*RE-ANNOUNCED* Announcing our MC and official DJ for Fan Fusion Expo, OD Dabber! An established New England DJ and huge fan of all things pop culture, look for him as he hosts our panels and interviews our vendors!
RIP to one hell of a badass father-in-law. I honestly can’t even wrap my head around this one, it has come as a complete surprise and has left us in absolute disbelief. You had only just moved to Tennessee to start that next chapter you had been working towards for so damn long.
I promise I will take care of Samantha forever.
Golden morning at Kinkaku-ji, matcha break at Ippodo Tea Co. (est. 1717 and still serving some of the most famous tea in Japan), then we hopped on the train from Kyoto down to Osaka and watched the scenery shift from quiet temples to full city buzz. Ended the night eating our way through Dotonbori.
Nara was absolutely unreal. For over a thousand years, deer and humans have lived in harmony here. These deer are considered protective spirits, and they freely wander the entire village. When you see photos online, you might think they’re just in a small shrine area, but in reality, they are everywhere, walking down streets, stopping at bus stops, and even crossing roads. They have even developed the habit of bowing to humans in trade for food. The magic is in their everyday presence.
Hiked up to Arashiyama Monkey Park and it was 100% worth the climb. After a steady walk up the mountain, we were met with panoramic views of Kyoto and wild Japanese macaques roaming freely around us. No cages, just us in their space. Watching them interact (and feeding them from inside the hut) was such a cool experience.
Next stop was Kyoto. We hopped on the bullet train which gave us a beautiful view of Mt. Fuji. Then stopped by this tiny little old coffee shop started by a Husband and Wife based on their first coffee date. From there we stumbled upon one of the most beautiful botanical gardens I have ever witnessed. We topped the night off with some drunken adventures to a shrine.
The Tokyo Ramen Museum was unreal. The entire place was themed to an old school Tokyo neighborhood, immersing you through various ages and regions in ramen’s history. Each shop is run by a rotating group of top chefs from all over Japan, each bringing their own recipe and family history alongside the meal.
Our mini day trip outside of Tokyo to Kamakura was one of the most peaceful days I’ve ever experienced. We started off visiting a small, private bamboo garden where we participated in a green tea ceremony. From there we went down to the local street market to grab a variety of dank foods. Then topped it all off with a beautiful visit to a hilltop shrine.
