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Yes, Kyoto is worth visiting in 2026. But not for everyone, and not in the way most guidebooks describe it. If you're asking because you've heard the crowds are bad, the hotel tax is steep, and locals...
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travelI've spent years watching people arrive in Japan with AI-generated itineraries that look great on paper. Then they hit the ground and find out the JR Pass doesn't cover their route, Nara is scheduled a...
food & beverageKuromon Market hits you immediately. The smell arrives first: salt-grilled squid, fresh fish on ice, the sharp tang of ponzu sauce mixing with charcoal smoke. Then the sound. Vendors calling out the da...
accommodationWhile Kyoto draws visitors to its temples and Tokyo pulls in the pop culture crowd, Osaka is where Japan comes to party. The food stalls along Dotonbori smell like takoyaki and grilled squid. The bar...
30+ years in Kyoto, Japan
We're James & Akari, a Kyoto-based couple with 30+ years of Japan experience between us. We built Romancing Japan to share the Japan we know — beyond the guidebooks.
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