東京フォトウォーク 6

Thanks for all your hard work Danny, DC.com is a truly wonderful community thanks to you & everyone else at Mirai Inc. *bow*

As usual, great pics!

Yeah, I don't think people realise how hard startups really are. Not so bad if you've got a bizillion dollars, but tough if you are doing it without VC etc.

One of my relatives started a software company the same way, just on savings etc. I think they've been at it for over 6 years, and only now does it look like things will work out, and the company is finally going somewhere.

Oh well, keep at it Danny. I'm sure there are a lot more challenges ahead, but we're rooting for you!

A great read indeed! Thanks for sharing your passion and hard work, Danny!
May Mirai Gaia and DC.com continue to be what you dreamed it to be!

I like image ID #82477.

One of the main reasons I highly respect & admire you is that you didn't rely on your parents' substances to become successful, to be where you are today ;-)

Keep up the great works & we'll always support you. ^_^

Added this motivational quote to my record:
"Identify and live your passion and the rest will just follow - it always does." - Danny Choo

Lotsa neat pics, I think I wanna get that camera too, the LX3, it looks nice.
Also, but, erm, what does Mirai Inc do, I haven't really figured that out yet.
Is it like a web designing company ?

Ah. Everyone time you do this I want to move more and more.

very nice pics! do you have some of these in the wallpaper pool?

Danny, this article is a great inspiration and encouragement for those of us who want to someday start our own business too. Thank you for sharing! I believe the hardships you have been through made you and your family bonds stronger, and future difficulties easier to handle.

Best wishes!

nice work Danny. good story. more moolah to you ^^

May the Force be with you. Always.

Once again, you've served as a bright beacon for many, Danny. Thanks a mil!

LOL thats funny... where is the "Bremer Str" Danny? I've seen the "Bremer Stadtmusikanten" at the main station in Himeji, but didn't know that they have a place in Tokyo too :D

wow, never realized things didn't look so good for awhile. I'm proud of you for not turning into some one who wines a lot about their hardships. I shall now call you Semon of Gurran Laggan.

grats on ur developments Danny!

lovely LX3 pics, I like image ID#82488! :3

Thanks for sharing the rough times as well as the good times with us. I like your talks because they are very inspiring and encouraging.

Your an impressive person.

Sorry to hear that you were going through some tough times, Danny. Best wishes to you and your company for the years to come! Motivating posts like these is one of the few reasons why I'm still loyal to this site. ^^

@DannyChoo
I would like to hear if there were any or many people that told you that you were going to fail, and not to try and to get stable job.

How did you over come this?

Nice article, it's like reading one chapter of Danny's diary

Like many of us always say, you are an inspiration and true hero for us the otakus!

You're burning myself with your inspirational words...
Although i haven't really identify my passion now... Sigh...
Gotta look for it as soon as possible since time is running out.
Thanks a lot for sharing

this was a truly inspirational lecture... showing us that hard work really pays off... keep it up, the best wishes to you, your family and your company always...

This is why I subscribe to your blog. Although I'm not interested in dolls, your blog has so many other aspects that I really enjoy. I love your Tokyo Photo Walk and reading about your daily forays. This has been an inspiration. Thank you.

Nice pictures... especially the lights... how do you get them like this ?

Great story^^. It certainly give me new thinking on what I am going through right now, although I am not starting up a new business XD

Thanks Danny, for sharing :)

These Photo Walks are the main reason why I visit your blog, and only you blog. Your determination and passion are something that has been a major inspiration for me and my future plans. Thank you, Danny and may the seas be calmer for you in the future.

Thanks for lecturing, Mr.Danny!
Learning many thing through this article, and also the "Identify and live your passion and the rest will just follow - it always does."
Will share this with others~

From now on, need to set a goal for myself......

@image ID#82476: Is that Carl Jr's? I see the star mascot logo thing there. Lol

image ID#82495: Danny getting more attention than Forever 21 from the ladies? Hahaha.

Btw, nice pictures from the Lumix Danny.
Had a good read through the 'lecture' too ^_^

As usual...a good speech to encourage us all...thanks for all your hard work....my passion haven't died off yet...so i won't be giving up anytime soon...guess i still needs experience....

I really like image ID#82463 and the escalator pictures.

It's very encouraging to hear stories like this Danny, thank you for telling us. I'm still in college and I've thought a lot about what I'm going to do when I get out, yet honestly, I'm still wondering what I'd be good at. At the moment I'm thinking about robotics with the possibility of a music major/minor on the side. What ever I end up going through I hope I can keep the same out look on things that you do.

This place was awesome back in 2006 when I first showed up, and even though I was gone for awhile, the amount it has changed and grown is staggering. That's a success in my book. Good job Danny. And awesome pictures as always.

http://www.dannychoo.com/post/en/25261/Tokyo+Photo+Walk+6.html#image82465
reminds me of evangelion. ('~')

no food pictures danny ??

Its good to hear that your company is doing so well now, and pretty soon you'll have a following as big as your dads (if not already).

Respect.

Not many people can thrive on what they love to do. It takes guts to turn to one's parents for money when broke. It takes even more guts not to do it.

Did I say respect?

whoa, your story of your life is awesome

its almost like an epic backstory for a character of a feature film or game XD
maybe it really is =D i could totally imagine someone reading this article in the downs of their life, following it through and turn out to be someone great and have a film biography XD

or maybe that main character is you Danny-san XD

Thanks for the motivational post as usual. I've read a lot of them already, and they're always encouraging.

One thing I know I'll try to do ASAP is learn to use the LX3 like you Danny.

No doubt that it is a great Camera, but I can't quite get the full potential out of it right now. I guess I need to learn to play around with the settings?

Thanks for all the work you put into what you do. You always seem to give great advice right when I need it. Amazing pictures. Always a pleasure to look at.

These photos are beautiful! Through these shots I love more and more this Nation. *_*

As always nice article Danny, thanks for sharing the experience with us.

woo o_o Was reading this in the middle of housework (LOL) and then during the "rough times" part, I was called away XP what a cliff hanger! Ganbare! You're an inspiration!

Brilliantly inspirational, Danny. I'll keep working hard myself so I can someday achieve my own dreams. :)

thanks for making this community danny >.<
DC now is a big and wonderful community , i really love how you tell your story .
it is like widening your knowledge. m(_ _)m

I am in the same boat as you Danny. After the last company I worked for went belly up I decided that it was soul destroying work for me to keep doing what I was doing. I have spend the last year and a half learning to trade futures (indexes, oil, gold, etc) and living off my savings. You get graded instantly since the moment you place a trade you see your account balance go up and down (and your blood pressure too). It is extreme mental work and most people don't get it. All they want to know is did I make money and how much. If so then they want me to teach them. You can't teach mental work. Starting a new business is a process of self discovery and many people don't realize it until we are in the middle of it and then say to ourselves; what the f$%@ did I get myself into! Dannychoo.com and Mirai Gaia have been your path to Zen mastery whether you knew it or not.

Just wanted you to know that I always admire you, Danny. You are a success story.

btw, what settings of your LX3 did you use on the first pic above?

So glad, you made it through. Never really realized Mira Inc. was going through that.

Speaking of which, every time you mention Mirai Gaia's scalability and it using the MVC design pattern it makes me curious to see how it is.

Danny you inspire alot of people. That is one reason that I visit here everyday looking forward to new articles. Loving what you do and you aren't afraid to show it is a big morale booster for people, myself included. You have helped me in working on moving forward with my passion for the subcultures of Japan. Within a few years I hope to be able to spend alot of time in Tokyo.

Awesome. Now I've got to figure out how to take what I'm passionate about and monetize it. It sucks being a broke student at way older than what conforms to "social time" here Stateside.

A really inspiring article. I will definitely remember that quote.

"Identify and live your passion and the rest will just follow - it always does."

Let us learn from Gurren Lagahnn:
DO THE IMPOSSIBLE
SEE THE INVISIBLE
ROW! ROW!
FIGHT THE POWER!
TOUCH THE UNTOUCHABLE
BREAK THE UNBREAKABLE
ROW! ROW!
FIGHT THE POWER!

Keep up the good work Danny ^^

All I can say is thanks for sharing. That was really from the heart and I could feel it. That is the inspiration I needed to pursue what I love and to make that fearful leap to succeed. You know we take models from successful people and no path is easy. All I can say is that one day I hope to sit down with you and "talk story" about our lives.

danny is being sold at h&m?

your next task is to make clones of yourself so you can multitask

Great post! thanks again Danny for share your experiences... I have to say that, the life is a game, if you're winning, keep up with the good work, if you're losing, stop and try it from the beginning, because if you love what are you doing, don't care how much time, but good things will happen... (hope you understands my bad english... xD)

Motivational Level increased by 100%

I don't think I would be where I am right now if I didn't stumbled upon this site a year ago. This site helped me chose what I wanted to do with my future when I was stressing out on what to do after high school instead of following a path someone else chose for me.

Thanks Danny!

Danny, interesting photo article and insight into being self employed. I'm self employed and started similarly. The end of 2008 and most of 2009 have been really rocky and depleted savings in my remodeling business here too. Just in the last few weeks business has finally turned to the upside. It's encouraging to hear that you've also had a lot of ups and downs and scary financial moments. Thanks for the positive affirmations. I particularly like and live by the motto you wrote,"Something always leads to something. Nothing always leads to nothing." I found the same true. Great low light photos with the Lumix! The one of the escalator enclosure looks like a space ship.

Lovely photos as usual...=)

And yes, everything you do has its risks and rewards. They say the bigger the risk the bigger the reward. Although how you handle the risk to get the reward is more important. But yes, keep up the good work. Its became a great site overall and its a joy to be here..=D

Great pictures Danny and real motivating lecture there ^^

starting a own company was a big risk if it was my self i will never leave that gold mine of Microsoft

It's during the dark times that we can shine the brightest, for our loved ones to see.

I first came here for the Japan articles but I think your inspirational talks have become my favorite part of this site. Keep up the good work!

I appreciate the advise and mentoring you provide, I try to pass these concepts on to my children, and hope they will know success such as you have; as I will never know.

Even though we've never personally met, I'm proud of your accomplishments D. I know how hard it is to leave something steady n safe to venture into new territory where things are never certain.
In my short time here, I can see how DC has changed alot, and I understand the need for these underlining changes. While some outsiders may question your intentions, I know there is always a good reasons behind it. Whether it be for business or for personal improvement, one can't remain stagnant if he wants to change for the better.
Keep up the good work D, and may life continue to look favorably upon you and your wife.

Your friend, FB

Those are some superb photos - especially the shinjuku skyline ones. What camera were these taken with? Im looking for a good camera that is borderline pocket size and takes good low-light shots. My Powershot let me down quite a few times in my month in japan due to poor low-light performance.

at age 65 i'm starting life again and everyday i ask my self this question: "am i where i was 30 days ago?" my answer is always "No, i have moved forward." thanks danny :-D

Pulling through hard times on your own legs just increases the respect I have in you for what you do and stand for.
Keep up the good work. ;)

I am only at the start of my career, having just finished my degree. Now I gotta step out of the safe zone, put myself out there and begin to move forward. Thanks Danny, I have in the past, and will continue into the future, use you and your ideals as a means of motivation.

Chris

Agreed with folks - great photo walk! And great advices, just in time when I needed them so badly. Thnx Danny! v^_^v

Such lovely photos! Did you take them on your Lumi-chan?

I'm very glad you shared this with us. We see you succeed from afar and sometimes it's hard to relate to. By sharing this with us, it really brings it back down to Earth and reinforcing what you are saying about persistence. It also makes it easy to relate to as life for the majority is never always rosy. Props!

Very good read I always love these posts the pictures are stunning as usual.

Identify and live your passion and the rest will just follow ! YUP I agree with your statement Danny

Your definately right about nothing leading to nothing. That is a very true statement.

Aye, Back in July when I lost my job.. I was a bit depressed.. Eh.. i was a lot depressed.. and nothing has lead to nothing. Gotta really remember to pull myself up by them bootstraps, and kick my own backside back into gear. Having a really good job made me too comfortable.. Which lead to lethargy.. which I need to murder, then rebirth like a pheonix and stretch to something better.

Aye, Time to get back to work. Definately.

Congratulations Danny.. You seem to have done well. May success keep coming your way.

very inspirational story, Danny. I always love it when you write an inspirational post.

Cheers. I comment to in first time. hajimemashite
You got good works, challenges, life, and passion.
Have a great Japan life. take cure!

I always love your inspirational words, Danny. Thank you. :)
And those photos are very gorgeous! I like the idea of you uploading the originals into one whole file. Will be grabbing them! Thanks! ^^

keep up the hard work danny. like what you've been doing great pics.

I enjoy reading about your experiences and advices in many of your photowalk articles. It makes them more personal and interesting to read. The topics you cover in your articles feel somewhat comfortable to read, it feels good.
Thank you and best wishes
from payuki

ps. Thanks for sharing your LX3 pictures! Its a great idea and I would appreciate if you do that once in a while ^^

You braved through quite a storm Danny...looks like there's lots of sunny days to welcome you ahead...and lovely night pictures as again...

Great pic from Tokyo ^^
And such a hard journey but you managed it.
Hope good luck for you in the future =p

Thanks all for the kind words ^^
Dont forget all the original photos have been uploaded for you.
http://www.mediafire.com/?zymjdznz02z

That's a nice speech Danny, looks like you will be comfortable from now on! Love the way how you really work hard and the work really did pay off. ^^

Loving those pictures as usual, and you got me there for Gaia lol. Reminds me of God Of War the video game :P

Another great writeup. You seem to figure out from an early age that 'this is what I am going to do and I am sticking to it' mentality. You also figured out that money is just a way of getting you from point A to point B and that eventually you make the decision and take the results of your decision as they come. What I am trying to say that with your decisions you have gained experience and memories that have become dear to you and that at your darkest hour you know who is there to support you till the very end.

Quite an interesting commentary about the growth of Mirai Inc...

My precious conception of it (and I'm sure I'm not the only one here with his misconception) was that it was a roaring success from the start and you were just too busy raking in the money (and counting them ^^) to talk about it. Didn't know the process of giving 'birth' to it was this hard at all

I'm kinda in a bind myself now... but I follow Cardcaptor Sakura's mantra, "Everything will be all right"... I can't remember what it was in Japanese, but it's something like that ^^; Unfortunately following my passion right now would lead me to bankruptcy. Thankfully I have a few friends and a good brother and a great family supporting me. Right now I have to change myself first before I can follow my passion. I had consider asking for help from my brother and my dad, but they're in a bind as much as I am... So now I'm looking for a second job to help myself and them as well.

But someday I'll follow that mantra as well.

Nice pictures of Tokyo. I really like your quote too. It really takes guts to leave a high paying job to start up your own company, but your enjoying it now!

May you continue to inspire kids like me for years to come, Danny.

Thanks for sharing again Danny. I think the greatest gift someone can give is in giving itself (and expecting nothing in return). Hope you can help inspire more pple when you come over Singapore.

I agree with my fellow Singaporean above. Very inspiring story. I doubt I can do that without a significant goal edging me on.

Thanks for sharing your experiences of running your own company.
I was also under the impression that things were always going well for you, but after reading your post, I really admire your ability to keep positive and to keep following your dream and passion.

I also realized that while you have always been motivating all the readers of the blog, the DC community has in turn been motivating you. Thanks for always rewarding the DC community and finding the time to meet up with your readers despite how busy things are.

Keep doing what you're doing and know we're cheering you on. :D

Tim.

nice one danny =) everytime i wanna give up on my stuffs, reading ur article will help me pick up myself...even if it's for a while haha.

u may deny but some of us consider u a celebrity ;p

Thansk danny for all the moolah,time and effort you've put into DC and Mirai Gaia to make this a wonderful community.
Cheers to the good times ahead.May all our passion burn together in this community.

Btw,great pics,gotta get a dslr soon T.T

Images look crisp and vivid. Nice!

Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Danny! I like your life philosophy and how everything turn good again for you. I think I will use this article to motivate myself to further develop myself.

Great snippet of your life story. MVC architecture ftw!

I could not thank you enough Danny. Reading you articles helped me though my hard times. I probably would of dropped out of college if it was not for you. Thank you again :)

Hi Danny-san,
thanks for inspiring all of us to live out our dreams. it is very motivational to see your life as it is!!!
I really enjoy otaku life though have no money to do so....hahaha
though I forgot how I stumbled across dannychoo.com, I am fortunate enough to meet a diverse community that express what they love.
I really hope to meet you someday~~ LONG LIVE OTAKU~~~!!!!

Thank you Danny for your inspiring words and hard work on this site. Had no idea that your company was doing so tough since your post always seems so positive talking about all the partnerships and networking you've been building and acquiring.

Good to hear that Mirai Gaia and Mirai Inc. is finally running smoothly now. They say all start up businesses always have their initial teething problems in the first couple of years.

Good luck with everything and I hope one day I can use your inspirations and words of wisdom and make a success of my own future endeavours.

Japan is just... awesome.

Lovely photos as always. And a very insightful talk. I've had a similar mantra, if you could call it that, and it's that; "Let others not criticize nor affect what you love to do."

Wow Ihop really does exist outside the US and Canada.

i thought it was just a name they used to make a catchy acronym.

Great article and pictures:) I'm glad that you had the strength and determination to get through the rough times!

Great article - very inspirational.

Over 7-8 years, I built up a large site (2 million+ page view/month) myself some time ago so I know what it takes to make things an "overnight success". Endless hours, seven days a week, running out of money, thinking it may never work etc etc.

But in the end if you stick with something you believe will work - it almost always does. Just don't ever give up. People around you will doubt you - but if you know what you are doing has a market then stick it out and prove them wrong - it feels great (^_^)

Where most people give up on things easily - it's the ones who persevere that make it. I have lost count of the biographies of people I have read that same exactly that.

James Dyson, the vacuum cleaner mogul, is one such case. After reading his biography and what he went through to get the Dyson to market in the face of so many backward thinking people is truly amazing. It's good to read things like that to keep your belief strong.

Anyone who thinks you stick a blog up and whack a few ads on it, will learn the hard (and costly) way. You have to be super realistic and double or triple the timeframe you think you will take to make money and/or have a successful site.

Content is king, market yourself always, network your ass off and work smart and hard. You'll get there in the end but there's absolutely no shortcuts.

Thanks Danny - really great stuff.

ダニーさんはじめまして！
日本語でもちゃんと伝わっていますよ
同世代ですので、共感できますし勇気をいただきました
あえて日本語でコメントしました～

Fantastic images and great talk. Sounds like you've had a few rough times but from what i hear succesful people always go through hard times befor coming out on top, at least the ones we hear about.
If theres one thing i hope to never do is ask for money from my parents.

Love the photos on that glass-enclosed escalator, really cool shapes and lights to capture...

nice read danny-san! wish the same goes for me nyways keep up the good work and good luck!
XD

I wonder where do you take this high view photos like the first one.

Hi Danny !

Long time no see ! Last time it was for the Seijin Shiki at Harajuku......... Lot of things change in one year !
I don't work any more for the Green Space Pig, and I have allready publish 2 books about Japan in France (it's just the beginnings). I hope to find some day the courage to make a great company like your... but, just a photo studio will be good for me ;-)
Your text is very interesting and help me to trust to my phrase (it's look like little bit same than your).
Good luck for the next step !

A bientot !

Great post, Danny. These articles really motivate me!

I love these articles, great pictures. :)

Absolutely stunning photos Danny. Simply stunning

Thanks for all your motivational posts.
I think i've finally found my direction, through heaps of help; many directly from things/tips you've written in the past.

thanks

Thanks for the words, Danny-san. I always look foward to your next motivational article.
It helped me to keep my sanity intact (I'm half mad already ^^) and keep believing in myself, my dream and passion. Many Thanks!

That's great and rather unexpected. I've been freelancing for years and it's always ups and downs. I've been looking at trying to start something more long term for a while that I could believe in, and slowly I think I'm getting there. It's great to see that even with some of the resources you had to hand that you chose the honourable route for yourself and worked through the tough times. I guess I haven't fully grown into that level of dignity yet.

On my first trip to Japan I felt like I wanted to live there, but not at a cost to what I've built up in the UK over the years. If I'm going, I'm going to do what I do and not something just to live, like teach english (sorry to anyone that is..) because that would be going backwards for me at this stage in my life.

It's slowly happening or so it seems, and it is always encouraging to see someone you at first think is interesting, transform into someone you look up to, having gone through hardship to get where they are, it makes me think that anything is possible. With constant learning, hard work and a bit of luck I'll have something to be proud of myself for too, whether I make it or not.

Thanks for sharing Danny

Inspiring. It's always a pleasure to read about you and all the things you achieved Danny. Thx for sharing your story with us o/

Love what you wrote and I understand it very well of what you've been through keep up the good work

Nice photos, and we truly thanks to you and all the staff who run this website which let me know so many things about Japan .

The sky is almost too perfect! so beautiful!! Glad things are picking up, good luck with the growth of the company and your own personal growth, its nice that you are able to look inward and let others see it too. It takes a lot to stand on your own feet and be cheerful about it as well. Helps the rest of us dig a deeper ^^

Thanks you so much Danny for your motivational lecture and for sharing your personal struggles with us. You've motivated so many of us (myself included) to follow our dreams and passions and try hard to become successful. I hope that one day I'll be able to make the move to Tokyo and find my future there just like you. Keep up the great work!

Tokyo seems like a place of endless wonders....

your a great man Danny you should be Proud Enough with a great site like this.......good thing you didin't rely on ur parents cuase that will be easy money that you'll always escape to from reality...

I love the fact that whenever I tend to feel down I check my email and get your updates...and it always happen to make me get through the day...you're life is an inspiration for me

YOU INSPIRE SO MANY TO DO SO MUCH.
ONE OF THE BEST DC POST'S FOR SURE.
its brave of you to post such an article, many dont like to show any negative, or hard sides/times of their life, and i commend you for displaying yours in order to inspire and teach us what you've learned.
*PS* still waiting for that 'a day with jimmy choo' article ^^
xd

You are definitely an inspirational writer! It has been my dream to be a media anthropologist in Japan ever since I did my undergraduate work there in 2006, and now I am getting close to finally realizing my dream and conducting ethnographic work on media culture in Japan. Hopefully one-day I will have built a vast collection of works...this article reminds me that it's a long road ahead, but one worth the trials and perseverance.

Wow, thanks for sharing Danny.
It's not everyday you find someone who is willing to share the less glorious parts of thier life.
You are an inspiration to so many of us ^^

Thanks for the great article :)
Just want to tell you that your words is one thing that gets me inspired and keeps me going.
Another thing is Tohoshinki (TVXQ/Dong Bang Shin Ki) :D Haha, sorry for mention them in here.. But their and your words have the same idea ^^ Both are optimistic and says that with hard work you can do it!
I'm only 19, but right now I'm doing what I want and that's studying as a gardener.
Seeing you and TVXQ doing what you really want in your life makes me motivated! haha :D
Well, my life has been easy compared to others(except parents dead wasn't easy thing but got through it thanks to my amazing relatives - I have to be strong so I can help them if help if needed xD) so maybe my words doesn't have that much value. And my life has only started.. But when I'm in a bad situation I'll keep on thinking optimistic thanks to people like you :D

Oh and I wish we had as beautiful architecture here in Finland. Well I get it that not all houses in Japan are beautiful but there are lot of amazing ones.

This is one of the best articles yet! It actually gave me confidence on what I'm striving for.

Question about mediafire. Why is it that my download speed is 40-60 kB/s?
When I download from anywhere else I get 300kB/s +.
Anyone else having this problem?

Hmm... I was so immersed in the reading, I didn't even look at the pictures. ^^;;

Love these articles. :D

Thanks for sharing this wisdom through your blog Danny, I look up to you for your outlook on life and diversity of the media you portray. It's inspiring to read such posts.

I'm curious Danny, where does most of your revenue come from? Ads on here, or the SEO? I don't hear much about the SEO from you. How much do you charge and who are your typical clients?

Once again I have to say "thank you Danny" for being such an inspiration to us all. Your inspirational/motivational articles can be such a blessing at times, and they always seem to pick me up. I myself am a firm believer that, "it is always darkest, just before dawn", and your quote, "Identify and live your passion and the rest will just follow - it always does." is something else I'm going to burn into my mind. But I'm sure I already know it well.
I myself am working towards a web-design type career alongside my blog- something that I created to express my own passions/hobbies, and it's really taken off within the last 6 months in terms of networking and starting to, "go somewhere" (or was before I went on hiatus) when it comes to being recognized by smaller conventions and anime groups around my city. I hope and pray that I can truly find my niche that will really make my blog's articles and convention coverage memorable, and also fascinating for the readership I wish to create, and then lead to...who knows where.
At times I've felt depressed because I've been working so hard over the past year on just setting up the tools I need to build my blog and community, something I don't even know will be successful or not...however, I'll strive until it will be- it's my passion.
I've finally gotten back in the game again and my new site is finally almost finished- it's been a lot of hard work considering that it's complicated and I'm just starting out in web design, but definitely exists today because of my hard work and passion I've put into it.
And it's also articles like these that keep giving me the faith to go on.
Thanks again.
-Kazu

this was really a great thing for me to hear right now, man. i opened up a comic/manga shop a few years ago with my life savings only to have the bottom fall out of the US economy and have to hang on for dear life ever since. i have yet to make any real profit. i just live off of my meager savings in order to keep the shop open which is tough, because i am a single father also. right now i needed to hear about another otaku succeed in the face of great adversity. thanks, danny.

ダニーさんの言葉はいつも力になります。　これからも精一杯頑張ってください。
ここのみんな応援していますから！

New target found: Start a company at 34 :) -Why 34? -Coz I copy Danny Choo :) I'm 26 now so 8 years to go. My boyfriend also wants it and we're interested in the same area of work, but the 'take-off' time really scares me, especially the day when you leave your salary job! Brrrr :) But still wanna do it! :) I also have worries if I have kids and cannot support them at the hard days of the company...But still, still :)

All those pics were taken with a Lumix LX3?! Awesome! Maybe I should buy that one instead of a DSLR? O_o

Great article, Mr. Danny! Inspiring as always. I always look forward to your life-stories and the many lessons attached to them. By reading your experiences, I can avoid bad decisions and choose the best options. Of course I'll still encounter some bumps but at least it won't be as many :D

Although I know that you've had some rough times with your company, I never expected it to be as bad depleting ALL of your money! It's amazing that you got back up again and that's one more reason why I look up to you! Keep up the good work, Mr. Danny! XD

Thanks for everything Danny! Your stories are always interesting and motivational. I will remember what you said "Identify and live your passion and the rest will just follow - it always does."

Keep on with the good work.

Thank you Danny... I have to work hard too!!

Another inspiring article. ^^
"Identify and live your passion and the rest will just follow - it always does." I guess that sometimes people just forget about their passion and their goal for life. I have friends who keep complaining about the society, the family and everything which they can push the blame to in order to make themselves feel more comfortable. They have never ever tried to get themselves out of the "bad times", instead they just whine and whine. I also know people who said that "life is crap, just plain boring. I am repeating my daily routine again and again". From what i see, they never put in any effort to enrich their lives. Everyone needs a passion to motivate us to move on. It's not that live is boring, it's them who make life boring. I am very much enjoying my life. I should really recommand those friends to read Yotsubato, learn to "enjoy everything" like Yotsuba does.
Can't really express myself well about how i really feel for your article. Mandarin is considered as my first language despite being a Singaporean, so pardon my English. =P

So inspiring, the pictures just brings me on the spot and make me happy...

In image ID#82490 does that sign says "Bremen Strasse"? heh looks a bit misplaced :S

Also Glad to see a famous danish company doing well in japan ^^ image ID#82494 H&M - Hennes & mauritz ^^. Nice resolution btw Danny!

An inspirational story, I really want to made the best in my life.
Thank you again for sharing you experience Danny. ^^

Good work Danny! Live long and prosper.

Thanks for sharing your inner tought with us

i have to comment again, these photos are exquisite!
ill be in Tokyo Jan 2010, everybody can keep up to date whats going on with that!
http://www.aturnedoverleaf.blogspot.com
xxx

Continue to live your dream Danny! As long as you can put food on the table and pay the mortgage your physical needs are met. You are already blessed with a great wife and you have created a virtual community that many share in. Consider all the contacts you have made and the benefits you have reaped from pusuing your passion and interests. Even if you do not become the next Bill Gates, you have already accomplished so much already that trascend mere business success.

Wow very great read and thank you for the pictures, I love this website.

Danny... I completely feel the frustration and challenges you face as a business owner and someone going after a dream. I have been in the film industry for 30 years along with working in the corporate sector when the industry failed to offer opportunities to earn an income. Now with the global economy being what it is, we are all feeling a decline in income and a descending perspective of what's possible, especially in Los Angeles. Even with the perceived decline, there is one fact that is true... it is the drive of the human spirit to rise above and overcome. I applaud your vision, admire your eye to captivating images and share in your appreciation for Anime figures and the more adult like works of anime sculptures. Bravo and please know you are not alone in this boat, I share your perspective and would love to communicate more with you.....

Congratulations on preserving through all of the difficulties, pat yourself on the back and say "You did it bro, you really did it..."
=)
"Identify and live your passion and the rest will just follow - it always does."

AMAZING photo's Danny, you should be working on the tourism board for Tokyo, you really sell it well :)

Glad to hear everything's going smoothly for you danny! I've seen many web start ups fall flat on their face and it's always quite sad -- and ugly.

Hi. First time posting here but won't your working visa expire when you quit the job at microsoft?

Keeping a vision ahead will always help in life, take care.

Very nice, very positive blog and images Danny. Your outlook is pretty much Joseph Campbells advice to "Follow Your Bliss..." You've found your "place of bliss" so all that remains is to keep following it.

With very little additional artistic intention & direction and a slightly better camera you could sell your nighttime images as art. I do.

Thanks for that Danny. I feel like I can pick myself up out of this mental block and get on with some programming now. Love reading these articles, keep it up ^^

Definately a great walk Mr. Choo. Thanks for sharing your life and your words of inspiration.

Thanks for posting this. :D I needed some motivation for my Uni coursework.

Also, awesome photos. I particularly liked the ones with the escalators in the tubes. Very futuristic.

I tell a lot of friends about your site, not because you are the son of ____, but because you are someone who is working in a field where it feeds your passion. I love anime and I love design but I never took that route because it just never appealed to me to be a future that I can work with (as in able to sustain a family and such). I was always amazed to see how you were doing with your business...up until today. i just realized you are human too haha. I'm glad that you didn't tell us about your hardships, your blog shouldn't be like those newb blogs where the blogger complains everything about his/her life. I like what I'm studying now but I know I love design more, not to say I'm better at it.

Hopefully you can write more of these articles, they make me think a lot haha.

Danny, since I found your blog a couple months ago I was impressed at how polished your code is and how warm your writing is. You seem like the nicest blogger on the internets, and I really enjoy reading about your life from your UK days as a ronery HS student/son of Jimmy Choo to your rise to the top of the Otaku Blogosphere. I'd love for you to create a new category/tag of autobiographical posts.

The story inspire me. Thank you so much. KUTGW....

Thanks Danny, image ID#82462 is my new desktop :)

thanks for the walk man - beers are on me now!

Thank you for sharing all of this Danny. your photo walk are always great to read, even if they are rarely about the photos. ^^

Amazing photos and an even more amazing story Danny. Thankyou for sharing a very personal part of your life with us!

I am lost for words, but thank you so much for sharing your life with us Danny. You always put things in such great perspective. I am so motivated after reading this article to follow my passion. The pics go so well with the story. You really are amazing.

This is really something that we should think about and take away with. I really like this post especially the quote "Identify and live your passion and the rest will just follow - it always does". Hope you don't mind, I'd actually made a short clip with that quote, to share this greatness with others. Thanks!

The skies remind me of the anime Naruto! I can't wait to go back to Asia.