I loved my time in Takayama so much, it ended up being the perfect last stop on a whirlwind 2-week Japan itinerary. In Takayama, I could unwind, soak in an onsen, relish in the surrounding nature, and explore the historic region at a bit of a slower pace. It’s not on many tourists’ radar when …
On my first visit to Japan, I did a lot of research into the neighborhoods of Tokyo to figure out where to stay. I had a couple of conditions. It had to be: My conclusion? Stay in Akihabara! Why I Decided to Stay in Akihabara I ultimately decided to stay in Akihabara (the anime/manga district) …
When I first started planning my trip to Tokyo, I had hundreds of pins on my inspiration map. Recommendations were pouring in over social media and I was saving them all. Narrowing them down into 3 feasible 24-hour days was daunting. But it had to be done. In the end, after all my research, my …
So you’ve heard about the bamboo grove in Arashiyama, but you also heard about the crowds. Luckily, there are some less-crowded bamboo grove alternatives in Arashiyama. But I recommend not coming just for bamboo (and then leaving). Make a full day trip to Arashiyama to explore beyond the bamboo as there is much more to …
If, like me, you have two things on your bucket list in Kyoto — attend a tea ceremony and rent a kimono to wear — be efficient and do both at the same time. Where can you do both a tea ceremony and kimono rental in Kyoto? What is it like? I booked a kimono …
If you landed on this page, you are likely a Studio Ghibli fan planning to visit Ghibli Park in Nagoya, Japan, in the near future. I don’t want to waste your time and re-hash what you already know about Ghibli Park, since you have likely already scoured the official website for information. Instead, I want …
Visiting the Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama in Kyoto is an amazing experience to get close to cute Japanese snow monkeys (well, close from at least six feet away). The snow monkeys are wild and free roaming, and I was honestly terrified before visiting the monkey park, thinking of all those wild monkeys running amok. So …
I set out to visit Nara just to see the free-roaming, bowing deer. And yes, feeding the deer near Nara Park was the first thing I did. However, once you get enough of the cute deer (they are very pushy for those crackers), what else is there to do in Nara? I wandered around on …
Most people walk through Magome on their way to hiking the Nakasendo Trail, an old samurai route from the Edo period in Japan. This was my plan, as well, until the day arrived near the end of my two-week trip to Japan, and I realized my legs were way too tired and sore to hike …
One of the best souvenirs I brought home from Japan was a manga portrait of myself drawn by a manga artist at the Kyoto International Manga Museum. How cool it was to watch the artist at work, capturing little details and turning me into my very own manga character. If you love manga or anime, …
