Month: June 2026

We took a 2 hour flight to Okinawa to enjoy some tropical beach time. The rainy weather didn’t stop us from exploring and playing in the water.

We boarded the Shinkansen and made our way to Kyoto. Our first day was rainy, so we went to the movies and watched The Mandalorian in English with Japanese subtitles. Later, we explored the Nishiki Market and enjoyed dinner at a traditional Japanese restaurant.

With a little bit of sunshine, we went on a bike ride along the Kamo River, passing through the grounds of the Imperial Palace and continuing on to the botanical gardens. Along the way, we stopped for some amazing gelato at Yuwado, delicious!

In the middle of a typhoon, we traveled from Tokyo to a remote village, Nojiri, in Japan’s Central Alps. We stayed in a traditional home with a sunken tataki entryway for shoes, woven tatami floor mats, shoji sliding panels, an irori stone-lined fire pit, and so many details that are uniquely Japanese. The futons were very comfortable, and the views from the back porch were stunning. We enjoyed a hike along the Atera Ravine and dining at some of the local restaurants.

We rented electric bikes to travel higher up the Atera Ravine, later stopping for a pizza lunch before exploring the nearby small towns. The views were absolutely stunning!