Off topic but felt like sharing since I am excited and cannot share this with enough people (ha). We booked a trip to Japan for fall! I lived in a couple different cities there in middle and high school and haven’t been back since (that’s 20 freakin’ years!). I was SO homesick — dare I even say this was the first time I felt heartbroken — when we moved back to the U.S with about a year of high school left. We wanted to visit in fall 2020, but that obviously didn’t happen. Then it was closed to tourism, then only group tours allowed in, then we had to prioritize spending on other things, etc. But it’s finally happening! I booked a traditional inn last night on a small island that felt magical to me as a tween and teen… I hope it still feels that way as an adult. Also hoping to get a couple nice meals in while we’re there since the yen is so in our favor right now.

I keep telling my mom she should go to Japan as everything is sized perfectly for her (she’s very petite). I went to Osaka for work and while I didn’t get to do much of the touristy things, I really enjoy the city have some great memories.

We’re still figuring out the details but we’re trying to cram a lot into two weeks. The boyfriend has never been so we want to do some of the typical first-time tourist stuff, but I also want to revisit some old haunts that the average tourist would likely skip unless they had a lot of time. Right now we’re planning to spend a couple days in Tokyo, a few nights in Hiroshima (one on Miyajima, the small island I mentioned), then a handful of nights in Kyoto (from which we can do day trips around the Kansai region), and the grand finale will be a couple nights in an onsen town (likely Hakone since it is the closest to the airport of the areas we’re looking). Two weeks initially felt like a lot of time to be on vacation until I started adding up the places I hope to visit.

March is a great time to go since the cherry blossoms may be blooming!

A friend of mine from HS there recently went with her husband and daughter, so I reached out to ask her for any tips. She mentioned she saw online that in the year 2000, when we were residents, there were 660,000 foreign tourists who visited Japan while last year, that number was 6 million. I remember a lot of the religious sites feeling so peaceful but unsure if they’ll be crowded now. I think spring is more popular for tourism since so many people want to see the cherry blossoms, but it’s pretty temperate in many areas of the country throughout the colder months and I’m hopeful we’ll get some bold fall colors.

Also, I had a tough time finding clothes large enough to fit me by the time I got to HS. I’m just under 5’3″ and probably weighed like 110 lbs back then. Insane! The boyfriend felt tall when we went to Oaxaca a couple years ago and I assume he’ll have that same experience in Japan. He’s just shy of 5’10”, so about average in height for a white American guy.

Happy to share tips as I go and when I’m back! Right now I’m learning that some of the more desirable ryokans book up early, if something like that is on your radar. We got literally the last room left in the ryokan we’re staying at in Miyajima (which I’m pumped about in part because they let you pick your yukata color/pattern on check-in) and a lot of the places I reached out to over the past few days by email were already booked up. Since it’s a small island, I was getting a little worried that my dream of an overnight stay to enjoy the island in the relative stillness of evening and morning wouldn’t come true. Hakone has a ton of ryokans and my first two choices and the one my HS friend stayed at with her family last month are both already booked solid for November, which is when we’ll be there. I’m sure we’ll find something there — we’ll have more time to devote to it this weekend — but I’d err on the side of booking accommodations early if you plan to stay outside of cities or somewhere that has a traditional feel.

We’re getting JR Rail Passes and you can get those about six months out. We’ll be getting ours as soon as my passport is back from renewal. I think for most travelers, it’s absolutely worthwhile unless you plan to stay relatively put in one place or can easily get to whatever excursions you have in mind on commuter train.

The HS friend I’ve mentioned, their daughter is six. She LOVED the aquarium in Osaka and they found some craft classes to take as a family. She’s not a picky eater so they were able to eat some nice kaiseki dinners as a family. (I would have never eaten those things at six!) Happy to ask her more about what was kid/family friendly for them if you are interested!

Thanks, Copa!

Are you getting a 2-week JR rail pass or 1-week? We are going for two weeks as well and I read that a one-week pass would be enough if we times our commuting just right but it seems like it would be better if we got a 2-week pass (even though it’s so pricey!).

I can’t wait to hear more tips / places to visit in Japan / etc.! Definitely update as you go or after @Copa.

@Wendy, when we were in the Serengeti, some Asian tourist (I think Chinese but they were in vehicles a few feet away) were taking pics of me instead of the leopard chilling in a tree. I assume it was the blonde hair. Your red hair / height story made me think of that.