Kanazawa
They call it little Kyoto, which undersells it. The samurai town, quieter than Kyoto and better for it. Sat in a tea house at Kenroku-en with matcha and mochi, drizzle coming down on the pond, and I'm not sure I've had a better hour anywhere. Also had omakase at Soki that I still think about.
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Kansai Golden Triangle
Kyoto turned me into a morning person for three days straight, purely to get ahead of the crowds. One afternoon we gave up and went back to the hotel. Beautiful place, and I probably won't return, because of the crowds, of which I was one. Nara was mostly bowing to deer. In Osaka we planned every day around food — omakase, sushi, takoyaki, okonomiyaki, onigiri, 7-Eleven — and at one point split an entire fluffy cheesecake in a square, which is defensible at 20,000 steps a day
Fujikawaguchiko
Overnight here and never saw Fuji once — solid overcast, though it did good things for the fall colors. Went back for a day trip at the end of the trip to Japan and got about as lucky as you can get.
Lassen Volcanic
Lowkey underrated. Went here instead of Yosemite and had the trails mostly to ourselves, and it was the first real bed and breakfast I've stayed at in the US — not an Airbnb with a lockbox and a list of rules.
Golden Hour
