Miyajima

Nestled in the Atacama Desert, this oasis is great for a quick sandboarding pit stop.

  7-Eleven

These sweet potato donuts were daily (if not twice daily) occurence for me while in Lima .

Iwatayama Monkey Park

This was my favorite city in Peru! Surrounded by four volcanoes, this spot offers great views and fun.

Tokyo

The biggest surprise of my life was absolutely loving Tokyo. It’s simultaneously clean and quiet while also being fun and crazy.

Can’t miss:

• Akihabara - Electric Town. Akihabara is the electronics, hobby, anime, manga, action figures and video game district. You will see some weird stuff here, and it's amazing. I have no specific recommendations for you. Roam the streets, go into stores, and get weirded out.

• Ueno park – a massive park that was originally part of Kaneiji Temple. This place is the BEST for spring cherry blossoms. I also recommend a visit to the Tokyo National Museum if you’re into that thing.

• Harajuku is a shopping district near Shibuya - what you're looking for is Takeshita street. Toys, clothes, candy, hot dessert, black sesame ice cream, chicken skin flavored potatoes - you can easily burn 3 or 4 hours here. My favorite spots are the Totti Candy Factory and Gomaya Kuki ice cream shop.

• Chiyoda is Old Town Tokyo, where the emperor's palace is. Walk around, enjoy the palace and museums, take pictures.

• let's drink like a Japanese person would. Head into Golden Gai, a winding series of about 200 5-seat bars with different themes. They're all good, but avoid any place that says FREE FOR FOREIGNERS. You'll end up with a bunch of Japanese tourists.

Food:

• now for dinner, one of my favorite little hidden gems in Shibuya - Itachi, the Teppanyaki restaurant. This is the grown up version of the Japanese open grill you went to after a good report card as a kid.

• As early as you can, get up and subway across town to the old Tsukiji Fish Market. It's true; it's a shadow of its former self, as fish is no longer bought and sold wholesale here. But hey - you're not here to buy 300 pounds of Tuna, you're here for chirashi (bowl of sushi) and uni (sea urchin). Roam the market (try tamago - sweet egg on a stick!).

• My dinner recommendation for you is to try some breaded Wagyu beef at Gyukatsu Motomura. You cook it yourself on a hot stone. It's the type of thing you can only get in Japan.

•  I'm sending you to MENSHO, my favorite ramen restaurant. It looks like a laboratory in there - but it's simply amazing.

Stay: I stayed at the Selina Miraflores Hostel which was perfectly situated in a great neighborhood, close to Larcoma and Parque Kennedy.

Hakone

Goodbye, Tokyo! We’re headed south to Hakone now but first a stop at Kamakura Village, a seaside village famous for matcha, honey and seafood. It's directly south of Tokyo on the subway. Walk the main street and eat/shop until you get to the ocean. There is a can't miss restaurant here, but it's not for the faint of heart - AKIMOTO, famous for Shirasudon, or baitfish on rice. There's nowhere else in the world it's served, and goodness it is good. Get the combo - half raw, half steamed.

When you're done, it's off to Hokone on the bullet train for 1-2 nights of hot springs (onsen) relaxation in the mountains of Japan in a special hotel (ryokan). The natural hot springs are relaxing and uniquely Japanese. Stay for 2 nights so that you can enjoy a day in Kamakura and then a full day in Hakone before you head off to Kyoto/Osaka.

The way to use the communal ones is to wear your provided kimono/sandals and bring anything you need post onsen (shampoo, face wash - even though they’ll provide all of this), leave everything in the locker room and then shower off before getting into the bath. After the bath, shower again and get changed back in the locker room. You MUST cover any tattoos you have though so bring medical tape if you need it!

*Note: If you are traveling with partner of the opposite sex and want to enjoy the onsen with them, you must reserve a private onsen. o your research and find the one you can afford. It's worth the splurge.

Can’t miss:

• A day of R&R in Hakone. Book massages, walk around the gardens in your kimonos, and enjoy a day of tranquility.

• Take the cable car up to a great view point then cruise around Lake Ashi

• Stop by the Hakone Shrine too to get a picture at the famous red gate on the water (but be prepared to wait in an instagram queue forevvveeerrrrrr for this shot) .

Eat:

Stay: Book your hotel here ASAP! I stayed in at New Hakkien which is a traditional ryokan where you sleep on the floor on traditional reed mats (comfier than you’d think!). The onsens were great and had a beautiful view of Mount Fuji.

Hiroshima

Visit the Atomic Bomb Dome and the Peace Memorial Museum in the morning – somber but incredible. Make sure to stop by the paper cranes memorial too.

Then restore your joy by taking a ferry over to Miyajima to visit the amazing floating shrine, pet some wild deer, and eat oysters! This was one of the highlights of my trip and I can’t recommend it enough - it’s so beautiful and we had so much fun that we kept referring to it as Disney world.

Can’t miss:

• Atomic Bomb Dome

• Peace Memorial Museim

• Paper Cranes Memorial

• Miyajima

Eat:

• For dinner go get Okonmiyaki here: https://s.tabelog.com/en/hiroshima/A3401/A340121/34001613/

• Oysters

Stay: I stayed at the Agoda which was the largest hotel room I had during my trip to Japan and a good location.

osaka

Osaka is the birthplace of Japanese street food - they're famous for fried Takoyaki (octopus dumplings), yakisoba, and seafood of all kinds. 

Can’t Miss:

• Head over to 黒門市場 to look at some Osaka local foods once you wake up. Bonus points if you can get your hands on Japan's famous white strawberries, a regional favorite that may be out of season for you. 

• Walk around Dotonbori and just get into whatever looks interesting. Stand in long lines, play street games, do whatever the other Japanese people are doing.

• Don't miss Osaka Castle, a gorgeous relic of the shogun era that you can walk all through. There's some awesome museum-style experiences in the castle too.

•  If you have time, I’d also recommend the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, one of the world's largest aquariums.

Eat:

• Get a Takoyaki sampler at the Takoyaki Juhachiban Dotonbori so you can taste all four kinds. 

• It’s expensive, but since you’re in Osaka, splurge on the 8-course crab meal at Kani Douraku (Amimoto Honkan) aka the house of crab.

• Wait in line (trust me it’s worth it!) and get lunch at Ajinoya. Make sure to get a seat at the bar so you can watch them cook for you!

Stay: I absolutely loved my stay at Hotel Keihan – it was centrally located and had a great complimentary breakfast.

kyoto

I really recommend 2 days (no more) in Kyoto, Japan's ancient and beautiful city of history. Geishas walk the streets, fantastic temples and hikes dot the landscape.

Can’t Miss:

• Hangout with snow monkeys and get an awesome view of the city at the Iwatayama Monkey Park. This was one of the highlights of my trip!

• Put your walking shoes on and hike the famous Fushimi Inari. These orange gates lead up a mountain with amazing views of Kyoto, studded with beautiful shrines. I went for sunrise and there was no one there!

• Check out Kiyomizu-dera to see an amazing Buddhist temple with scenic views and gorgeous ancient statues.

• Head to Kinkaku-Ji, the Gold Shrine – it's a breathtaking, massive shrine in a park studded with Japanese maple trees.

• For nightlife, I recommend walking around the riverfront bars on the Kamo River. No specific recommendations, just listen for noise and open random doors as you find them. 

Eat:

• Roam the endless stalls and try Kyoto delicacies at the Nishiki Market (best in the daytime and you can walk from the hotel above). For a full lunch, get sushi at nearby AWOMB. 

• Head over to まんまるの月 錦店 for dinner – it’s a Okonomiyaki / Yakisoba bar that is just a fun, delicious experience.

• Get some tea or a snack at a Maccha house!

• Make dinner reservations and enjoy excellent sushi at Giro Giro Hitoshina

Stay: I stayed at Hotel Tavinos which, in very Japanese style, had very small rooms but was in a great location and quick walk to the riverfront and Nishiki Market.