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japan

Every journal entry filed under japan.

japan · August 7, 2026

Ueno and Ameyoko: The Neighborhood That Taught Me Tokyo Isn't Just Polite

Two Ginza Line stops from Asakusa, Ueno gave us a black-market fish alley, an Evangelion pachinko parlor, a torii squeezed between office towers, and a table full of strangers who were friends by the second round.

japan · August 3, 2026

Why Senso-ji Still Matters (Even Packed Like This)

Tokyo's oldest temple pulls thirty million visitors a year. I went in expecting the crowds to flatten it into a photo backdrop and came out having watched two strangers pray like nobody was there to see it, and a WWII memorial nobody else stopped for.

japan · August 1, 2026

Nara's Deer Won't Perform for Your Instagram

The sika deer of Nara Park bow for crackers, sure — but they'll also bite, charge, and steal from your bag. A few hours in Japan's first capital taught me the difference between the woodland fairy tale and the actual, wary transaction happening under it.

japan · July 26, 2026

Nine Things We Got Wrong on Our First Trip to Japan

Twenty days, four cities, and a running list of the mistakes I would undo — from underestimating Osaka to booking too tightly to misunderstanding how much the hour of day matters.

japan · July 26, 2026

Tokyo, Kyoto or Osaka — How Many Days Each Actually Needs

We spent twenty days splitting Japan between three cities and got the balance slightly wrong. Here is how I would divide the time now, and why the usual advice under-serves Osaka.

japan · November 15, 2025

20 Days in Japan With the Person I Love — Tokyo, Fuji, Kyoto, Osaka

The full story of our September 2025 trip: eight days in Tokyo, a night under Mt. Fuji, five days in Kyoto's temples, and six nights eating our way through Osaka.