#japan

Sep 8, 2026|3 min|traveljapansapporo

Does Otaru Earn a Day From a Short Sapporo Stay?

A proposed Otaru day trip from Sapporo built around the canal and Sakaimachi, with the railway, return route, and lost Sapporo day counted.

Sep 8, 2026|3 min|traveljapansapporohotels

Sapporo Station or Susukino? A Hotel Base Without a Car

Compare Sapporo Station, Odori, and Susukino through airport access, meals, Otaru, and the city routes that work without renting a car.

Sep 8, 2026|4 min|traveljapanfoodsapporo

Sapporo for a Return to Japan: Choose Hokkaido on Purpose

Why Sapporo is on my next-Japan shortlist after Tokyo, Kansai, Nagano, and Kyushu, with a planning approach built around season, food, and one regional base.

Sep 7, 2026|3 min|traveljapankyushu

A Fukuoka and Nagasaki Itinerary With Two Places to Unpack

Plan a Fukuoka and Nagasaki itinerary with two hotel bases, time for both cities, and the Relay Kamome to Kamome transfer at Takeo-onsen explained.

Sep 8, 2026|3 min|traveljapanhotels

One Hotel Base or Several in Japan? Count the Return Journeys

Decide when to keep one hotel base in Japan and when to move, using Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, rail connections, luggage delivery, and the timing of your days.

Jul 14, 2026|6 min|traveljapan

Nagasaki Is a City That Remembers Quietly

A trip report from Nagasaki — the atomic bomb museum that doesn't shout, a Christian history older than most Americans realize, and a compact port city that reminded me of Wellington.

Jul 7, 2026|5 min|traveljapanfood

Fukuoka Is the Kitchen Japan Doesn't Know It Has

A trip report from Fukuoka — hakata ramen, omakase with fish I couldn't name, two luxury hotels, and why Kyushu's capital makes a stronger case than Osaka.