And we're off!
March 21, 2024 in the United States ⋅ 🌬 28 °F
Long travel day
March 22, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 45 °F
Since our flight from Newark was delayed by 3hrs, we missed our intended connection in Tokyo and today's travel was stretched even longer than intended. We grabbed our first mystery meal in the TokyoRead more
Rainy day in Osaka
March 23, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 48 °F
We started the day off with some souffle pancakes before heading to Osaka Castle to wander the grounds. We're still a little early for cherry blossoms here, so we just walked around the grounds untilRead more
Himeji Castle
March 24, 2024 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 57 °F
Today, we had our first shinkansen experience out to Himeji castle. We picked up our first eki bento (bento box sold at shinkansen stations for consumption on trains, usually with a local flair) andRead more
Kumano Sanzan Day 1
March 25, 2024 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 59 °F
This morning, we got an early start and said our goodbyes to Osaka. I wish I could say that we were leaving after JUST having figured out Umeda station, but that would be a lie. It is insanely big,Read more
Kumano Sanzan Day 2
March 26, 2024 in Japan ⋅ 🌬 66 °F
We awoke to heavier and more persistent rain than the past few days, with thunderstorms in the forecast as well. I guess we used up all of our good weather luck in New Zealand last year... Since I'mRead more
Kii Katsuura and the train to Koyasan
March 27, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F
I've got a lot of catching up to do! Our first morning without rain treated us to a nice sunrise from our hotel room. We then stopped by to watch the tuna auction that happens here every morning. TheRead more
Koyasan Shukubo
March 27, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 48 °F
Tonight, we stayed at a Buddhist temple in Koyasan, Shojoshin-in. Upon arrival, we were shown to our room, a standard Japanese style room, and took a tour of the temple. For dinner, we enjoyed shojinRead more
Uji
March 28, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F
We made a quick stop in Uji on our way between Koyasan and Kyoto. Uji is most famous for its matcha tea, so it was the perfect place for our first tea tasting as well as an opportunity to try all theRead more
Kyoto - Southern Higashiyama
March 29, 2024 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 55 °F
We woke up to more rain... our first stop today was Kiyomizudera and the narrow alleyways in that area that are known to get super crazy with tourists if you don't go first thing in the morning.Read more
Central and Downtown Kyoto
March 29, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F
After resting/napping at our hotel for a bit after our early morning adventures, we set out to explore a different area of Kyoto.
Our first stop was Nishiki Market, where we tried food at variousRead more
Kyoto - Arashiyama
March 30, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F
We woke up today with plans to take the Hozugawa River boat tour, but the consistent rain the last few days meant that the river was too high for the tour.
Instead, our first stop was OtagiRead more
Kyoto - Fushimi Inari & Yariganna Hunt
March 30, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F
On our way back from Arashiyama, we made a stop at Fushimi Inari Taisha, a shrine known for its thousands of torii gates lining the trail up Mt Inari, between the shrine's main buildings. This is aRead more
Kanazawa - Day 1
March 31, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F
Craving more familiar breakfast fare, we started our day at café that was opened by Seattle natives before heading out to explore the city. After enjoying our coffee and breakfast sandwiches, weRead more
Kanazawa - Day 2
April 1, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F
Today starts with more soufflé pancakes! Keanan found this place in the geisha district, and the breakfast pancakes are so good that we consider coming back later for their dessert options!
OurRead more
Takayama
April 2, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F
We said goodbye to Kanazawa this morning and took the train into the mountains to Takayama. We arrived just before noon, so our first stop was a shop selling Hida beef "sushi". Hida beef is the wagyuRead more
Journey to Mt Fuji
April 3, 2024 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 59 °F
More rain! Today we are traveling to the Fuji Five Lakes area and hoping to catch a glimpse of the mountain! We start with what is supposed to be a very scenic train ride through the mountains. TheRead more
Kawaguchiko
April 4, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 48 °F
I woke up before sunrise and scurried down to the lake and was met with dense fog where Fuji stands. It wasn't actively raining though, so I decided to take an early stroll along the shore of the lakeRead more
Tokyo - Ueno Park & Kappabashi
April 5, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F
The cold and rainy weather we've been having since we arrived had delayed the cherry blossoms across the country. While this has worked against us for the rest of our trip, today it's to ourRead more
Tokyo - Teamlabs Borderless
April 5, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F
We enjoyed exploring the different rooms and interacting with the exhibits at this digital art museum! Afterwards, we went up higher in the tower to take in the nightscape. Seeing dense lights as farRead more
Tokyo - Last Day in Japan!
Apr 6–7, 2024 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F
After some tax free shopping and packing our bags, we were headed to the river to meet Tiff for some brunch and cherry blossom viewing! It was awesome to catch up with her while we were here and getRead more
































































































































































































