First trips to Kyoto are almost never last trips to Kyoto.
Continue ReadingHow Many Days Should You Spend in Tokyo?
As a traveler (and a travel blogger), I’m always reevaluating and recalibrating my stances—the topic of how many days in Tokyo you should spend is no exception.
Continue ReadingHow Long Should You Spend in Japan?
Regardless of how many days in Japan you’re able to spend, you probably need more than you’re expecting.
Continue ReadingThe Ultimate Kumamoto Castle Guide
Kumamoto Castle is one of my favorite castles—and my favorite places—in Japan.
Continue ReadingIs Living in Japan a Good Idea?
Living in Japan isn’t for everyone, but it could be for you.
Continue ReadingMy Favorite Way to Hokkaido
At the present the moment, the phrase “Hokkaido Shinkansen” is somewhat misleading.
Continue ReadingUnderstanding the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen
By the time you finish reading this post, you’ll know all there is to know about the trains on Japan’s busiest commuter rail line.
Continue Reading30 Pictures That Will Make You Want to Visit Kyoto
May you end up loving Kyoto as much as I do.
Continue ReadingMaking Sense of Tokyo
My mental map of Tokyo is spot-on.
Continue ReadingIs Wakayama Worth Visiting?
If you know what or where “Wakayama” is, you’ve taken a step most tourists have not.
Continue ReadingPlan Your 2023 Japan Trip Today
It’s not too early to start planning travel to Japan in 2023.
Continue ReadingEnjoy the Japanese Autumn Post-Pandemic
If you’re thinking of seeing autumn colors in Japan, fall 2022 will be your earliest opportunity
Continue ReadingKyoto in Perfect Proportion
There isn’t any such thing as a “one-size-fits-all” trip to Japan’s erstwhile capital.
Continue ReadingDispatches from the New Lagoon
You get more bang for your buck traveling in parts of Japan like Niigata.
Continue ReadingWhere Japan’s Unsung Cherries Grow
“It was superb,” I replied in Japanese to the woman selling soft cream flavored with Yamagata cherries.
Continue ReadingKyoto for Four Days
Kyoto is more than worth 96 hours of your time.
Continue Reading30 Stunning Pictures of Japan During Cherry Blossom Season
At long last, I’ve done Japan’s cherry blossoms justice.
Continue ReadingThe Truth About Ishigaki
Could this sojourn have catalyzed the dawn an opposite reality, a freer future?
Continue ReadingCherry Blossom Coda
The cherry blossoms are gone—but I’m still blooming.
Continue ReadingEarly Birds, Late Blooms
Sakura season—for me and for Japan—was so close to its conclusion that even the birds knew.
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