Our last full day in Tokyo was to be our most ambitious. Our original itinerary included Meiji Jingu, Robot Restaurant, Hedgehog Cafe Harry, Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Fire Museum, Samurai Museum, Hanazono Shrine, and Himawari Zushi Shintoshin. If you haven’t read Day 2 of our Tokyo trip yet, you can catch up here. For Day […]
Photos from a Fairytale: Fantoft Stave Church
/3 Comments/in Things to Do Norway /by Tom BrickerThe story of Norway’s Fantoft Stave Church is less like something out of a fairytale and more out of a nightmare. Or, perhaps a far-fetched Hollywood dark comedy. We’ll start this post by sharing that story, and continue by sharing photos of Fantoft Stave Church, and tips for visiting while you’re in Bergen. In June 1992, Fantoft […]
Mount Fuji Fall Colors Trip Report – Day 2
/3 Comments/in Reports Japan /by Tom BrickerFor our second day Japan’s Fuji Five Lakes region, we got up early to catch the first bus to Lake Kawaguchi. It’s been a while since I posted Day 1 of our Mount Fuji Trip Report, but you can read that here. Now that fall colors season is winding down in Kyoto, I’m no longer racing […]
Free Tour of Walt Disney Concert Hall
/4 Comments/in Things to Do California, L.A., SoCal /by Tom BrickerLocated in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, the Walt Disney Concert Hall is one of L.A.’s greatest gems, and one that that you can enjoy for free without seeing a performance of the L.A. Philharmonic. In this post, we share photos from our visit this beautiful venue, and share thoughts on doing a tour of the […]
Fall Colors at Tofukuji Temple
/1 Comment/in Things to Do Japan, Kyoto /by Tom BrickerTofukuji Temple, particularly the valley below Tsutenkyo Bridge, is one of the best spots for fall colors in Japan. In terms of its autumn foliage, it’s not just a top spot in Kyoto (and it is), but the entirety of Japan. Perhaps even the world. In this post, we’ll cover our experiences at Tofukuji Temple, share […]
Winter Hiking Packing List
/6 Comments/in Tips & Tricks /by Tom BrickerPlanning a winter trip to a place with cold weather? Wondering what to pack to stay warm for your hike or photography expedition? This post has you covered! Growing up in the snow belt of Michigan where the “Lake Effect Snow Machine,” as our local weatherman typically called it and attending college just south of […]
Autumn Illumination at Hikone Castle & Genkyuen Garden
/1 Comment/in Things to Do Japan /by Tom BrickerDuring Japan’s fall colors season, you can visit Genkyuen Garden in the evenings for its autumn illumination. In this post, we’ll share photos from this annual November event, thoughts on the experience, and whether it’s worth your time and money. By way of background, Hikone is a small city near Lake Biwa, the largest lake in […]
Mount Fuji Fall Colors Trip Report – Day 1
/17 Comments/in Reports Japan /by Tom BrickerAfter wanting to visit Mount Fuji many times over the course of our last several trips to Japan, we finally decided to make it happen this time. The key considerations were Fuji Five Lakes region versus Hakone (Lake Ashi) and whether to do a day-trip or spend a couple of nights at Mount Fuji. There […]
Tokyo Fall Trip Report – Day 3
/11 Comments/in Reports Japan, Tokyo /by Tom BrickerOur last full day in Tokyo was to be our most ambitious. Our original itinerary included Meiji Jingu, Robot Restaurant, Hedgehog Cafe Harry, Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Fire Museum, Samurai Museum, Hanazono Shrine, and Himawari Zushi Shintoshin. If you haven’t read Day 2 of our Tokyo trip yet, you can catch up here. For Day […]
Tokyo Fall Trip Report – Day 2
/14 Comments/in Reports Japan, Tokyo /by Tom BrickerFollowing our first full day in Tokyo, we were up bright and early the next morning for tickets to Tsuta, another ramen restaurant. Actually, not just “another” ramen restaurant—the first Michelin-starred ramen restaurant. Luckily for us, it was only 15 minutes from our place. The process of getting the tickets was much more straightforward than […]
Tokyo Fall Trip Report – Day 1
/26 Comments/in Reports Japan, Tokyo /by Tom BrickerThe opening leg of our Japan odyssey was a long holiday weekend in Tokyo bookended by visits to Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea for Halloween and Christmas. Our plan was do space those visits out with 5 days in the city, and we’ll cover those days in condensed fashion, along with some photos and video, here. […]