My son asked me last month why we don’t just look at a picture of Mount Fuji instead of driving two hours to sleep next to it. Fair question from a kid who’d rather be at the playground. But there’s no photo that gets you the version where the mountain turns pink at sunrise while […]
Asagiri Camp Base Sorairo: Complete Guide and Honest Review
If you’ve been scrolling Japan camping accounts and keep seeing that impossibly green field with Mt Fuji floating behind it, there’s a good chance it’s Asagiri Camp Base Sorairo. I took my 5-year-old there for two nights and I want to walk you through what it’s actually like, not just the polished shots, because there […]
Fujiminooka Auto Camp Field: A Mom’s Honest Guide to Camping With a Mt. Fuji View
We booked Fujiminooka Auto Camp Field on a whim because a friend sent me a photo of Mt. Fuji sitting right behind someone’s tent, and I basically stopped scrolling and texted her “wait, where is this.” Turns out it’s a hillside campsite in Fuji City, Shizuoka, that opened back in January 2021 and has quietly […]
Negura Campground: An Honest Family Review of the Izu Hillside Campsite With a View
Negura Campground has been popping up on every camping account and blog list for Izu lately, and after taking my 5-year-old there with two other families, I get why. It’s not the biggest campsite you’ll find, and it’s not the place to go if Mt. Fuji is the entire point of your trip. But for […]
Arima Keikoku: Guide to the Perfect Spot for Fishing With Kids Near Tokyo
If you’re a parent living around Tokyo or Yokohama, you already know the summer problem. The kid is out of school, the humidity is doing something unforgivable to everyone’s mood, and every indoor play center within train distance is packed with the exact same crowd you were hoping to escape. Trout fishing with kids near […]
Sea Paradise Fireworks Symphony: A Guide to Yokohama’s Best Summer Fireworks Show
If you have lived in Japan for more than one summer, you already know the drill with hanabi taikai. You show up three hours early in full yukata, stake out a patch of tarp on a riverbank, sweat through the humidity, and then spend the actual fireworks show squinting past someone’s selfie stick. It is […]
Hasedera Temple Kamakura: A Detailed Guide to Each Must-See Spot (Updated 2026)
Let’s be real for a second. When you first move to Japan, you have this vision of spending your weekends strolling peacefully through empty, mist-covered temple grounds, finding your inner peace. Then reality hits. You realize that most of the famous spots involve navigating chaotic train transfers, squeezing onto sidewalks that are roughly the width […]
2026 Guide to the Hasedera Temple Hydrangeas
June has officially hit the Kanto region, and if you live here, you know exactly what that means. The sky has settled into a permanent shade of gray, the humidity has casually spiked to eighty percent, and suddenly trying to get your laundry to dry indoors feels like an unwinnable extreme sport. Figuring out how […]
The Ultimate Sodai Gomi Guide For Foreigners in Japan (2026)
There comes a day in every Japan expat’s life where you stare at a broken toaster oven, a worn-out rug, or that cheap folding chair you bought your first week here, and a deep sense of dread washes over you. You realize: I have absolutely no idea how to get rid of this. You’ve already […]
Honest Guide to the Misaki Maguro Ticket: Is It Actually Worth It?
It feels like almost every train line in Japan has those “Otoku” or discount passes, but since Keikyu is my home line, I am a bit biased toward theirs. They have a ton of options like the Hayama Excursion Ticket or the Yokosuka Enjoy Ticket, but today we are talking about the heavyweight: the Misaki […]