When I was 18 years old, my father took me on a month-long trip traveling around southeastern Australia and that was essentially the start of my love for travel.
In the last 10 years (yes I am actually 28 years old, not 48 as my gray hairs might suggest) most of my free time and money has been spent traveling as much as possible.
One day, quite a few years ago, my friend Mike asked me to take a trip to Japan with him and even though I honestly had no real interest in the country, I thought it would be pretty cool to experience a culture that’s quite different from my own and oh boy.
From day 1 of landing in Osaka, I became obsessed with the place.
That’s not strictly true either, I actually despised my first few hours there. The wheels of my suitcase broke and it was ridiculously humid. I definitely questioned my decision to visit Japan while I was lugging that old suitcase around!
But after leaving my suitcase in the hotel (damn 3pm check-ins) we took a walk and found Nakanoshima Rose Garden and that’s where I fell in love.
With Japan, not the guy.
I mean, he’s alright and all, but let’s say he’s not my type.
Within the first week of traveling the Kansai region, we made good friends that we still have to this day.
After spending a lot of time traveling the usual tourist spots (which are generally amazing to check out) I met some good friends who opened my eyes to how much more Japan has to offer in the way of shall we say… Lesser traveled locations.
That’s why I decided to create Insider Travel Japan. I want to share some little tidbits to help make your time in Japan more unique and a little bit more authentic.
Even in the surrounding areas of the biggest tourist spots like Tokyo Tower which I wrote a post on here, you can find amazing restaurants and experiences you might not find unless they’re pointed out to you.
Hopefully, some of these insights will be of use and as the website grows, it should become more useful and interactive so I hope to see you back from time to time!
Stay safe,
Jordan Cartwright