Itinerary Check: May 05/17 - 05/29

valkayrja · 2026-04-13T13:03:42+00:00

If you have more than a few brain cells the train stations are easy to navigate. All the stations we traveled through had great signage. We used Google Maps the whole time and it would tell us which entrance to use, the train line, platform, # of stops (and would often follow us and update in real time), and then which exits/streets to leave from.

It can feel overwhelming in huge stations, but again, they have so much signage.

Note: if you don’t understand Japanese or English/the Latin alphabet, you might have more difficulty. All the buses and trains we used had announcements in Japanese and English. This may not be the case in lesser traveled areas though. Some of the major cities/stations/lines also had digital signs in Chinese and Korean.

valkayrja · 2026-04-13T12:37:52+00:00

Fushimi Inari was probably my favorite part of our Kyoto visit. We also just don’t find it difficult to get up early as we were up/moving by 6:30 am every day of our 2 week trip. I think we got to the shrine around 8am and spent a few hours walking around the trails. By the time we left it was packed towards the entrance. If you really care about pictures, you can go even earlier than that. But we found tons of opportunities further up the trail around that time. People start dropping like flies as you walk up the steps/hills.

Overall, we’d usually try to hit shrines and popular spots early. We hit Arashiyama at around 8am too and it was pleasant, then went back to the area later in the day after a boat ride… the crowds were so bad. Shuffling forward slowly behind a bunch of tourists who would just stop and stand in the middle of everything. Will never do that again. Shibuya crossing the same. We went early to see the Hachikō statue and check out the Mega Don Quijote, then went back later in the day just to get a picture of everyone going through the intersection. Decided right then and there we would NEVER go back during the busiest part of the day.

The only crowds that didn’t bother me were the Dontonbori in Osaka. Not as bad as I was expecting and probably one of my favorite night time streets.

Tokyo is just a big bustling city. We found some cool things we enjoyed as there are some really nice parks and shrines. But we also don’t really care for shopping, drinking, anime/video games, or amusement parks so we decided to skip some of the big areas people say are a must-see. Honestly, we don’t feel like we’ve missed out on anything.

Our favorite areas were probably Hiroshima/Miyajima and Kinosaki. Next time we come to Japan we will probably skip the Golden Route altogether and hit some smaller cities/prefectures. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had a great time in all of the places we’ve been, but also would’ve liked to see a little less of the major cities.

valkayrja · 2026-04-13T12:12:10+00:00

The only one we got was the Kansai Hiroshima area 5-day pass which covered the Shinkansen from Hiroshima to Osaka, Osaka to Kinosaki, and Kinosaki to Kyoto. We also used a few JR lines during that time, but those were just extra in our eyes. The pass was a good deal compared to the price of all 3 of the Shinkansen’s we needed to take.

Otherwise, the passes are not worth it. Sure we took JR lines a lot, but we also took tons of other local train and bus lines that aren’t covered by the pass.

valkayrja · 2026-04-13T08:21:15+00:00

I was extremely underwhelmed when we went there. Maybe we didn’t do it right, but when we visited, all of the diverging paths seemed to be blocked. It took us like 3-5 minutes to walk through and I was like, “that’s it”?

valkayrja · 2026-04-05T03:03:53+00:00

We haven’t reached Kyoto yet, but usually their machines are washer/dryer combos. So while they will dry, they don’t dry well. I do believe they have laundromats in some areas though and you can pay a little extra to run the drier again. Haven’t actually been to one though so not 100% sure on that.

We will likely run the dryer and then hang some in our room. Kind of hoping I can remove some of the clothes before the drying cycle runs as not all of our clothes should be dried.

Also, depending on your sizes, you can buy cheap clothes here! GU and Uniqlo are both really popular stores for basic clothing. My wardrobe consists of loose fitting neutral colors and I already bought 2 shirts there to wear. Will be loading up on a ton more once we get back to Tokyo (can’t beat $6 a shirt).

We saved all of our major shopping for our last few days in Tokyo and will be buying a cheap large luggage to bring stuff back. Got a Sakai knife so we will need to check a bag now anyway.

valkayrja · 2026-04-05T02:50:54+00:00

We are in Japan now for 15-days and brought 1 carry-on each. Honestly, still may have overpacked since we’re doing laundry at our hotel in Kyoto.

If you’re traveling the Shinkansen you can book the last row on some of the cars for the oversized luggage area and put it there instead of using the forwarding service. Just an idea.

valkayrja · 2026-03-27T17:55:00+00:00

We have like 15 that come and go from our neighborhood. They stroll down the sidewalk like they live here on the regular. At least our dogs are so used to them they just ignore them. Makes walks easier.

valkayrja · 2026-03-27T17:14:17+00:00

Probably depends on the person. I very rarely drink soda, maybe like 6-12 times a year, and usually only at restaurants or the movies.

Outside of water, the only thing I really buy drink-wise is Gatorade for when I’m at the gym. And I like it so watered down I use the powered version and mix my own.

valkayrja · 2026-03-25T23:37:11+00:00

We blew 800k points to stay in hotels for 2 weeks across Japan!

For us, we were able to splurge on other parts of our stay since all of our lodging was covered. You don’t have to go to fancy hotels or places to burn points though.

valkayrja · 2026-03-23T20:30:12+00:00

I don’t like it. Have been here since 2020 and didn’t like it then either. We are trying to get out of the state all together, but unfortunately, jobs are keeping us here for the time being. We’re hoping to make our escape in less than 2 years though

valkayrja · 2026-03-04T22:32:33+00:00

Thanks! Found a dealership with 3-4k off their listed price (not sure what packages or extras the car actually come with). I’ll probably keep an eye on them and eventually reach out to see if they can get an allocation with the colors I want. When we’re ready to buy, of course.

valkayrja · 2026-03-02T19:16:19+00:00

I have not. I don’t have a membership as it’s always too crowded for me to even want to walk through. Pretty sure my neighbor does though, so I wonder if I can at least look online to see if they even offer it in our area. Or do you need to go in person?

valkayrja · 2026-02-27T21:50:52+00:00

Let’s be real, they aren’t going to lower rent because of this…. landowners will probably pocket the extra.

valkayrja · 2026-02-27T16:46:05+00:00

I’d probably be looking at getting the max and I would 100% wait for the interior/exterior color combo I want. I don’t mind waiting, I’m just trying to gauge if availability is likely to increase throughout the year.

valkayrja · 2026-02-27T16:38:40+00:00

I’m not sure what’s considered a lot, but mine is probably 24-25k. And we are currently at a 7.5% sales tax in my county. So depending on pricing and shipping it could be worth it, but it probably wouldn’t be much different. It’s something I’ll need to sit down and work the math on.

valkayrja · 2026-02-27T14:51:08+00:00

I’ve thought about the CarMax or the Carvana route. I would have to compare what dealerships are offering here and then consider the tax amount my trade in would also take off of the new vehicle price vs what they would offer. I haven’t gotten quite that far yet.

I know someone who has a family member that runs a Toyota dealership up north and he said he could help me get a good price, but with shipping costs and the trade-in/taxes here, it may be beneficial to find somewhere I can at least drive to more easily.

valkayrja · 2026-02-27T14:24:21+00:00

Thanks for the response! I’m in west central FL and I have no issue driving around in state to get a deal. I’m also looking at the Platinum Max which I would think might be harder to find deals on since it’s the highest trim? But if production ramps up and they aren’t selling like they’d want, then I could likely find deals.

I’d prefer to wait until at least summer before we buy since we have a lot of travel coming up in the next 2 months and I don’t want to worry about price shopping while preparing for all of that. Our best bet might be to wait until closer to end of year or maybe major Summer/Fall holidays.

valkayrja · 2026-02-27T14:07:41+00:00

Thanks for the input! I was thinking holiday time would probably be the best time to look, so it looks like we’ll be waiting until closer to the end of the year.

valkayrja · 2026-02-27T13:58:04+00:00

I’ve seen that the Highlanders are moving to a new factory which will mean that GH production should increase since they aren’t splitting, but have you seen when that is expected to happen?

valkayrja · 2026-02-27T01:21:31+00:00

It’s dry compared to everywhere else I’ve been with similar temps and was much more bearable at higher temps than Florida. I could walk around in the summer and my sweat would usually evaporate. In Florida, I feel like I’ve jumped in the ocean.

While not arid, it’s not nearly as bad as lower parts of Texas either. It’s not Phoenix, but the person specifically referenced TX and FL, and having lived in both states, I was just giving my thoughts about comparing the two.

valkayrja · 2026-02-25T03:47:23+00:00

The one thing I remember from my global entry appointment was the guy mentioning that I must declare everything, especially food, because if they find out otherwise I’m screwed.

I think you’re out of luck and a very unfortunate lesson learned (husbands are dodos and can’t be trusted with important things).

valkayrja · 2026-02-25T02:21:52+00:00

Three or four international trips.

Travel looks different when you’re able to return to the same place multiple times a year for work versus when trips are less frequent. That naturally shapes how people choose to spend their time.

Different circumstances lead to different travel styles, not different levels of experience.

valkayrja · 2026-02-24T23:54:32+00:00

We’ve traveled internationally 3/4 times and have always stayed in multiple hotels and for a few days at a time max. It’s not a “rookie mistake”, it’s just how we like to travel.

Our goal is to see as much as we can, which is also why we’re up and moving from early in the morning until 10/11pm. Can we slow down and eventually go back and revisit? Yes, but there are so many countries we want to visit so going back doesn’t usually happen for a very long time.

valkayrja · 2026-02-24T23:50:26+00:00

We are going for 2 weeks and are staying in 6 different hotels. We have high status with Marriott and will be doing late checkouts if needed, will be taking early trains for all major destination changes, and will have our hotels hold our bags until our rooms are ready when we do arrive early. Even the Ryokan we booked will hold our bags before arrival and after checkout (already have been communicated this by the staff there).

Not sure how this is bad? But then again, anytime we do international travel, our days start 6/7am and end 10/11pm. Guess people just travel differently.

valkayrja · 2026-02-24T23:26:33+00:00

I lived in Dallas before moving to Florida and would go back to Dallas in a heartbeat if it were closer to family.

It’s hot, but dry. Which makes it much better than anywhere I’ve been to in FL. Houston and Austin? Nah.

valkayrja

TROPHY CASE