I was standing in a konbini at 11 p.m. in Kanazawa, eating a triangle onigiri over the trash can, rain streaking the window, no other tourists in sight — and I thought: this is the Japan I’ve been chasing. Not the deer of Nara (lovely, yes) or the bamboo grove…
Category: Japan
Japan
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The Best Time to Visit Japan for Cherry Blossoms: A Month-by-Month Guide
I still cringe thinking about it. March 2019, I landed at Narita with a carry-on stuffed with light layers, a brand-new camera lens, and approximately four hundred photos saved on Pinterest of pink-clouded trees reflecting in still water. I had done my research — or so I thought. I had…
Japan
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Japan on a Budget: How to Travel Japan for Under $80 a Day
I still remember standing in a Tokyo convenience store at 11 p.m., eating a 220-yen onigiri over a trash can and thinking: this is genuinely one of the best meals I’ve had all week. Not because I was starving — though I had done a lot of walking — but…
Japan
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Tokyo vs Kyoto: Which City Should You Visit First (An Honest Comparison)
I was standing at the ticket gate of Kyoto Station, slightly jet-lagged and clutching a paper map I’d printed at home like it was 2003, when a stranger in a perfectly pressed linen shirt walked up and asked me the question I now get asked at least twice a week:…
Japan
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First Time in Japan: Everything I Wish I Knew Before Landing in Tokyo
I still remember the exact moment I realized my “research” had failed me. I was standing in the middle of Narita Airport, jet-lagged beyond reason, staring at a ticket machine entirely in Japanese, with a line of patient commuters forming behind me. I had spent three weeks watching YouTube videos…