In autumn, vibrant fall colors are illuminated at Kiyomizudera Temple in Kyoto, Japan for a special night lighting. We’ve done the event multiple times, and share info, our experiences, and tips we’ve learned during visits to see the 1,000+ maple trees that form a veritable sea of red koyo along the temple’s hillside. (Updated November […]
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that Japan will continue to reopen its border to foreign travelers. Starting on October 11, 2022, Japan will resume visa-free travel and accepting individual tourists. Japan will also lift the cap on daily arrivals, which is currently set at 50,000 per day. Kishida’s announcement was brief, and did not include any other details […]
For nearly two years, we’ve been chronicling every update to Japan’s border closure in When Will Japan Reopen for Individual Tourists? We have great news: Japan will finally reopen to individual travel in October 2022! During a press conference in New York after his appearance at the U.N. (and before a speech at the New York Stock Exchange), Prime Minister […]
Japan is further relaxing its border restrictions, including opening to “unguided tour groups” or “non-escorted visitors on package tours.” In this post, we’ll discuss the details of the latest reopening step, info about new guidelines for self-guided groups, and more. (Updated September 5, 2022.) In this latest step towards fully reopening, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio […]
Laguna Beach has the best beaches, oceanfront, and public parks in Southern California. Located along Pacific Coast Highway, the city is home to one of the prettiest shorelines in the world, a perfect slice of paradise. This list ranks the top 10 beaches, plus tips for avoiding crowds, enjoying postcard perfect sunset scenes of SoCal, […]
If you’re visiting Southern California and looking for the best activities, seasonal events, restaurants, and other ocean or art-related activities, this list of 101 things to do in Laguna Beach has you covered. In addition, there are some tips & tricks to help improve your vacation along with what to avoid so you don’t fall into […]
Japan’s tourism ministry has released guidelines for tourists and travel agencies that will run monitored tours as part of the country’s very limited resumption of group tourism. This post will cover the preposterous proposals, and offer commentary about what’s motivating these rules. First, basic background about the monitored tours that’ll begin on June 10, 2022 […]
For over the past year, we’ve been chronicling every little update to Japan’s border closure in When Will Japan Reopen for Travel? Well, that’ll happen in June 2022…but with the colossal asterisk that Japan will only accept guided tour groups. It’s not quite time to retire that post, but this is technically a reopening to some degree. […]
Have one day in Los Angeles and want to see the city’s highlights? This step-by-step guide is a jam-packed plan with the top 5 things to do in L.A., including free museums, beaches, and great food. It’s an ambitious Los Angeles 1-day itinerary, optimized to avoid driving & time stuck in Southern California traffic. (Updated […]
Our Èze, France 1-day plan offers a step-by-step itinerary for visiting this idyllic hilltop medieval village in the French Riviera. We cover how to have the perfect day trip to Eze, including what to do, where to eat, and getting there from Monaco or Nice via the train or bus. This charming Côte d’Azur commune […]