On our last day in Japan we traveled from Kyoto to Fukuoka where we caught the ferry to Busan, South Korea. When looking at the map, we realized Hiroshima was pretty much on the way so we stopped there for the day to learn more about the city’s history and see the site of the world’s first atomic bomb drop. Getting There and Around We used our JR pass to take the shinkansen (bullet train) directly from Kyoto to Hiroshima….
Kyoto is a charming city with a great public transportation system and we had a great time exploring in the 3 days we were there. What stood out to us the most were the amazing temples and the delicious food. Here are some of our favorites: Our Favorite Kyoto Temples Kiyomizu-dera Temple was a short walk from our Airbnb and offered some of the best views of the city. The fall foliage was especially vibrant here which made for an extra special…
Hakone is a region about an hour and a half southwest of Tokyo that is perhaps best known for it’s spectacular views of Mt. Fiji. We added it to our itinerary to catch a glimpse of the mountain and see some of Japan’s famed fall foliage. Getting to Hakone Getting to Hakone is relatively easy from Tokyo. We used our Japan Rail pass to take the shinkansen (bullet train) to Odawara. From Odawara, we took a regional train to Hakone-Yumoto. From…
We spent four nights in Hong Kong and fell in love with the city immediately. It has beaches, mountains, and an incredible bustling city all wrapped together and connected by an excellent public transportation system. The weather couldn’t have been better while we were there – it was consistently in the 70s and sunny – so we opted to spend lots of time exploring Hong Kong’s great outdoors. Dragon’s Back Hike John’s cousin Jeremy and his family live in Hong…
One of our favorite things about traveling is trying local food. When researching places to eat in Hong Kong, Tim Ho Wan continued to pop up on our radar. It’s a dim sum joint, meaning you order small dishes to share. It’s got a reputation for amazing food and is known for being the cheapest Michelin starred restaurant in the world. Af first, we worried that eating at even the cheapest Michelin restaurant would certainly be out of our tight budget….
We only had a few short days in Beijing to cram in a lot of the historical sites we wanted to see. We ended up hitting two major spots: Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China. Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City Tiananmen Square sits at the base of the Forbidden City so we got a chance to see it quickly in the morning. Here we are! The Forbidden City was home to many emperors…
When we first started planning our trip to China with Jenna, we assumed we’d rent an Airbnb apartment. It’s our go-to website for booking accommodation; it’s affordable, it’s easy to use, it’s great for traveling with friends, and it can give an authentic feel for what life is really like in the places we visit. While researching China’s entry requirements, we learned that foreign tourists must register with the police within 24 hours of arriving in China. We also learned…
We had a blast kicking off our adventure in Shanghai with our pal Jenna and her dad, John! Shanghai is a cool city that we agreed reminded us of NYC in a lot of ways – big, bustling, and very modern. Here are our top 6 favorite activities from our long weekend here: 1. Rooftop Bars on The Bund Shanghai has an incredible skyline and there are a lot of rooftop bars that offer amazing views of the city. We…