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Figuring out where to stay in Kyoto was honestly a little more confusing than I expected. Before visiting, I kind of imagined Kyoto as one compact historic city where everything would be relatively close together. That is definitely not the case. Kyoto is pretty spread out, and places like Arashiyama, Fushimi Inari, Gion, and Kyoto Station are all in completely different parts of the city. So yes, where you stay actually matters. My family and I ended up staying in Downtown K

A personal, day-by-day itinerary for spending four days in Kyoto — my favorite city in Japan. From sunrise at Fushimi Inari to feeding wild monkeys above Arashiyama, this guide covers where to go, when to go, and the small details that made the trip unforgettable.

Course after course, our Kyoto food tour introduced us to dishes we never would've chosen on our own — from duck and a three-way tofu flight to wagyu two ways, sea bream rice, and a sake tasting to close it out. Here's the full, honest rundown.

After spending my trip basically eating and wandering my way across the country with my family, I came home with a running list of small things that made a genuinely big difference. None of these are complicated, but they're the kind of details that either save you money, save you a headache, or just make the trip smoother. Here's everything I'd tell a friend before they go. Download the Suica app before you land This might be the single most useful tip in this whole list. Su

I have to start by saying this: I had the absolute best time in Tokyo. I went with my family, and even now, looking back, it's one of those trips where every single day felt like it earned its own highlight reel. Tokyo can overwhelm even the most seasoned traveler if you try to hit everything at once — the city is huge, and backtracking across it eats up hours you could be spending actually enjoying it. So I built this itinerary the way I wish someone had handed it to me: gro

Trying to figure out where to stay in Tokyo can get overwhelming very quickly. Tokyo is absolutely massive, and unlike some cities where you can pick a hotel downtown and assume you will be close to everything, Tokyo really does not work that way. Every neighborhood feels completely different, and you will almost definitely be taking trains around the city no matter where you stay. Before our trip, I spent way too much time trying to figure out which area would make the most

I need to be honest with you: I didn't really "travel" through Japan so much as I ate my way through it, and the sightseeing just happened to fill in the gaps between meals. But if there's one thing you should plan your trip to Japan around, it's the food. If you're the kind of traveler who plans a trip around where you're going to eat (no judgment, we're the same), this list is for you. Here's everything I couldn't stop thinking about, in no particular order, because honestl