Travel Experiences

This section will look and feel very much like a blog. It will reflect personal accounts and experiences while traveling abroad or closer to home.

To see city/state/country specific details please see “Destinations“, as that section will provide more facts about traveling on a budget, attractions, and lodging.

Experiences so far:

Europe

    • Experience Rome in a Day
      Rome, or Roma as you see on signs everywhere as you are walking around…is a gorgeous city. It is incredibly easy to get lost in ...

2016 Holiday in Italy, Spain, and France

      • Exploring Europe via Paris
        $900 to Paris! -meaning little leg room and bad airplane food…on Condor Air. The experience successfully delivered us into the heart of the City of ...
      • Good Morning Paris! – And on to Marseille
        Say hello to a bright new day in Paris! Fresh off the plane from the US, visited Notre Dame and the little parks, then off ...

Japan

    • Week 1: First Site of Tokyo
      • Chicken Heads in Tokyo
        Our Tokyo experience began by riding the Sky Train from Narita Airport to catch a local train to our Ryokan, and eventually the chicken ...
      • Heart of Tokyo: Ueno
        Ueno is the historic center of present day Tokyo, containing the imperial palace, Ueno park and zoo, and Tokyo Station. A great place to ...
      • Odaiba and beyond
        Trying to visit Tsukiji fish market, successfully visiting the Gundam on Odaiba, vantage of Shibuya crosswalk, and on to Yokohama rounded out day 3 ...
      • Hakone Transit
        Hakone had been mentioned by one of my colleague’s; with multitudes of transit forms taken, the lucky black eggs, and fabulous views.
      • Middle of nowhere Katahara Onsen
        Katahara was WAY out of the way, and didn’t have the fireflies or the hydrangea festival we had planned on attending, still too early ...
      • Kyoto the Land of Geisha
        Kyoto Pontocho Geisha dance and tea ceremony topped off the end of our sixth day Japan with our Hammocks set up behind a centrally ...
      • Field of Torii’s & Bamboo: Kyoto
        On the top of the Kyoto list was Kiyomizudera Temple which provides a great view of the city, Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine of Torii’s, ...
    • Week 2: Resident of Banshu Ako
      • Attack by Nara Deer
        Kyoto was an amazing experience, but it was time to move on. Nara was close by and was famous for their native deer. On to ...
      • Himeji Castle and Food
        Himeji Castle was a wondrous place to sleep, explore, and learn about. We ventured about the grounds, bought breakfast from a friendly local vendor.
      • Banshu-Ako Camping and Clamming
        Banshu-Ako was not on our list of places to visit, but was our favorite. It provided laid back charm, friendly atmosphere, sea views, and a ...
      • Industrial Osaka
        We had yet to visit Osaka; we had a couple of attractions we wanted to visit; the Tempozan Ferris Wheel, Umeda Sky Garden, and the ...
      • Somber Hiroshima & Floating Torii
        Hiroshima was a must stop due to our United States nationality, to learn, see the Peace Memorial Park and museum, ending with the Floating Torii.
      • Beppu’s various Onsen
        We were ready for a relaxing bath and Beppu was just the place to find one; being famous for the largest concentration of onsen and ...
      • Volcanic Sakurajima
        We were off to Dinosaur park on Sakurajima Island. Urban camping at, which then came with 2 story location, pet hawk, and viewing of a ...
    • Week 3: Exploration of Mononoke Island
      • Kagoshima & Sakurajima exploration
        We were in Sakurajima for the dinosaur park and Kagoshima for the 4-hour ferry to Yakashima. Staying here another day wasn’t in the plan, but ...
      • Yakushima, Onaida Nature Trail
        Onaida Nature Trail was rigorous and beautiful, it helped us understand our limits and push past them. This Lonely Planet hike is not for the ...
      • Turtles of Yakushima
        Turtles being turtles, they only come ashore during the night; continuing our crazy streak we went out in a torrential downpour to watch them. ...
      • Ferry from Kagoshima to Yakushima
        Our exploration of Yakushima had been intense and exciting, pushing us to the limits and rewarding us with natural beauty and exploration of the wild. ...
      • “Wind Rises” in Nagoya
        A huge fan of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, it was a lot of fun stopping off on our way to Toyota in Nagoya. Then ...
    • Week 4: Castle in the Sky & the Beach of my Dreams
      • Toyota Factory Tour
        Visiting the Toyota Factory Tour and museum was a highlight of the trip. It provide insight into corporate businesses and the Toyota Production System.
      • Castle in the Sky
        Visiting the Taked-jo Castle in the Sky was high on my priority list as huge fan of anime, but while in Osaka we had to ...
      • Introduction to Shirahama Beach
        Castle in the Sky was interesting, pretty far off the beaten track, and a lot of fun; all in all though, we were ready for ...
      • Pacific Ocean Swimming
        Peering between palm trees we saw the lapping of the waves and heard the ocean. We fell asleep content that we would be swimming in ...
      • Rejuvenated at Shirahama
        The white sand beaches, the clear blue waters, and the convenient location of everything, and the perfect temperature makes us yearn to return to Shirahama.
      • Start of Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage
        Recommended by National Geographic, the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage is a difficult but interesting trek on the Kii-Peninsula, including multitudes of wildlife.
      • Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage
        We were a little over the National Geographic recommended pilgrimage by the second day. We were ready for trains and buses and a boat through ...
    • Week 5: Conclusion of Pilgrimage
      • Kurano Nachi Grand Shrine, Kii Peninsula
        Trains, stairs, and lockers were normal. Visiting Kurano Nachi Shrine with a breath-taking waterfall, pagoda, and beautiful old growth trees was not.
      • Yamaguchi…Maybe not
        The way to Yamaguchi was a very non-touristy experience and one of the more realistic experiences we had, as we were not visiting an attraction.
      • Akiyoshido Caves
        The longest limestone cave in the world was extraordinary and worth the trip. Far from traditional attractions, we felt we were experiencing real Japan.
    • Week 6: Monkeys, Fireflies, and Sea of Japan
      • Week 7: Northern-most Japan

      United States

      West coast road trip along Hwy 101 and SR 1