Japan 2024

This trip had been years in the making.

We originally planned to visit Japan in 2020 after starting the planning back in 2019. Then COVID hit, travel stopped, and everything was put on pause. In September of 2024, after more planning and a lot of anticipation, we finally made it happen. Three and a half weeks. Just the two of us.

As we were planning the trip, a few ideas started shaping the experience. We chose September hoping to escape the worst of the summer heat, which… didn’t happen. It was extremely hot. While researching events during our dates, we realized Ultra Music Festival would be happening the same weekend, so we grabbed tickets right away. Around the same time during our planning and half joking but also half serious, I asked Heidy if she’d want to climb Mt. Fuji. She didn’t hesitate for a second and said yes. When I looked into it more, I realized we’d be there just after climbing season ended. Most of the mountain huts would be closed, but there was exactly one hut still open during our window. We booked it immediately.

We started the trip with a full week in Tokyo, and it completely lived up to the hype. We explored neighborhood after neighborhood, wandered temples, checked out the fish markets, shopped, and ate some of the best food we’ve ever had. We had conveyor belt sushi, endless bowls of ramen, got lost in Tokyo’s massive train stations, and ate and drank the nights away in the narrow izakaya alleyways. The culture, the respect, and the kindness of the people were incredible! And for two of those nights, we danced the night away at Ultra Music Festival, listening to some of the best EDM artists in the world. Tokyo somehow felt nonstop and peaceful at the same time.

After Tokyo, it was time to turn that Mt. Fuji idea into reality. We took a cab from Tokyo and hiked up to the hut the first day, stayed the night, then woke up at 2am and started climbing in the dark. We reached the summit just after sunrise, then hiked all the way back down the same day. Being there in the off season meant hardly anyone else was on the mountain. Quiet, very challenging, but absolutely unforgettable.

From there, we slowed things down in Hakone for a few days, enjoying great food and the spa scene. Then came Takayama, which quickly became our favorite town in Japan. We stayed above a small café in the old town and were greeted by our hosts to an amazing shabu-shabu dinner they had waiting for us. We also took a day trip to one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, Shirakawa-go, which felt like stepping back in time.

Then we took off to Kyoto for a full week of culture, unforgettable meals, a geisha performance, and a simple picnic in the park that became one of our favorite moments. After Kyoto it was off to nearby Osaka which brought even more food, late nights, and wandering along the river through Dotonbori. And to say even more about Japan’s culture and respect: One night there, I left my wallet at a rooftop restaurant right out in the open. We went back the next day right before leaving town and it was sitting in the exact same spot. Not a thing missing. That moment pretty much summed up the people and the culture.

We wrapped it all up by taking the bullet train back to Tokyo, spending a few final nights in Asakusa before heading home.
This video is just a glimpse into a trip we’ll be talking about for the rest of our lives. Hot, exhausting, beautiful, and unforgettable.