Tips & tricks for traveling, from choosing the right gear to the best ways to save money on vacations, and more.
Here are my tips for visiting Glacier National Park, and my top 10 things to do in the area around the park in Montana. This post specifically covers my favorite things of what I did on my trip to Glacier, and should not be viewed as comprehensive. You’d need a month or more to even […]
Looking for tips and the best activities in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park? Here are our top 10 picks for things to do in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, plus photos highlighting the Big Island’s top attraction. Located on the Big Island of Hawaii, HVNP is about 45 minutes from Hilo Airport and 2 hours from Kona […]
No city has been as impacted by Japan’s rising tourism numbers as Kyoto. Crowds during cherry blossom and fall colors seasons can be oppressive, as can national holidays and school breaks. In this post, we’ll offer a sober appraisal of the congestion you might face in Kyoto, plus ways to survive and avoid the worst […]
Visiting Japan is not cheap. Kyoto, in particular is known for ritzy restaurants, luxury hotels, and a level of personalized service via teahouses, ryokan, and geisha performances that are expensive. With that said, it is possible to do Kyoto on a tighter budget, and in this post we’ll cover money-saving tips for that. The easiest way to […]
Our Kyoto packing list includes travel gadgets, unique items, and clothing suggestions that will improve your trip to Japan. Everything on this comprehensive ‘what to pack’ will save you money or make your Kyoto experience more comfortable and pleasant. The first part of our Kyoto, Japan packing list highlights things you never knew you needed […]
November features Kyoto’s peak fall colors, plus a full calendar of special events, nighttime illuminations, and a few festivals at temples and shrines. Despite the heavy crowds, it’s an excellent month to visit Japan, and you’ll have too many choices for seasonal things to do during a November trip to Kyoto. In this post, we’ll offer a […]
When to visit Kyoto to avoid crowds, experience the best seasons, and enjoy the top festivals is a common question for first-timers to Japan. There is no single worst or best time to visit, and when you should travel to Kyoto depends in large part on your priorities. In this guide, we’ll narrow down your […]
With over 1,600 temples and shrines, Kyoto is unquestionably the spiritual capital of Japan. This list of Kyoto’s 100 best temples and shrines is narrowed down from the 200+ that we’ve visited during our months in the city. From Kiyomizudera to Golden Pavilion to Fushimi Inari, Kyoto is home to some of the best places […]
Japan has a lot of museums devoted to railways and transportation, and we’ve visited the best of these near Tokyo, Nagoya, and Kyoto. During our two-month stay in Japan last year (documented in our Brickers’ Fall & Winter Japan Trip Report), we used the trains countless times and took several Shinkansen rides courtesy of our […]
If you want to see Japan’s famous fall colors, the Fuji Five Lakes region is an excellent destination. Here, you’ll not only get some of the best autumn foliage from late October through early December, but you’ll also have photogenic scenes with vibrant momiji in the foreground and Mount Fuji in the background. In this […]