Over the last few years, Joanna and I have been trying to recognize and appreciate the time we’re able to spend with our parents. We’re really fortunate that both sets of parents are healthy and that we moved to a house about 15 minutes from them so we see our families pretty regularly. The only times we seem to go on family trips are when a family member passes away and we have to travel for a funeral, so we decided to prioritize our families this year and take them on a vacation to create some cherished memories together.
I didn’t have a natural place to cover life updates in my last post so I guess I’ll start with that here. In October 2023, we discovered a small dark spot on Speedy’s belly which we had removed and biopsied by the vet. The test results came back as hemangiosarcoma and he was given 3-6 months to live. Naturally, no one tells Speedy what to do so he chose to stick around way beyond that estimate.
There are several hotel chains that we’ve stayed at so far in our trips to Japan that have been reliable, affordable, located in good areas, and have nice amenities that I’ve enjoyed like free breakfast or a public bath. Toyoko Inn is one of those hotel chains that meets our needs and I regularly recommend to people as it’s a business hotel which includes a nice morning breakfast.
https://i0.wp.com/loosyourselfabroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/PXL_20260206_025304382.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=110001500Andrewhttp://loosyourselfabroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Logo-v3-300x138.pngAndrew2026-02-06 16:12:202026-02-07 21:33:56Pressure to Deliver
We needed to mix things up today and not spend 4 hours in a clothing store. Considering it was a Saturday, I wanted to take the group to Asakusa to check out Sensoji Temple street before it got too crowded. I was a little worried as we arrived around 10am but I think due to the Chinese government cutting 45% of tourism to Japan due to politics, it wasn’t overwhelmed by tourists. I got some good photos, especially one of a pigeon that I was following.
https://i0.wp.com/loosyourselfabroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/0S2A6465.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=110001500Andrewhttp://loosyourselfabroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Logo-v3-300x138.pngAndrew2026-02-07 21:58:082026-02-07 21:58:08Gotta Do Some Touristy Things
We’ve been in Tokyo for 3 days and I think one more day would have been too much. There’s so much amazing food, places to go, and things to see but to try to cram in as much as you can in a limited amount of time is overwhelming. From Joanna’s point of view we needed to leave because she was starting to run out of luggage space from all the shopping.
JaTran Trip 2026
JapanOver the last few years, Joanna and I have been trying to recognize and appreciate the time we’re able to spend with our parents. We’re really fortunate that both sets of parents are healthy and that we moved to a house about 15 minutes from them so we see our families pretty regularly. The only times we seem to go on family trips are when a family member passes away and we have to travel for a funeral, so we decided to prioritize our families this year and take them on a vacation to create some cherished memories together.
New Toys
JapanI didn’t have a natural place to cover life updates in my last post so I guess I’ll start with that here. In October 2023, we discovered a small dark spot on Speedy’s belly which we had removed and biopsied by the vet. The test results came back as hemangiosarcoma and he was given 3-6 months to live. Naturally, no one tells Speedy what to do so he chose to stick around way beyond that estimate.
Pressure to Deliver
JapanThere are several hotel chains that we’ve stayed at so far in our trips to Japan that have been reliable, affordable, located in good areas, and have nice amenities that I’ve enjoyed like free breakfast or a public bath. Toyoko Inn is one of those hotel chains that meets our needs and I regularly recommend to people as it’s a business hotel which includes a nice morning breakfast.
Gotta Do Some Touristy Things
JapanWe needed to mix things up today and not spend 4 hours in a clothing store. Considering it was a Saturday, I wanted to take the group to Asakusa to check out Sensoji Temple street before it got too crowded. I was a little worried as we arrived around 10am but I think due to the Chinese government cutting 45% of tourism to Japan due to politics, it wasn’t overwhelmed by tourists. I got some good photos, especially one of a pigeon that I was following.
It Snows in February?!
Asia, JapanWe’ve been in Tokyo for 3 days and I think one more day would have been too much. There’s so much amazing food, places to go, and things to see but to try to cram in as much as you can in a limited amount of time is overwhelming. From Joanna’s point of view we needed to leave because she was starting to run out of luggage space from all the shopping.