Blog

Uji

During our last trip to Kyoto, we took the short train ride south to explore Uji. We visited the Byodo-in Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and its surrounding gardens, walked along the Uji River, and sampled many matcha-infused delicacies. Before hoping on the train back to Kyoto, we also enjoyed late afternoon tea and dessert at one of the many tea shops located along Ujibashi-Dori Street.

Our decision to visit Uji was an impromptu one, so we didn’t have a plan or get to see (or eat) everything that we wanted. We’re hoping to visit Kyoto again in the near future and we’re planning to revisit Uji to see what else this charming little city has to offer.

Return to Kyoto

During the pandemic, Japan topped the list of places that we wanted to visit. Once we heard the news that Japan was reopening its borders, we started planning our first trip back since 2018. In February of this year, we spent nearly two weeks exploring one of our favorite countries in the world. We revisited Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka and visited Yokohama for the first time.

Much like our experience in 2018, we found Kyoto to be our favorite destination on our trip. We spent five days in Kyoto revisiting familiar sites and exploring new ones. We made a morning trip back to Arashiyama to beat the crowds, took our time wandering the streets of Higashiyama, and explored the Pontoncho district for the first time.

We’re so happy that we were able to return to Japan this year and we really enjoyed our time there. So much so that we’re already looking into places we want to visit and things we want to do the next time we have an opportunity to visit.

Banff National Park

We visited the Banff, Jasper, and Yoho National Parks in the Canadian Rockies in September of this year. Due to a wildfire in Jasper, we spent most of our trip exploring Banff National Park. The extra time gave us the opportunity to visit many places more than once and at different times of the day. We also didn't have to rush, so we could really take in the scenery at places like Moraine Lake, Lake Louise, and the Peyto Lake overlook.

I’ve been wanting to go to Banff National Park since we went to Waterton Lakes National Park in 2018. I remember seeing photographs Moraine Lake and being drawn to the turquoise water and snowcapped mountains. As beautiful as the photographs were, they still didn’t prepare us for seeing these glacial-fed lakes in person. The colors were simply amazing and unlike anything else we had ever seen.

Even though we had to make some changes to our trip due to the wildfire, we still had a wonderful time. I can’t recommend Banff National Park enough and I truly believe that everyone should see the sights in this park in person at least once. If you do decide to visit the park, be sure to plan ahead and book early. The accommodations in the area fill up early in the year and the months when the lakes aren’t frozen over are limited.