Whether your opinion of Japan ends up being that you hate it or you love it, one thing can be said with near certainty: you will love konbinis (at the very least you will use them frequently). Convenience stores in Japan, or konbinis, have literally become so deeply integrated into Japanese
15 Things To Remember Trekking In The Himalaya
To take a break from narrating the day-to-day happenings of my Everest Base Camp trek, I have decided to share some of the things that I would recommend keeping in mind while trekking in the Himalaya (or probably countless other places as well). Despite everything I thought I knew prior to
The 11 Worst Moments On The Pacific Crest Trail
As much as I love remembering the awesomeness that was my Pacific Crest Trail hike, during moments of aggressive trail jonesing, I also try to remind myself of the horrible times out on the trail. The horrible times? Yes, the horrible times. These times include, but are not limited to: the
10 Things You Should Know About Belgium
Before arriving in Belgium I heard from multiple groups of travelers that, "it was the one place they would have skipped" given the chance to "do it over" (no regrets, people). Undeterred, I decided to find out for myself. The verdict? I haven't the slightest clue what these people were
Quarter-Century Bucket List
One year, a quarter of a century ago, I was carved out of my mother’s stomach and began my turn at life’s adventure. When I first learned what a bucket list was, I very much liked the idea. It’s like a to-do list for your life, but instead of the list being filled with menial tasks that you have
17 Things Scarier Than Bears On The Pacific Crest Trail
As we learned from the absurd questions asked of Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers, people are mostly interested in hikers' thoughts on the "scary things" out in the wilderness. Basically: bears, mountain lions, and murders. Why people are so fixated on bears and murders? The last (and only)
11 Reasons You Will Hate Japan
Now before you jump to any conclusions about Japan or my opinions regarding the Land of the Rising Sun, let me share with you the truth: Japan is amazeballs. A more appropriate title for this post might be "11 Things In Japan That Americans May Or May Not Find Rather Annoying", but I did not think
10 Things You Can Do In Japan (And Not The US)
One of my favorite things about traveling is being able to see how laws and social taboos (what silly things they are) change across countries. Differences between Japan and the United States extend beyond simply bowing and taking off your shoes to enter places. The following ten things are not
14 Products Japan Almost Got Right (And 4 They Did)
English has established itself as the dominant force in the global communication sphere, and as a result you can find it on everything from subway signs to strip club advertisements across the world. In some countries, consumers see English is seen as cool or exotic, and advertisers have taken