Japan

Japan is becoming one of the most popular tourist destinations and for good reason! The country has a lot to see, but you can knock off a good chunk of it in about 10 days. If it is your first time visiting Japan, Tokyo and Kyoto are a must. This itinerary throws in a few… ...

For our flight to Japan for our honeymoon, we booked two seats in Japan Airlines First Class using Alaska Airlines miles. This was my first time flying first class so a review from a noob would be useless as I have no point of comparison. Instead, here are a few photos from our first-class flight… ...

Tokyo is a modern city. The bright lights, loud sounds, and larger-than-life screens are part of what makes Tokyo, well, Tokyo. However, some of my favorite memories of Tokyo are stumbling upon bits of the city’s historic past in places where it was least expected. About a five-minute walk from Shinjuku Station is a small… ...

The Mori Building Digital Art Museum: teamLab Borderless is the first of its kind. Prior to its opening in 2018, teamLab Borderless transformed a 10,000 square foot space into an immersive experience through the use of digital art and projections. You may have seen a room full of lanterns on Instagram? That’s part of teamLab… ...

After spending eight days in Tokyo and Kyoto, we were off to Osaka, our last stop in Japan. The vibe of Osaka is much different from Tokyo. It felt like things were a little less clean and organized and people moved at a faster pace. However, Osaka has its own charm especially when it comes… ...

We made our way from Kyoto to our last stop in Japan, Osaka. Our time in Osaka was limited, so we only needed a hotel for one night. I decided this would be a good chance to use my free night certificate from the now-defunct IHG Rewards Club Select Card from Chase (RIP). Essentially, we… ...

Japan is great for a lot of reasons but one of my favorite things is how efficient it is to travel by train. Even if you’re spending most of your time in Tokyo, you’ll likely travel by train at some point. Depending on how extensively you plan to move about Japan, it may make sense… ...

After a wonderful stay at the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo for our honeymoon, we made our way to our next stop: Kyoto. We spent three nights in Kyoto which was a good amount of time to explore the city and surrounding areas. Staying at the Ritz-Carlton Kyoto was a great choice as it’s located on the Kamo… ...

As part of our time in Kyoto, we decided to take a day trip to Hiroshima and Miyajima. While this did cut into our temple hopping time, we were able to pack a lot into our first two days in Kyoto. Hiroshima is important to visit given its history and Miyajima is an easy add-on.… ...

Our honeymoon started out with five wonderful days in Tokyo, but planning our time in Kyoto was one of the more confusing parts of the itinerary. I had difficulty deciding which temples we should visit and the most organized path for hitting the various disconnected areas of Kyoto in only two days. Based on my… ...

You can’t go to Japan without having sushi at least once. That’s a little tricky for me because the only sushi I’ve had contained mango and the thought of eating raw fish really freaked me out. I hardly eat cooked fish so you can see why raw would be a hard sell. Since my husband… ...

Part of the reason I wanted to visit Tokyo on our honeymoon was to experience some of the downright strange things the city has to offer like rainbow spaghetti, maid restaurants, and real-life Mario Kart. From that list Mario Kart (aka MariCar aka Street Kart) seemed like the best choice. You’ve probably seen videos on… ...

We spent five nights in Tokyo, and while there is a ton to see, a stay this long warrants a day trip out of the city. I picked Nikko because of the natural setting dotted with temples, shrines, towering trees, and waterfalls. Nikko is the perfect place for a peaceful break from Tokyo. Here’s everything… ...

I was in Tokyo at the end of 2018 for my honeymoon and we were lucky enough to stay at the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo. This was the first Ritz I’ve stayed at while traveling. My only other Ritz-Carlton experience was in Boston for our wedding so of course, they made sure everything was perfect. I’m not… ...

Visiting Japan has been at the top of my travel list for a while now and going for our honeymoon was the perfect opportunity. One of the coolest parts of getting married at a Ritz-Carlton (other than the fact that I got married!) was the five free nights at almost any Ritz-Carlton worldwide. Tokyo was… ...