Sumida-ku, Tōkyō-to

lodging

PLAYSIS EAST TOKYO

The female dorm room was really quiet and the facilities were clean. The rooftop terrace was really nice too, with a clear view of the Skytree building. It’s open every day year-round, and in the winter, you can just go to the front desk and they’ll give you blankets or robes to take up there with you. The beds are comfy and private, with a curtain. The wifi in the dorm was a bit spotty, but nothing resetting the router couldn’t fix.

Naha City, 沖縄県

lodging

My Place

The staff was super nice and friendly. They gave us recommendations on what to do in the off season (January isn’t the most exciting time to visit Okinawa) and helped us navigate the bus system. The dorm beds were private, dark, comfy and quiet. Our dorm had a full ensuite bathroom but I actually preferred the bathroom on the 3rd floor because it had nicer showers, huge vanities and hair dryers. The bathrooms were also squeaky clean. The common area/kitchen had plenty of amenities and there were always people hanging out and socializing. My favorite part, though, was swinging on the hammocks in the common room. Super comfy and relaxing!

Onna-son, Okinawa-ken

experience

Blue Cave Snorkeling & Scuba Diving

About 10 minutes from the nearest diving shop, the cave has a unique blue glow to it due to the way sunlight reflects into the cave. There were so many beautiful fish and the cave was really cool inside! We went in January and it was definitely warm enough with a wetsuit and there was nobody else there!

Kyōto-shi, Kyōto-fu

destination • experience • outdoors

Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama

The hike up the mountain is super short and worth it for both the view of the city and the monkeys! There are so many monkeys just hanging around, it’s truly fascinating to see them so close. You can feed them too for a small fee.

中央区, Osaka

restaurants

Karaoke Pasera Dotombori

Splitting one honey toast is more than enough because it’s super sweet and super filling, but honey toast is so worth it. They just take a loaf of bread and put millions of toppings on it (they have 5-6 main choices on the menu).

Naha, Okinawa

restaurants

Ichiran

Ichiran is a ramen stall-style restaurant where you order on the machine when you arrive and then you’re seated individually with full length dividers between the people next to you and a little curtain where the waiter brings your food. Perfect especially for solo travellers, it’s supposed to eliminate distractions and let you focus fully on your ramen. The ramen itself was great but the whole experience is what makes this place spectaculr

Osaka, Osaka

experience • lodging

Hostel WASABI Osaka Bed with Library

Located right downtown, Hostel Wasabi was perfect for a short visit in Osaka. The hostel was clean, bright, and despite being in a massive dorm it was actually quite quiet as well. The dorms are capsule style and all have three walls (with really cute wallpaper!) and a curtain as well as hooks, outlets, and a light. The bathroom was really clean and had two big vanities with stools, mirrors, hair dryers, etc all for free to use. The common area was the best though. It was a massive two-story library with a few cool crawl spaces for a little bit of privacy.

Kyōto-shi, Kyōto-fu

destination • experience • outdoors

Fushimi Inari Taisha

This is *the* spot people think of when they think of Kyoto - and for good reason! The iconic red gates actually run all the way up the mountain and are part of a shrine. Make sure to time your hike so that you can catch the sunset at the top. There’s a perfect view over the city with the sun setting behind mountains.

南城市, 沖縄県

outdoors

Valley of Gangala

Although there were no English-speaking guides, we were given an ear piece that gave some information along the way in English. The tour itself was really cool - we got to go into the main cave and they even gave us kerosene lanterns when we went in to explore. The scenery was beautiful and the path was well-paved so this is definitely suitable for all ages/abilities.