I had an extra week of vacation this year and had not really planned out my usual fall trip. I love traveling in spring and fall because of the cooler temperatures and smaller crowds, especially as children have returned to school thus the family vacation season is over. I decided to head to Japan to visit my best friend Zach and then spend a few days at the five...
I returned to Tokyo in preparation for my flight home to LAX. This trip has been good for me as I was able to truly relax and recover from my busy life. My only regret is that I wish my girlfriend could have joined me on this adventure. So, what to do on my last day? I started with a walk through the Asakusa area. I wanted to see the Kaminarimon, with its...
Today, I arrived for a few days of exploring the city of Kanazawa. I’d like to say it makes me think of a miniature Kyoto. It has some serious historic charm and context. As I departed the Shinkansen station I was greeted by a rather interesting archway… After checking into my hostel I walked a few blocks to explore Omicho Market. This is a...
I’ve always wanted to visit the Swiss Alps so when I heard that there was an alpine range in Japan I naturally wanted to see it. Turns out this place is mostly about ski resorts, so my visit in September is during offseason. Good enough for me as I just want to relax in peace and quiet. Maybe I’ll do some hiking too. I decided to start with a good...
With one week remaining of my vacation, now was the time to challenge my language skills and go somewhere new (to me). The further away from big cities like Tokyo you go, the less English you will find. I took a train with the goal of heading to the Hakuba Alps in Nagano, home of the 1998 winter Olympics. Along the way, I had to switch from the JR Chuo line to...
So I had to cancel my visit to Hokkaido. This required some serious last minute planning and booking. I decided to explore to the northwest, starting with the resort town of Fujikawaguchiko. I was so stressed about the rescheduling that I needed a few days of hiking and onsens to relax. While I have been to this place before, it still makes me happy. It takes about...
For my second day in Tokyo, I decided to go do some serious walking at Ueno park (mainly to work off all that curry I ate the day before). It was a little bit overcast, but the temperatures were nice. For being in the middle of a metropolis, this place sure is peaceful. I met up with my friends once again and we decided to have some Okonomiyaki (cabbage...
Somewhere around July 4th there was a sale on Delta.com for Asia travel. While I had not planned a trip to Japan, the price of a round trip ticket popped up as $760. Having seen recent prices in a range of 1200-1500 I just couldn’t resist. So…おかえりなさい (Okaerinasai – Welcome Back). My big plans for this trip include a little time in Tokyo to...
Last week I had a semi-planned work trip to Singapore get approved. This left me scrambling to book flights and hotels. I lucked out with my flight planning and was able to take a day long layover in Japan. Last year at this time I was able to get in a little cherry blossom viewing. I’ve still not seen it at it’s peak bloom, but am getting closer. My hope...
By a convenient combination of my rental lease expiring, my Japan Vacation, and a bunch of work trips happening all at the same time I got to be homeless (some say nomadic) by choice. About 8 years ago, fresh into my first home purchase without doing the proper math, I had myself a “delightful” panic attack as I tried to sleep each night. At that time my...