Japan 2023

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Taketomi Island – the Gem of the Yaeyama Islands 🇯🇵

Taketomi Island is one of the most culturally rich places in Japan. This island is a small island in the Yaeyama Island chain within Okinawa Prefecture.

gavin
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Hoshinoya Taketomi Island Review: Paradise in the Yaeyama Islands 🌺

My partner and I were looking for somewhere special in Asia to take our honeymoon.  We considered multiple locations – Fiji, the Philippines, etc – just about anywhere tropical in Asia.  We ultimately settled on somewhere in Okinawa due to the ease of travel (we were already in Japan finishing up a

gavin
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First Time in the Osaka, Japan Area 🏯 🐙

Despite this being our second trip to Japan, it was our first time visiting Tokyo's grittier cousin, Osaka.  A short Shinkansen ride from Tokyo, Osaka is often paired with Tokyo Shinsekai is a bit like Tokyo's Shinjuku, just on a much smaller scale.  While Shinsekai is

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A Few Days in Hiroshima and Miyajima, Japan ⛩️

For most Americans, hearing the word "Hiroshima" elicits a singular and universal mental image that starts in elementary school.  We learn about World War II and the atomic bombs we dropped at a surprisingly early age. Despite the early association, Hiroshima isn't all A-Bomb Dome and

gavin
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Tokyo 2023: The Second Time 🗼

Tokyo is "the" quintessential Japanese destination – I think just about everyone would agree regardless if you've visited the country or not.  Being Asia's incredibly obvious premier city will have those effects.  Tokyo was of course ours, and probably 90% of other visitor's,