It recently occurred to me that I was about to leave Japan without having yakitori (skewered meat, traditionally cooked over charcoal). Obviously, that wouldn’t do.
When you think of whisky, the first thing that comes to mind is probably either Scotch whisky, or American bourbon. But I think more and more people are starting to realize that Japan is putting out some whiskies that easily rival anything coming out of Scotland.
The food at Disneyland/DisneySea in Tokyo was shockingly good. I was expecting something along the lines of Disneyland Paris, which was pretty much nothing but boring theme park staples like chicken strips, hot dogs, and hamburgers.
Instead, there was a veritable cornucopia of interesting (and surprisingly delicious) treats. It was so amazing that I felt compelled to write a whole post about it. So buckle up, because here’s a breakdown of everything I ate in both parks (it’s interesting, trust me! No? Everyone stopped reading several sentences ago? Yeah, I get it).
I’ve been almost entirely eschewing organized tours on this trip — partially because I like wandering around on my own, and partially because that stuff isn’t cheap. If you’re only travelling for a week or two, it makes complete sense to pay for stuff like that, because why not? You may as well cram as much as you can into the days that you have, and then worry about the money when you get home.
But when you’re travelling for several months, your budget is drastically different. Every cent counts, and if you’re taking pricey tours everywhere you go, that’ll add up fast.
Still, exceptions have to be made, and in Scotland — which is known just as much for its scenic countryside as anything else — I figured I’d be remiss if I stayed entirely in the city. Since renting a car was out of the question, a tour was really the only option.
It’s quite touristy, and you probably won’t get much out of it if you already have some scotch know-how, but the Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh is still a decent enough way to spend an hour or so.