Blog
Japan Hotel Reviews: Six Real Stays, Tokyo to Sapporo
Six Hotels, One Route Through Japan Six hotels, six weeks, one route through Japan — and only two of them…
Planning a Japan Trip? Start With the System, Not the Cities
I’ve done Japan twice, eight years apart, and the two trips could not have gone more differently. The first ran…
Where to Base Yourself in Central Japan: Nagoya and Takayama
Every guide told me not to waste nights in Nagoya. Use it as a transfer point, they said, and base…
Why Hiroshima Became One of My Favourite Cities in Japan
Hiroshima was never supposed to become a favourite. I arrived braced for a single, heavy experience and a convenient base…
Taipei: A City That Works Brilliantly but Hides Its Soul
Every place I’ve written about on this site has settled into a clear identity by the time I finished with…
Seoul: A Developed City That Forgot Its Elders
Eleven nights in Seoul, and I would not go back. Not for the shopping. Not for the history. Not even…
Planning a Thailand Trip? Start With Sequence, Not a City List
Most people planning a Thailand trip start with the wrong question. They ask where to go. The real question is…
Planning a Trip to Vietnam? Start With the Region, Not the Circuit.
I’m Malaysian-Australian, and when I picked Vietnam as the first country of my long-term solo travel life, I assumed the…
Why I Won’t Buy The JR Pass Again
I paid AUD 890 for a twenty-one day JR Pass. The legs I actually rode, priced individually with a reserved…