Hello Everyone!

After Tokyo, I hopped on a train to Kawaguchiko with visions of postcard-perfect lake shots and Mount Fuji looming dramatically in the background.

Reality check: rain. Overcast. Moody clouds doing everything they could to protect Fuji’s privacy. I wasn’t alone—there were plenty of other tourists standing around with expensive cameras, all collectively pretending this was “atmospheric” and “intentional.”

Honestly though? Blessing in disguise. After absolutely flooring it in Tokyo, Kawaguchiko forced me to slow down a bit—and I clearly needed it. The town itself was super pleasant, calm, and easy to enjoy without feeling like I had to doanything. I found a local grocery store I loved and that immediately became my dinner HQ. Nothing says “international adventure” like standing in a Japanese grocery store at night trying to decipher packaging and hoping you didn’t just buy dessert tofu.

The hostel was fantastic—and YES JON, I included a bit of a tour in the video just for you. You’re welcome.

From there, it was trains-on-trains-on-trains, capped off with a 330 km/h Shinkansen ride into Kyoto. Kyoto is just… awesome. It’s this near-perfect blend of modern Japan and ancient Japan coexisting politely with each other. And historically speaking, it makes sense—Kyoto was Japan’s capital for over a thousand years, so it’s kind of flexing without saying it out loud.

I hit the bamboo forest, wandered through more shrines and temples than I can reasonably count, and then decided—because I’m a genius—to hike Fushimi Inari Taisha, aka the “1,000 torii gates” mountain.

Quick clarification: that mountain goes directly into the upper atmosphere. Possibly low Earth orbit.

Look—am I glad I did it? Yes.

Was I questioning my life choices halfway up? Also yes.

During the hike it was… touch and go. But like always, the moment I finished I immediately rewrote history and decided it was “totally worth it.” Classic.

My old buddy Chris Dolding and his family are also in Japan right now, but unfortunately the timing just didn’t line up. Too bad—miss you, buddy. That said, Chris did tip me off about teamLab Biovortex. That’s all I’m saying. You’ll need to watch the video (last third) for context. One extra hint: if you’re confused about what you’re looking at… same. Just go with it.

Next stop: Osaka.

Things Not Fully Captured in the Video

• Japanese people tend to have Japanese dog breeds.

  Not a hard rule, but the correlation is strong. You’ll see lots of:

  
  

  • Shiba Inu

  • Akita

  • Shikoku

  • Japanese Spitz

  • Kai Ken

    It’s like national branding, but fluffy.

  
  

• Kyoto transit:

  The subway is a bit more dated and clunky than Tokyo’s ultra-sleek system, but it’s still my go-to.

  Avoid the bus if you can. It’s 280 yen whether you go one stop or twenty. The subway just makes way more sense.

• I’m getting a little “shrined-out.”

  They’re all beautiful. They all have unique charm. But unless something is truly unmissable, I’m no longer going out of my way.

  And I swear—if it’s up in outer space again, I’m going to be upset.

• Doubling down: get a SUICA card in your Apple Wallet.

  Trains. Subways. 7-Eleven. FamilyMart. Vending machines. Life itself. It just works.

• Maybe skip the old Imperial Palace self-guided walk in Kyoto.

  You can’t go into any buildings, and it’s a long… long… gravel walk. It wasn’t terrible—but it’s not cracking my “must-do” list either.

• The video does NOT do justice to Nishiki Market.

  It was spectacular.

  There was an entire store dedicated solely to fancy hairpins. Not a section. Not a shelf. A store.

  The food was incredible—fresh, beautiful, and borderline intimidating in its presentation. Honestly, half the fun was just wandering and taking it all in.

Onward. Osaka awaits.