Japan

Japan is a dream destination for many travelers, and since the pandemic has ended and Japan reopened to tourists, it’s also been an extremely popular place to visit. But for me, it’s kind of like going home. I was fortunate enough to be able to live in Japan for around 18 months when I was a kid, and I have been fortunate to visit several times since then. My family has kept ties to Japan, and I can still speak and understand Japanese (though by no means am I fluent!)

In 2019, right before the pandemic, we took our two kids, then 3 and 18 months, to Japan for a few weeks. We had a great time and the kids loved it, although my 18 month old didn’t remember very much at the time. After that trip, we decided we wanted to return with my mother, who hadn’t been for almost 20 years, and so planned to go in 2021. Of course that didn’t happen, but we were finally able to make the trip happen this year!

This wasn’t a photography trip, but I did decide to take a single camera and a single lens with me. I wanted to capture a few photos of the family and our friends, but also get some photos of the fall colors and some of the places we visited. It was refreshing to travel light and there were many days that I left my camera behind. Besides that, we spent most of our time in Nagoya, where I used to live, which is definitely not on the tourist radar, and I didn’t even bother taking my camera out in Tokyo except right when we got there and right when we were about to leave. So, I think this collection of photos is a little different than you might otherwise find, but that’s okay with me! Enjoy!