Video summary

[du học sinh trao đổi ở Nhật] mình đã đi những đâu, gặp những ai và có những gì trong sổ của mình

Main summary

Key takeaways

Lifestyle

Overview

Yen Nhi is an exchange student living in Japan. As she approaches her 20th birthday, she shares a travel journal she kept during solo trips around the country. The notebook is filled with advice written by strangers she met along the way—people from different countries—prompting her to reflect on what to do (and how to think) in her 20s.

Core idea: “Advice notebook” from strangers

  • She keeps a notebook of entries written by strangers she met during her solo trips in Japan.
  • On the trip(s), she asks them for advice specifically meant for her 20s.
  • She plans to keep filling the notebook with more entries beyond the ones she wrote when she was 19.

Travel highlights & memorable moments (by location)

Osaka / Mount Mino (hiking)

  • Her first journal entry is from hiking Mount Mino in Osaka with Phuong Chi.
  • On the way back, she randomly met two travelers on the street:
    • A Canadian man (“Ron”) and his girlfriend (she believes from Mexico).
  • Their conversation covered:
    • Work and careers
    • Relationships
  • Advice recorded (themes):
    • Embrace new opportunities and meet like-minded people.
    • Consider AI startups / entrepreneurship (connected to remote-business talk).
    • “Be free—travel now.”
    • Define your own success—don’t chase what other people call success.
    • Be financially independent; don’t rush into marriage.

Kyoto / first cherry blossoms

  • She saw cherry blossoms for the first time in Kyoto and took breaks to rest/selfie on a bench.
  • She met a very friendly Japanese woman, Mit, who spoke English despite both sides having imperfect language ability.
  • Mit shared that her son studies at Kyoto University and showed photos from places like India, Egypt, and the Middle East.
  • Advice recorded:
    • “Always smile.”

Tokyo area / Mount Fuji day tour

  • She planned to see Mount Fuji early (March/April) so it still had snow.
  • She checked weather in advance because visibility can vary, then went when conditions looked best.
  • She took a group tour (by car) from Tokyo and met Vietnamese-American travelers on the bus:
    • A married couple
    • A pair of sisters
  • Advice recorded (from the male traveler and others on the bus):
    • Invest in your health and invest in knowledge; be patient and humble.
    • Cherish what surrounds you; practice gratitude for what makes you happy—and even for challenges (life lessons lead to outcomes).
    • Don’t try to know everything—just do your best.
    • Don’t compare your path to others’ paths.
    • It’s okay to make mistakes as long as you keep going.

Kamakura & Enoshima (day trip)

  • She visited Kamakura’s famous Buddha area near closing time, then left earlier to make it.
  • She and a friend, Ngọc Lê, wandered and ended up in an antique shop.
  • They received guidance from the antique shop owner and returned the next day.

Antique shop experience

  • Coffee, pastries, and lunch are offered; it’s like “one item at a time.”
  • The owner and his wife are both 70+ and speak English clearly (he studied abroad in England).
  • They shared reflections connected to time and life.

Advice/theme recorded

  • Life is the moment.
  • “Nothing is more precious than time.”
  • The older couple emphasized that young people think life is long, but later realize it’s brief.

Solo Kyoto (guesthouse with shared kitchen)

  • She stayed at a budget guesthouse/hostel-style place:
    • Shared kitchen where guests cook and eat together.
    • She chose it because it was cheap and she’d meet people.
  • She talked with many international guests late into the night (often until 2–3 a.m.), but still got up early to go out.

Recurring journal figures

  • Leo (France) — a working holiday visa traveler
  • A German older engineer

Advice recorded (Leo, the older German man, and her grandfather’s influence)

  • You don’t waste time by making decisions.
  • Young people have time—make your own choices; even if they don’t work out, they validate your decision.
  • “Whatever you feel in your heart to do, do it.”
  • Don’t be afraid to travel and explore rather than “wasting time.”

Nara (quick visit)

  • She arrived but left after only about 30 minutes because Nara’s deer/dogs stole her lunch.
  • Even though she didn’t stay long, she records later reflection moments through songs and sunsets.

Nara/nearby date reflections (sunset + music)

  • She describes watching a sunset near:
    • Mimizuka Park, opposite Toyokuni Shrine (she references an evening date).
  • She connects the moment to a song by Hoa: “There Are So Many Things I Still Haven’t Done in Life.”
  • She also mentions sitting by a river and listening to birds—emphasizing calm solo time.

Lawsons & meeting an art student (Chinese/Russian confusion + dinner)

  • She meets a Russian art/film student in a communal kitchen setting.
  • Language mix-up:
    • The other person asks if she’s Chinese.
    • They switch into Chinese.
    • Yen Nhi clarifies she speaks English/Japanese.
  • Shared moments:
    • The art student treated her to the “best cake” she’d had in Japan (and later suggested hiring a photographer).
    • They went out for dinner and talked while she waited during the other person’s smoking breaks.
    • They planned a rushed night bus trip to Tokyo and experienced a traditional bath afterward.

Advice/theme recorded

  • Understand yourself and listen to your heart.
  • She was called “inspired” and praised as sensitive/sincere.

Kifune & Mount Kurama (autumn-like scenery in May)

  • In Kifune, she’s shocked to see red leaves even though she expected green.
  • She collects leaves/flowers and pastes them into her notebook.
  • She hikes Mount Kurama, experiencing sunlight through leaves, wind, and birdsong.
  • She meets a German couple while getting temporarily lost.
    • The wife has tattoos and piercings; they speak to her supportively.

Advice recorded (German couple)

  • Listen to parents/elders you love (they have experience), but make your own life decisions because it’s your life.
  • Tattoo/piercing enthusiasts should do what they think is right for them—be yourself.
  • They reassure her after she worries about employability to follow her choices.

Another close friendship: “sister” (Kyoto)

  • She meets Thuong/Da Thuong (whom she calls “sister”).
  • They meet and go out twice:
    • Barbecue
    • Watching horse racing at a traditional Japanese festival

Advice/theme recorded

  • She worked hard to earn money to travel the world.
  • She’s now around 40 and wants Yen Nhi to keep working/learning because one day she’ll travel freely and independently too.
  • Yen Nhi also wants an independent, free life: go wherever she wants, meet new people, and inspire others.

Yasaka Shrine (Kyoto)

  • On the last meeting, her “sister” brings her to Yasaka Shrine.
  • They walk back together afterward.
  • The other person signs her notebook entry, and Yen Nhi encourages herself to remember the meeting.

Health / fitness or routine elements (explicit)

  • “Invest in health” is directly stated as advice from a Fuji tour travel companion.
  • No detailed exercise routine is provided; the emphasis is more about mindset, including:
    • Investing in knowledge
    • Patience
    • Decisions
    • Gratitude
    • Making use of time

Notable products / foods mentioned

  • Takoyaki (at a summer festival; she finds one batch “not very tasty”)
  • Cheesecake and tea at the Kamakura antique shop
  • Coffee/pastries and lunch at the antique shop
  • Bamboo pasta in Kifune
  • A sweet treat costing over 340,000 VND (described as expensive but worth it)

Notable locations & time/route markers

  • Osaka: Mount Mino hike
  • Kyoto:
    • Cherry blossoms spot
    • Kyoto guesthouse (shared kitchen)
    • Kifune
    • Mount Kurama
    • Yasaka Shrine
  • Tokyo area: Mount Fuji day tour (timed for March/April snow peak)
  • Kamakura: famous Buddha area; antique shop near sunset
  • Enoshima island: double cherry blossoms collected
  • Nara: deer incident causes her to leave quickly
  • Mimizuka Park / Toyokuni Shrine: sunset spot she references
  • “TR” and riverside moments: she describes sitting by rivers and listening to birdsong

Speakers / people named

  • Yen Nhi — exchange student and narrator
  • Phuong Chi — travel companion to Mount Mino
  • Ron — Canadian traveler; recipient of an entry/signature, advice writer
  • Ron’s girlfriend (she believes from Mexico)
  • Mit — Japanese woman (“Always smile”)
  • Leo — French working holiday visa traveler
  • A German older engineer
  • Ngọc Lê — travel partner (Kamakura/Enoshima and antique shop trip)
  • Ms. Hoa — bus acquaintance on the Fuji trip
  • The art/film student from Shanghai (Russian) — discusses listening to your heart
  • A German couple on Mount Kurama — advice about tattoos/piercings and making your own decisions
  • Thuong / Da Thuong (“sister”) — advice to keep working/learning and travel freely in the future
  • Ms. M — bookstore owner in Hanoi; marketing/communications background in her story

Original video