A Day at the Owl Cafe: Fukuro no Mise Tokyo
We have heard of cat cafes and dog cafes, but what about owl cafes?! Yep, I had never heard of it either and thanks to my good friend Pete at WanderPi.com I became well informed that one DID in fact exist in Tokyo! The minute I found out, I knew this…
Monday Memories: Views from il Duomo
In my version of #ThrowbackThursday called #MondayMemories, here is a memory from way back to spring 2010 when I studied in Paris. For spring break some friends and I planned a trip to Greece and Italy. Unfortunately that stupid Iceland volcano Eyjaflllakdlekjgergkjregnkjegnkj (not real name) erupted and squashed my only…
Top 5 Tuesdays: Easiest Keepsakes/Souvenirs When Backpacking
I thought I would take a break from Japan (and blogging apparently), to talk about something a lot of travelers deal with: souvenirs. When you are visiting somewhere you obviously want to bring back part of it with you, while it is generally advised not to actually steal physical things…
A Day in Nara
My computer is finally back from being repaired, which means a new post for the segment #ErinDoesJapan! This time I am taking you to Nara, the once short-lived capital of Japan. As mentioned before, I was traveling throughout Japan with my good friend Emiko, who happened to have many friends…
Off the Beaten Path in Japan: Arida and Wakayama
Continuing with the segment #ErinDoesJapan, I am taking you off the beaten path in Japan. When you think of Japan, you think of the big or historical cities, such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, etc. All of these are wonderful places to visit, but sometimes it is fun to go…
How to Maximize Your Trip to Japan
In the segment of #ErinDoesJapan I am going to give you just a few small tips on how to maximize your trip to Japan so you can see as many places as you want, especially during cherry blossom season! Over the Easter holidays, my friend Emiko and I, went to Japan…
Becoming a Geisha in Kyoto
When organizing our trip to Japan, there were three things I told my friend Emiko that I wanted to do: See the cherry blossoms. This was the main reason I was going at this time (end of March-April) so this was an automatic MUST. I really, really, really wanted to…
The Cherry Blossoms of Japan
Continuing on with #ErinDoesJapan, I should talk about something that is a huge part of the Japanese culture: cherry blossoms, or sakura as they are known in Japan. I probably should have added this to my Japanese Stereotypes post, but the Japanese are OBSESSED with cherry blossoms! I mean, they have countdowns…
Top 5 Tuesdays: Stereotypes of Japan
In April I had the chance to visit Japan for my very first time. I am not going to lie, I was a bit hesitant at first because I had heard mixed reviews about Japan, but have always wanted to see the cherry blossoms. I check to see when they…
Thought Thursday: Why is a Girl Traveling Alone So Shocking?
I have taken a recent hiatus from posting as I was traveling throughout Japan, and more recently Cambodia. I was very lucky to travel throughout Japan with my great friend, Emiko, but I traveled to Cambodia by myself. Granted I was joining my inspiring aunt a few days later, for half…