日本 - Nihon - Japan - Sunrise Land

After every great adventure, one must pause and take time to reflect on one's adventures.

I went on this trip in June and I am just now posting about it. I REALLY took the above quote to heart. There is no shortage of words that I could use to describe how amazing it was...so I will use pictures because those are worth a thousand words.

So now that I've shown the sites, let me share some travel tips...

1. HAVE CASH

Grocery stores, big retail stores, and chain restaurants will accept credit/debit cards. Most tourist souvenir locations, small food stands, and a small boutiques will only accept cash. Especially in Kyoto. I spent more cash than card.

2. GET A COIN PURSE

Japanese currency has 6 coins ranging from $0.01 to $5.00 (USD). I recommend bringing some type of "coin purse" to store them in. I had a wallet that had a coin compartment but you can buy a coin purse at tourist spots (and they're cute too).

3. Get it when you see it

If you see it (a souvenir), BUY IT THEN AND THERE. You'll visit so many places and see so many things; each shop has unique items that are usually only available from that seller.

4. High-tech Toilets

There is a running joke about the "Japanese Toilet" that I didn't understand until now. EVERY TOILET has some additional feature from bidet and bum washing functions, to heated seats and "privacy music". I didn't use all the features but the heated seat thing was reallly nice.

5. Take a water bottle

Obviously using a water bottle saves the planet, but on that SUPER long flight, keep a water bottle so you stay hydrated and beat that pesky jet lag.