Public bathing is a huge part of life in Japan, but it comes with some cultural nuances that visitors should understand. Traditionally, tattoos have been associated with the Yakuza, Japan’s organized crime groups. For much of the twentieth century, large elaborate tattoos were used as a form of identity within those groups. Due to that…
Melon Pan, Romancecars, and Ominous Weather I feel like most of these entries start with sleep trouble and I would love to report that by this point in the trip my body had figured itself out and we were operating like normal humans again. That would be a lie. Your body simply refuses to believe…
Morning People are Liars I woke up at 6:00 AM and for the first time in days remembered what being human feels like. Six hours of real sleep will do that. It doesn’t fix you entirely, but it puts your bones back in the right places. Jet lag was still lurking, but it had downgraded…
If the Great Buddha is about scale and sky, the Benten Caves are about humility and ceiling clearance. Tucked into the hillside at Hasedera, the Benten Caves feel less like a major attraction and more like something you’re gently let in on. A side path, a small sign, and then a descent into shadow. It…
There is something mildly offensive about how calm he is. You turn a corner in Kamakura, follow a polite procession of umbrella wielding tourists, pass through the gate, and there he is. Just… sitting. Fully exposed to the elements like he has nothing to prove and nowhere to be. The Great Buddha of Kamakura, formally…
After a few days in Tokyo, I’ve realized the city wraps around you and gradually adds layers to you. At first, you’re overwhelmed with the scale and the density. The way there are somehow always more people coming toward you than seems mathematically possible. You melt a little. You question every movement. What side of…
If I had to guess, I’d say that outside of Japan most people only know what a maid café is through anime, internet jokes, or some form of secondhand cringe. It’s usually filed under things-that-are-not-for-me, lumped in with stereotypes and misunderstandings. And honestly, before doing any real research, that’s roughly where I had it filed…
Day 2 began at 2:00 AM, which is objectively too early to be conscious in any country. I woke up, stared at the ceiling like a haunted doll, and thought, oh perfect. I laid there until 3:00 AM, negotiating with my brain, practically begging for just another hour. That’s when I remembered Kristen had brought…
Arrival day has a specific feel to it. Everything is loud, too bright, and slightly hostile feeling. Shinjuku and Kabukichō did not ease us into Japan gently. The night was hot. We were not acclimated. We were hungry, overstimulated, and operating on fumes. Lights everywhere. Music bleeding out of doorways. Streets pulsing with motion, crowded…
Here’s the thing no one really explains about flying to Japan: thirteen hours in a glorified shoebox at 35,000 feet is less “romantic international travel” and more “slow torture with meals included”. The seats are cramped. You can only watch so many movies. Only play so many games. Only pretend to sleep for so long…