NONA REEVES guitarist Okada Kensuke has a confession: he doesn't travel much, and he's made peace with it.

Contributing to Natalie Music's "Travelin' Man & Woman" essay series, Okada takes a refreshingly honest approach to the theme by examining exactly why tourism has never appealed to him. The 52-year-old reflects on childhood conditioning—his parents' post-trip mantra of "home is best" apparently stuck with him—and how manga artist Tsuge Yoshiharu's travel stories inadvertently satisfied his wanderlust through repeated readings rather than actual journeys.

But here's where Okada's essay gets interesting: he's discovered his own version of travel. Out of his lifetime flying experiences, roughly 85% came from touring with NONA REEVES, 10% from returning home to Shiga, and just 3% from school trips. Rather than sightseeing, Okada has spent three decades channeling the passion others invest in solo travel into what he calls "solo drinking"—methodically visiting sake bars and izakayas across Japan's cities during band tours.

"The sensation I get from pilgrimaging through stand-up bars and corner shops in different cities, especially throughout the Kansai region, is genuine travel spirit," he writes. It's an unconventional take on discovering Japan: trading viewpoints from train windows for conversations at counters, learning regional character through local drinking culture rather than tourist attractions.

Okada pairs his essay with a six-track travel playlist selected for "listening while moving," featuring everyone from Pat Metheny to De La Soul—artists who capture that sense of motion and discovery he's found in his own unconventional journeys.

The essay is part of Natalie Music's ongoing series featuring musicians reflecting on travel. Okada's contribution stands out precisely because it rejects the expected narrative of adventure and embrace, instead offering something more honest: a musician who found his own way to experience the world, one bar at a time.