Entries by Tom Bricker

2025 Yosemite Firefall Viewing Guide: Best Dates, Reservations Info & Tips

Yosemite National Park’s Firefall at Horsetail Fall is a natural phenomenon visible in winter. This viewing guide offers info & tips from my experiences, best dates & locations, reservation requirements, parking restrictions, California snowfall & more. (Updated January 21, 2025.) First, you can read about my last photography attempt in Firefall Snowy Weekend Photo Report from […]

Review: Is Tokyo Skytree Worth Doing?

Tokyo Skytree is the tallest building in Japan, with an observatory & restaurant at its higher levels overlooking the city, and a shopping center at lower levels. This guide provides info, tips, and a review of whether the Skytree is worth the time and money, plus a comparison to alternative viewing spots. (Updated January 20, […]

Ultimate 2025 Kyoto, Japan Planning Guide

Our Kyoto, Japan planning guide offers tips & tricks, recommendations for hotels and other accommodations, best temples & shrines, transportation hacks, where to eat, crowd info, what it’s like to visit post-reopening, why we love the city, and more. (Updated January 4, 2025.) If you’re already in Kyoto and are scrambling to figure out what to […]

Ultimate 2025 Tokyo, Japan City Guide

Our 2025 Tokyo travel guide offers info & tips, things to do, transportation info, where to eat, best hotels, avoiding crowds, itineraries for the city, and more. Whether you’re visiting for cherry blossom, fall colors, or in between, we’ve got you covered. (Updated January 4, 2025.) Tokyo can be an intimidating place to visit. As […]

Face Masks in Japan: Rules vs. Reality (2025)

Japan was behind the world in reopening, and as COVID-19 is now endemic, Japanese continue to wear face masks more commonly than almost any other country. This covers Japan’s face mask rules, laws (or lack thereof), and expectations, as well as other health safety measures and our experiences with masking in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka & beyond. […]

FREE Travel Email Newsletter & Planning eBooks!

Our free newsletter offers travel tips & tricks for Japan, California, U.S. National Parks, and other favorite destinations. Beyond that, we cover the latest news, vacation planning guides, step by step itineraries, and more. Get Our FREE Emails! Name: Email: Upon signing up, you’ll also receive our FREE Japan on a Budget eBook. After subscribing via the form […]