Soooooo much sightseeing. Our feet were aching from miles and miles of walking through the narrow streets of Kyoto. Halfway through our trip and at least 12 solid Japanese meals in, my body (and mind) needed something satisfying in a different way. Our first day away from Hokkaido, I used points to book us at […]

It was Rachel’s fourth time in Japan this year. Fourth time staying at this hotel, the Royal Park Hotel Shiodome. And she raved about everything at the property… except their food. She was right: ignoring her advice, nearly every item I tried from their café was a letdown. While the Japanese creations in the exclusive […]

SXSW is a nonstop event. It’s hard to describe the experience, but essentially, major mainstream/well-known b2c “tech” companies (and I use the word “tech” loosely) have events throughout the city over a 10 day period, and visitors hop from one destination to another, absorbing as much as they can. Half a million attendees, lots of […]

Life had been busy with work, so vacation was pretty much out of the question for most of 2016. Nevertheless, vacation is a must in everyone’s life, so we balanced the work life relationship by taking three days off for a trip. But instead of driving a few hours away or hopping on a short […]