First stop: the Imperial Palace gardens—where we immediately noticed the pine trees looking way more put-together than we did after a long flight.
Tokyo Day 1: Pines, Petals, and Pure Exhaustion
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2026
Tokyo Day 2
First stop: the Imperial Palace gardens—where we immediately noticed the pine trees looking way more put-together than we did after a long flight.
Takayoma Japan 2026
Arrived yesterday in Takayama after surviving what can only be described as a high-stakes, nine-minute train-switching Olympic event.
Day in the Countryside Central Japan
We set off today to explore the countryside and experience what I like to call “Rural Japan: Tunnel Edition.”
Kanazawa, Japan
Kanazawa is a city with about half a million people, hanging out on the Sea of Japan side (while Tokyo is over on the Pacific like, “Hi from the other beach!”).
Kyoto, Japan
Heading on to Kyoto today, we are set for the Olympics again of finding the right train and making a transfer in record time.
Lake Biwa farming village, Japan
Today we took a car to a tucked-away village up in the hills above Lake Biwa, the largest freshwater lake in Japan that’s over 4,000 years old.
Kyota, Japan
Philosophers Path leads up to the Zen Silver Temple and is lined with cherry blossom trees. With the trees currently in full bloom,
Amanohashidate, Japan
First….let me give credit to Connie for some of the pictures I’ve been posting on this trip. We created a shared album and I have pulled several great photos for which she deserves lots of credit.
Osaka, Japan
We made a brief overnight stop in Osaka. I was blown over by how many people and how many neon signs there were in this city. It is more exciting than New York City as far as the activity.
Mount Fuji, Japan
It’s hard to find a word or phrase to describe how I felt at my first glance of Mount Fuji…. Maybe awe-struck, surreal and/or humbled.
Dian Turner
I believe traveling is the best classroom there is—no homework, no exams, just really good stories.