Japan Travel Tips & Hidden Gems
As of this writing, it’s the first week of 2022. That means that we’re quickly coming up on the two year mark since foreign tourists have been prohibited from entering Japan. Seeing as I am a writer who has the…
There I was, about an hour into my evening trek up to the top of Mt. Inari upon which Fushimi Inari Taisha resides. As I steeled my resolve for the final few torii-lined steps to the summit, I was met…
Japan always manages to surprise me. Every time that I think that I’ve FINALLY crossed an area off of my now 6,000 item-long bucket list, I somehow manage to uncover more allures in the region. For example, I was recently…
A few weeks ago, while browsing the endless list of locales that I want to see in Japan, I realized that I had somehow managed to not feature Gero Onsen. Seeing as it is considered to be one of the…
Today, I’d like to introduce you to Omiwa Shrine, a spiritual sanctuary that has long been on my bucket list. Found in the southern portions of Nara Prefecture, this ancient sepulcher is regularly considered to be Japan’s oldest shrine. The…
“What are you doing tomorrow?” I asked. To be honest, it wasn’t really a question but more of a formality. “Ummm—I have…” she retorted before I cut her off with a definitive “You can do that later. We’re going on…
Today is November 21st, 2021. This date marks the end of the 35th year that I’ve been alive on this planet. In many senses, it’s been both one of the best and also most tumultuous years of my life. Around…
Anyone who has been following me for a while now will know this already but I absolutely loathe when people harp on about Fukushima. Yes, there was a terrible triple disaster back in 2011. No, the entirety of the prefecture…
Most first-time visitors to Japan default to following what’s often referred to as the Golden Route. Running all the way from Tokyo in the east to Hiroshima in the west, the route includes most of the mainstream attractions, and while…
For the longest time, I’ve been itching to feature Hokkaido on this blog. Alas, the prefecture is just so expansive that I’ve struggled to figure out where to begin. Trying to fit all of Hokkaido into a single article is…
The islands of Okinawa are quickly becoming popular with overseas visitors. And even though Japan is not necessarily known as a beach resort destination, locales like Miyakojima and Ishigaki are making a name for themselves outside the domestic market. And…
For the past month or so, my entire feed on Instagram has been overtaken by red spider lilies. Known in Japanese as manjushage or higanbana (the term that I’ll opt to use from here on out), these flowers are synonymous…
Just recently, I had a harrowing realization while reviewing the locations that I’ve covered here on this blog thus far. Somehow, I had managed to skip featuring Shiga Prefecture’s charming town of Nagahama. Despite spending my most formative years nearby…
As I sit down to write this, it’s 6:00 AM on a Saturday morning and I am traveling on a bullet train bound for Shiga Prefecture in western Japan. Prior to opening up a new story in my editor, I…
Just how many hours had it been since I started making my arduous ascent toward the summit of Mt. Kumotori (lit. “Cloud Catcher Mountain”)? Somewhere along the way, I had switched off the active part of my mind for the…