one with Junko Iwamoto from Hamburg for the Japanese magazine Newsdigest, http://www.newsdigest.de/newsde/index.php.

Also, we are happy to say that we get a lot of bookings from Swiss people, who wish to travel to Japan, needless to say that we are very glad about that!
In order to learn more about our many and various tour offers, please kindly see the websites
http://www.japan-ferien.ch
http://www.jr-pass.ch
http://www.japan-ferien.de
http://www.japan-bahnpass.de

Many thanks for translating this blog every month to Bettina Kraemer at the JNTO Frankfurt Office, http://www.jnto.de, and to Yoshi Huggler, http://www.officejapan.ch.

Have a beautiful winter in January, and I do again look forward to see you here once more in February.

All the best,
Thomas Köhler

After the second sneak preview of “Negitve: Nothing” at a cinema in Zurich, which was very well received by an audience of more than 400, I departed for my trip to Japan I had for some time already been very much looking forward to.

The Knüsel brothers were showing their documentary first on 22nd November at the Swissotel in Osaka, and after that on 26th November with the Swiss Embassy at OAG Haus in Tokyo. I was so glad to being able to attend both occasions. It was really impressive, and I would like to express my sincere gratitude once over again to Jan and Stephan Knüsel, as well as to the Swiss Embassy. I wish them well for all further viewings of “Negative: Nothing”.

Aside of attending the sneak previews of course I went to Itoigawa, following an invitation of Rolf Müller, whom I was very happy to see again. I stayed at the Crew Guesthouse at the seaside with the Iwasaki family. Tetsuo Igarashi and the whole Müller family joined us for dinner one evening. We celebrated the first anniversary of „Hiking through Japan“. Thank you very much to everybody for this beautiful evening.
The next morning I was walking along the sea under a brilliant blue sky. Exactly the same route as I was following one year ago. You will not be surprised that this were two very emotional hours for me. Many happy memories came back to my mind.
I was deep in thoughts, when a woman approached me, followed by some kids and a dog. “May I take your picture?”, she asked. „Sure“, I said, and we posed for the photo together, and I found myself back right in the middle of “Hiking through Japan” once more. Later I went to one of the convenience stores to buy an Anpan (bread with a red bean paste), which I very often used to eat back then, on my trip on foot through Japan. A beautiful morning, maybe the nicest of the whole year!

Back in Tokyo I went for a day trip to Kusatsu Onsen, an excursion I enjoyed very much. It was my first visit to Kusatsu spa, and I like it very much.

Now I am already back in Switzerland, and booking trips to Japan for others, http://www.japan-ferien.ch/.
Not much longer until New Year’s Eve!
I wish you well for next year, good health, all the best and a happy new year!

See you soon next year, and with my best wishes from Switzerland,
Thomas Köhler

Winter has come. The weather forecast announced snow right down into the valleys. Mother Hulda shook her beds with force early, right in October, and now Switzerland is muffled in a beautiful winter plumage.

The sneak preview of „Negative: Nothing“ on 10th October in Abaton Cinema in Zurich has been a big success. Hence, the 12th November has been set as another date for a screening, which is also almost sold out already but for a few tickets. http://negativenothing.com/en/in-the-media/
The sneak preview on 10th October in Zurich was really impressive, and a great evening. I felt really moved that so many people took an interest in this really artistic documentary movie.

During wintertime, in Switzerland people very often eat a cheese fondue, whereas in Japan you eat Nabe (Nabemono). At the time it became really cold here, we (me and the whole film crew) got an invitation for a Nabe party at Takano City restaurant http://www.takano.ch/takano/en. The food was delicious, and we had a jolly good evening. Many thanks for that! Not too long afterwards, we enjoyed another one, a wonderful Sukiyaki meal by Yukio Lanz und Nina Pulfer. Again, my cordial thanks for the perfect evening!

Now, I am very much looking forward to a short trip to Japan, where I will attend the private sneak preview in Osaka and Tokyo.
Please note:
There will be more screenings on 5th and 6th December in Tokyo at the Auditorium Shibuya http://a-shibuya.jp/auditorium, which will be the first official sneak previews of “Negative: Nothing – Step by Step for Japan” (78 min., subtitles in English/Japanese).

The cinema has about 130 seats, and the viewing will be free of charge. Still, an official invitation is required. Should you be interested to join the sneak preview, please fill in a form you will be finding at http://negativenothing.com/ja/rsvp/. The organizers will then get in touch with you.

All the best and negative: nothing
Thomas Köhler

The absolute highlight for me in the recent past definitely was the sneak preview of our documentary „Negative: Nothing“, http://negativenothing.com/en/ on 5th October in my hometown Winterthur. This documentary, a result of the dedicated work of Jan & Stephan Knüsel, is really gorgeous, moving, has lots of information, and I was completely happy with it.

It really is a masterpiece, and for sure will be my new favorite movie. Even though it is my own story, and I am familiar with each scene, and while I don’t like to see myslef in person in this film, still I was moved to tears, but also could laugh about myself, and thought back to Japan, and all those precious memories that tie me to this country. The film came along with the wonderful music of Yukio Lanz, http://www.yukio.ch, songs that brought to life all the sad and happy moments of the movie impressively. After the screen went dark, many people obviously were very moved.

This definitely was an evening here in Winterthur, which I will never forget! I wish to thank all people involved, who are responsible for this success! If you, dear reader, want to find out more about my hometown Winterthur, please follow this link http://www.winterthur-tourismus.ch/en.

On 22nd September I did a speech in St. Gallen on the occasion of a charity event in favor of the children of Fukushima. It was a beautiful day, and everything was well organized.

On 28th September followed the next speech at the Japanese Language Studio of Yoshiko Märki, http://www.japanls.ch. A very lively evening, with lots of very attentive guests.

For the 13th September, Jan Knüsel and me had been invited to the Embassy of Japan in Bern. I felt very much honored, and would like to express my gratitude for this invitation here. Also, the visit of a delegation of the Embassy to the sneak preview in Winterthur made me very happy.

Yesterday was the second screening in Zurich! This will be the subject for my next blog entry. Again, in Zurich people were really very moved, and I with them. Once again, my compliments to the Knüsel brothers, who really did a great job!

Looking forward to meet you once more on my platform next month, dear reader, thank you very much, and I wish you “negative: nothing”.

Thomas Köhler

Time flies – it is already two months since I started my business, and already the first clients came back from their Japan trip with a very positive feedback. March 11th, 2011 lies one and a half year in the past and I started out from Cape Soya more than 13 montsh ago. There is no day I do not remember since disaster struck on 11th March, 2011.

When I talk in public about my project “Hiking through Japan”, what I do talk about is why I started it, about the physical exertions, the beauty of the land of the rising sun, and of course about the “Negative: Nothing”.

I am looking forward to my next presentations on 22nd September on the occasion of the Japan day in St. Gallen, at a fundraising event for Fukushima, and at the Japanese Language Studio of Yoshiko Märki on 28th September. If you are interested, please register at http://www.japanls.ch/contact-form-2/contact-form-3/index.php.
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Also, in the meantime, Jan & Stephan Knüsel, the two film producers, who are responsible for the documentary „Negative: Nothing“, told me that it will be not much longer until the sneak preview! So far, even I have not seen more than the trailer. Having been invited for the sneak preview, it will also for me be the first time that I will see the ready documentary. I am very much looking forward to that, for I know that Jan and Stephan Knüsel have been working on the documentary with their whole heart, and with relentless effort, for the beauty of it all! For more information please have a look at http://negativenothing.com/en/ .

At the beginning of September we went online with our new extensive website that now offers all the 10 variations of Japan Rail Passes on japan-ferien.ch. So now you will be able to order your Japan Rail Pass, whether from Switzerland or from Germany, at a very competitive price, with no service fee or shipping costs, fast and convenient at http://www.jr-pass.ch for Switzerland, and http://www.japan-bahnpass.de/ for Germany.

Now, all the best to all of you, dear readers, and as always I would be very much obliged if you would be joining me at my blog once again next month.

Thomas Köhler

Summertime, sunshine and the Olympic Games I only noticed in a blink, as I was focused on my work, and the launch of my new company, japan-ferien.ch at http://www.japan-ferien.ch.

The first month exceeded my expectations, many bookings came in, and some of those who booked with me already departed to Japan. This good start made me very happy, and gave me some confidence for the upcoming months. .

Also, me and my partners set up a new co-operation. From October, the three of us, Yoshiko Märki, Yoshi Huggler and myself will offer a Japan travel preparation course. My part will be to talk a bit about my Japan hiking experience of last year. At the moment, we are planning for two evenings, in cooperation with the Japanese Language Studio http://www.japanls.ch/JLS/Events!_de.html
and the Swiss-Japanese Society http://www.suisse-japon.ch/sjg/index.php?option=com_jevents&view=year&task=year.listevents&Itemid=34&lang=de. Should you be interested, the given links will lead you to the registration page.

On 29th July, Mr. Ryusuke Ohta from Japan came over to Switzerland from Munich, and we had lunch in Zurich, before he continued to Basel. We talked about many things, of course also about my Japan hike of last year. On 1st August, Swiss National Day, it was then exactly one year that I started out from Cape Soya on Hokkaido. Should you be interested to review it, have a look at the new blog page at http://www.japan-ferien.ch/blog.

Also, I had the chance to meet up with Stefan Schauwecker of Japan Guide http://www.japan-guide.com/ in Switzerland. Enjoying a relaxed dinner together, we talked about our passion for Japan we shared, and were both happy that meanwhile a lot of people resumed their travel plans for Japan.

Jan und Stefan Knüsel are working hard on the documentary „Negative: Nothing“. Many people asked me how the movie will turn out, and what exactly it will show. My answer always remains the same: „ so far I have just seen the trailer, and everything else will be a surprise for me as well“. I am really looking forward to the first night show of the documentary, and I think that it will be for me a second time to experience my hiking through Japan. For viewing the trailer of “Negative: Nothing” follow this link http://negativenothing.com/.

Wishing you a nice summer, I will be looking forward to meet up with you again in about one month.

Thomas Köhler