During our 2-week trip to Japan, we spent several days in Okayama and took day trips. On our last day in Okayama, we opted for a half-day trip to Himeji to see Himeji Castle, visit Kokoen Garden, and enjoy a great bowl of seafood ramen.

Relevant Links (may contain affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through these links, we earn a small commission-at no additional cost to you!):

-Hotel (Koraku Hotel in Okayama): https://booking.stay22.com/worldwidehoneymoon/PH-cUT2oZz

-Himeji Castle Tickets (we booked the combo ticket with the garden): https://himejicastle.ntaticketing.com/

-Himeji Castle Information: https://www.himejicastle.jp/en/

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During our 2-week trip to Japan, we spent several days in Okayama and took day trips. One of those day trips was a "choose your own adventure" day.

We had 3 options:

-Shimanami Kaido cycling route from Onomichi if it were a perfect day

-Kibi Plain if it were nice but hot outside

-Naoshima Art Island for a rainy day

It was a rainy day, so off to Naoshima we went! This is how to do a day trip to Naoshima Art Island in Japan from Okayama including the best things to do in Naoshima.

Relevant Links (may contain affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through these links, we earn a small commission-at no additional cost to you!):

-Hotel (Koraku Hotel in Okayama): https://booking.stay22.com/worldwidehoneymoon/PH-cUT2oZz

-Benesse Art Site Naoshima (for all your reservations): https://benesse-artsite.jp/en/

-Benesse Art Site Naoshima app: https://benesse-artsite.jp/en/app/index.html

-Lee Ufan Museum Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Ufan_Museum

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Going to see the Northern Lights in the arctic is a bucket list item for many people. And after having seen it twice last year (once at home in Cleveland and once while exploring Lapland), I've got a lot of tips and information to help you hopefully see them!

The aurora borealis is an incredible sight to see if you catch it when it is dark and really active! But there are some key things to note to help you out like what time of year to visit, factors that affect the northern lights, and even a great northern lights chasing tour in Rovaniemi to increase your chances of catching them!

Relevant Links (may contain affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through these links, we earn a small commission-at no additional cost to you!):

-How to See the Northern Lights in Rovaniemi: https://worldwidehoneymoon.com/how-to-see-the-northern-lights-in-rovaniemi-best-tours/

-Ultimate 7-Day Finnish Lapland Itinerary: https://worldwidehoneymoon.com/7-day-finnish-lapland-itinerary/

-Northern Lights Chasing Tour with Arctic GM: https://getyourguide.stay22.com/worldwidehoneymoon/ALvnCrKPEm

-Apukka Resort: https://booking.stay22.com/worldwidehoneymoon/c0NPAim4RG

-Aurora Alert App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/aurora-alert-realtime/id6443596649

-What Causes the Northern Lights? https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/space-astronomy/what-causes-northern-lights-aurora-borealis-explained

-Space Weather in Finland: https://rwc-finland.fmi.fi/index.php/space-weather-in-finland/

-Why You Can't See the Northern Lights Like Your Camera: https://theauroraguy.com/blogs/blog/what-does-the-aurora-really-look-like

-Aurora Colors Explained: https://www.space.com/aurora-colors-explained

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If you're staying in a place like Osaka or Okayama (or even the Hiroshima area itself) this is a day trip you must take!

We started out by meeting our guide, Joe with Travel Japan Together, and taking the ferry over to explore Miyajima Island. We loved exploring the island, boating under the floating torii gate, and visiting some temples. Then, we went back to Hiroshima to visit the Peace Memorial Park and Peace Memorial Museum.

It was a heavy afternoon learning about the events of August 6, 1945, days after its 80th anniversary. It's tough to learn about tragic history and dark history including the aftermath of such devastation. We learned a lot this day, and while heavy, it was well worth it.

Because if we never learn about our past, we're doomed to repeat our mistakes.

Relevant Links (may contain affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through these links, we earn a small commission-at no additional cost to you!):

-Travel Japan Together Tour: https://yatra.thick.jp/hiroshima-miyajima-private-custom-tour-with-local-guide/ (our guide was Joe)!

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"Why are you going to Okayama?" To be fair, we got this question more than once while traveling around Japan.

I get it. It's not really a tourist hot spot like Tokyo, Kyoto, or Osaka. So when we told people where we were going, there were certainly a few raised eyebrows.

But hear us out: Okayama is incredible! The city has enough things to do on its own like Okayama Castle, Korakuen Garden, and Kurashiki nearby!

AND

It's a top-notch base for day trips to Hiroshima, Naoshima Art Island, Himeji, and more! So in this episode, we're discussing the top things to do in Okayama Japan, best day trips from Okayama, and why we chose this lesser known city to spend 4 nights during our 2 week trip to Japan.

Relevant Links (may contain affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through these links, we earn a small commission-at no additional cost to you!):

-Okayama Hotel (Koraku Hotel): https://booking.stay22.com/worldwidehoneymoon/PH-cUT2oZz

-Fat Bear Week: https://explore.org/fat-bear-week

-Donate to The Otis Fund for Katmai National Park: https://katmaiconservancy.org/donate

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