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TL;DR
Culture shock coming back to the USA is so real as well… But this trip was a much-needed vacation and it will stay with me forever.
Japan cost me $5 more per day than my month in Spain - full breakdown below of my entire budget!
CURRENTLY
Documenting my journey
I biked nearly 100 miles over 12 bridges and 7 different hilly islands over one of my last days in Japan. The route is called the Shimanami Kaido, and I’m so grateful my friend Shannon recommended it to me. It was a bucket list ride and one of the coolest physical activities I’ve ever done.
I was planning to bike 40-50 miles and got a bit carried away with myself, as you’ll see in the video, and barely made it back 😅 - But it’s really amazing what our bodies can do if we push them.
It’s really hard to put my feelings for Japan into words but I tried after 10 hours of biking at the end of that video. I get it now.
Overall, here’s my quick review of every city I visited:
Tokyo: Huge, has everything you could want
Kamakura: The most beautiful hydrangeas I’ve ever seen
Hakone: So many unique forms of transportation on the mountain
Takayama: Peaceful little town
Shirakawa-Go: Cutest little village ever
Kanazawa: Amazing rainy gardens
Kyoto: Just perfect. Stunning temples - the highlight of my trip
Osaka: Great nightlife and baseball games
Hiroshima: Very moving, peaceful, and contemplative
Onomichi: Mind-blowing bike ride
FINANCES
Money and Investing Updates
¥635,000. The amount I spent on three weeks in Japan ($4,000).
Japan worked out to cost $188 per day, vs. $183 per day in Spain, or $100 per day in Colombia.
Of course, that includes over $2,500 of credit card perks and points put to use on the Japan trip for free flights, among other things. Safe to say the weak yen in Japan (40-year-low vs. the US dollar) took advantage of me!
The trip cost breakdown is here!
And here was my itinerary! If you want more details, let me know
MORE JAPAN HIGHLIGHTS
The journal photos were popular two weeks ago, so I wanted to send a few more photos I took:
Gates at Fushimi Inari
Monkeys in Kyoto
Deer at Nara Park - I got to feed them!
Rainy shrine in Osaka
A-Bomb Dome in Hiroshima
TeamLab Planets in Tokyo - the coolest art museum in the world!
WHAT I’M CONSUMING
World Cup Games - I’ve watched extended highlights or the full game of all 96 matches so far (who’s counting?). They’ve been extraordinary. The competition’s tighter than ever and (apart from the USA the other night… 😭) nobody is giving up until the final whistle! Spectacular.
At this point, anyone can win, but I want to see more fireworks from Messi, Mbappe, and Haaland
Suits - I watched the entire first season on my 13-hour flight from Japan to Montreal, and I’ve kept going. This show is so witty, quick, and sharp - the dialogue is unlike any other show I’ve seen, apart from maybe Psych (one of my all-time favs).
DESK OF THE WEEK
📍 Onomichi, Japan
The hardest (physical) work I accomplished on my trip was the bike ride. Here’s the view from that ‘desk’
WHAT’S NEXT?
I’m getting ready to bike 100+ miles at 24 Hours of Booty in a few weeks in Charlotte - if you want to ride with me or support the charity event, let me know. It’s July 24th and 25th.
I’m also working on my Europe plans, which will hopefully include exploring, backpacking, and bikepacking for the Summer and Fall!
My next update will include a Building section - I have some good updates on Foundation Media, Mitten Ventures, and Trailmix Wealth coming soon…
Adventure is out there!
✌️ Matthew
SUPPORT
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Not financial advice. Just a guy sharing his journey. Thanks for being here!
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