by Dian Turner | Mar 22, 2026 | 2026, ASIA, JAPAN
Arrived yesterday in Takayama after surviving what can only be described as a high-stakes, nine-minute train-switching Olympic event. Takayama is a charming little village of about 82,000 people… casually spread across 800 square miles like someone forgot to cluster...
by Dian Turner | Mar 19, 2026 | 2026, ASIA, JAPAN
We set off today to explore the countryside and experience what I like to call “Rural Japan: Tunnel Edition.” Honestly, I’m pretty sure we didn’t drive there—we just teleported from tunnel to tunnel. I lost count somewhere around tunnel #35, but...
by Dian Turner | Mar 18, 2026 | 2026, ASIA, 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!”). It rains here A LOT… like 250 days a year. They even have a saying: “You can forget your lunch, but never...
by Dian Turner | Mar 17, 2026 | 2026, ASIA, 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. The train station is definitely a challenge, unless you’re a sprinter, you have to change trains QUICKLY …9 minutes first train day and 12...
by Dian Turner | Mar 15, 2026 | 2026, ASIA, 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. YELP you read that right! First, we visited the village’s beautiful Shinto shrine, well cared for by the local community....
