Day 11: Kyoto to Chicago
The final day of our Japan trip has arrived — which is a bummer. But until we are wheels up in a plane back to the states, let’s see what last-minute adventures we can find for ourselves before… Read More
Month: July 2026
Day 10: Fushimi Inari and Himeji
Good thing we didn’t waste any time falling asleep last night! As planned, today we woke up at 5am and met the morning sunshine (and ~90 degree temps) out the door at 6am sharp. We jumped on the… Read More
Day 9: Gion Matsuri
Gion Matsuri is one of Japan’s most famous festivals, which runs the entire month of July in Kyoto. Today (July 24) has the distinction of hosting Festival’s second major parade (aka. Yamaboko Junko float procession) which runs thru… Read More
Day 8: Arashiyama and Nintendo
Today we woke up and ventured to northwest Kyoto, the location of our bike tour scheduled for 8am. We figured going earlier would allow us to beat both the crowds and the heat. Well, it worked for the… Read More
Day 7: Nagoya
After climbing Mt. Fuji, one might suggest we relax and take it easy for the remainder of the trip to Japan. But that’s NOT HOW WE ROLL!!! Based on the itinerary Belinda/Jo/Matt planned for the rest of the… Read More
Day 6: Mt. Fuji to Kyoto
A common maneuver for many people hiking Mt. Fuji is leaving the new 7th Station hut around 12:30am-1am in order to see the sunrise from the summit. However, as noted yesterday, we don’t really care about seeing the… Read More
Day 5: Tokyo to Mt. Fuji
Good morning! As a testament to the catchiness of yesterday’s music selections during arts & craft time, Matt still has the Whitney Houston Bodyguard song stuck in his head as of 5:15am. That was when we set our… Read More
Day 4: Asakusa
Today’s agenda included a full schedule of “Amazing Race” style activities — which (spoiler alert) were all incredibly fun. Thankfully, no judges! To begin, we grabbed our coffee and squid peanuts and took our now-familiar Oedo line straight… Read More
Day 3: Shibuya and Baseball
A leisurely start to the day as everyone got ready this morning — or, you know, finished their morning run thru downtown Tokyo. We relaxed in the lobby drinking Americanos and breakfast snacks (those delicious squid-flavored peanuts) before… Read More
Day 2: Shinjuku
The day after a trans-pacific flight, we thought we did pretty good by getting up at 7:15 am! But by this time, the Corindas already woke up, got breakfast at 7-11, walked to the Radio Tower Park near… Read More