• Travel Asia
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    Travel: Family Mart Japan

    Family Mart Japan is one of the best paces to grab breakfast if you want to eat like a local. For us, it’s perfect for snacks. They’ve got plenty of C.C. Lemon and some awesome eats I’ll share below. What’s your go-to convenience store?! Family Mart Japan First, if you’re looking to check out a website, Family Mart does have one! Second, for breakfast, many will grab onigiri – Bryce tried it once and wasn’t a huge fan. For me, I stuck with oatmeal. Second,…

  • 4 Days in Kyoto
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    Travel: 4 Days in Kyoto

    4 days in Kyoto – one of the most fabulous cities in Japan, Kyoto is a must if you’re in the this East Asian country. The history, the food, and the sights – worth it! Visit and live up life in Kyoto. Okay, let’s check out some photos. 4 Days in Kyoto Up first, the quick links to food, hotels, and all the sights. Food and Accommodations Sights Activities Temples Alright, let’s jump into some photos! I haven’t shared many of these and there are…

  • Ibis Styles Kyoto
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    Travel: Ibis Styles Kyoto

    Ibis Styles Kyoto Station is in an amazing location – directly across the street from the main train station in Kyoto. Plus, there’s a Family Mart just down the street. It’s clean, safe, and comfortable for a handful of nights. Okay, let’s check out some photos. Ibis Styles Kyoto There are two Ibis hotels in Kyoto and we stayed at the one right across the street from the station. The other one is a few blocks back, so still within about a 10 minute walk…

  • Kyoto Eats
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    Travel: Kyoto Eats

    Kyoto eats. Being gluten free in Japan is a little tough at times. Advanced planning, however, makes it easy to find some amazing places. From ramen to pizza, let’s explore Kyoto eats. Restaurants Snacks Kyoto Eats For our first night in Kyoto we made a reservation and Sugarhill. When exploring a new place, I often like to make a nice reservation on our first night to ensure we’ve got a good meal under our belt before we explore too far – being hungry isn’t much…

  • Travel Japan
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    Travel: Nijō-jo Castle

    The Nijō-jo Castle is a must in Kyoto. The grounds are just less than 70 acres and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Ninomaru Palace is the one space where you can enter, however, no shoes and no photos allowed. The floors squeak an the rooms are elegant, worth the line or wait if there is one. Okay, let’s check out some of our photos. Nijō-jo Castle First, the decorative roof features are similar to the Imperial Palace, neat, eh?! As you can see…

  • Travel Japan
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    Travel: Kiyomizu-dera

    Kiyomizu-dera is a Buddhist temple overlooking Kyoto, Japan. It’s beautiful, full of history, and was shortlisted as one of the new seven wonders of the world. It didn’t win one of the coveted spots, though. Nope, the seven new wonders of the world are the Great Wall of China, Petra, Colosseum, Chichén Itzá (we’ve been there!), Machu Picchu, Taj Mahal, and Christ the Redeemer. Out of the seven listed, I’d like to see Petra next, I think. What about you? Okay, enough about that and…

  • Travel Japan
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    Travel: Fushimi Inari Taisha

    Fushimi Inari Taisha is a shrine in Kyoto, Japan. The trail is about 4 km long and when crowds are busy, the path can take about 2 hours. You’ll most certainly put in more than 5,000 steps if you take on this adventure. It’s easy, yet long – bring water and the shrine is best visited in the morning, when temperatures (and crowds!) are cooler. Okay, let’s check out some photos. First, a tip – the train station is very close, so don’t stress about…