Stefanie, WHAT?!

When you’ve done all the big sights in Tokyo, it can start to get challenging finding something new and exciting to do. So when I was up in Tokyo, I was happy to find a place not too far away from the city that would make for a lovely day trip: Odawara, in Kanagawa Prefecture. It was just the thing I needed to get away from the crowds for a bit, while also giving me an excuse to ride the bullet…

I promised in my previous post that I would share a few things I did in 2025, and this is the start of it! I visited Tokyo during Golden Week last year. It was not my first trip there (I have, in fact, lived there before), nor will it be the last. Tokyo is massive, with all the train lines and buses you could possibly need to get to a given destination. And if you don’t know quite where to go?…

2026 doesn’t feel like a real number, does it? I realize that a lot of people in the world have yet to witness the final countdown where the date ticks forward to the new year, but I am curious how everyone is feeling about it! Are you sad to see 2025 go? Are you relieved? Are you facing the start of the year with trepidation, or eagerness? Continue reading Happy New Year from the kotatsu!