Travels With Matt Blog

What 20,000 Steps a Day Does to Your Mind in Japan

One thing I didn’t fully understand before traveling to Japan was just how much walking I would do.

You hear people say it all the time. Bring comfortable shoes. You’ll walk more than you think. But it doesn’t really register until you’re there, moving through the cities day after day, watching the step count climb higher than it ever does at home.

Twenty thousand steps becomes normal.

And strangely enough, it never really feels like a burden.

Do You Need to Know Japanese to Travel to Japan?

As you prepare to travel to Japan, you are probably wondering how much Japanese you will need to know to make it comfortably around the country? The answer may surprise you as you pack that Japanese dictionary and download some lessons while packing your bag.

A City That Made Me Miss Japan (For a Moment)

I didn’t expect to miss Japan while standing in the middle of Dublin, but it was fun experience.

The Day I Stopped Trying to See Everything in Japan

There was a moment in Japan when I realized I wasn’t trying to see everything anymore.

Why Japan Keeps Pulling Me Back

At this point, the question isn’t why I went to Japan.

It’s why I keep going back.

A Meal I Didn’t Plan in Japan

Some of the best moments in Japan are the ones you don’t plan.

This night in Shinjuku was one of them.

The Space Between Destinations

When people talk about travel in Japan, they usually talk about destinations.

Tokyo. Osaka. Kyoto. A specific temple, a neighborhood, a restaurant worth waiting in line for. Those places matter — but the longer I spend in Japan, the more I realize that the parts that stay with me live in between.

What I Learned by Staying Longer in Japan

Most trips are built around highlights.

You arrive with a list, move quickly, and measure success by how much you managed to see before it was time to leave. That approach works, especially in a place like Japan where every city feels dense with experiences. But on my two-week trip in 2025, something different happened — not because I saw more, but because I stayed long enough for the country to stop feeling new.

I spent a full week in Osaka. Not hopping between cities. Not treating it as a base for day trips. Just staying. And that decision quietly changed everything.

Why Convenience in Japan Feels Thoughtful, Not Rushed

Convenience usually comes with a tradeoff. Speed over quality. Efficiency over care. Get in, get out, move on. In many places, convenience feels transactional — useful, but impersonal.

Japan somehow manages to do it differently.

A Neighborhood I Didn’t Plan to Love

Some places win you over immediately. Others do it quietly, without asking for attention. Yanaka-Ginza was the second kind.

I didn’t arrive there with expectations. It wasn’t high on any list, wasn’t framed as a must-see, wasn’t something I had been imagining before the trip. It was simply a stop along the way, a neighborhood I was passing through rather than aiming for. A tour to get away from Shibuya and the neon-light streets, a change of pace.

And maybe that’s why it stayed with me.

The First Night in Japan Still Feels Different

Every time I arrive in Japan, it’s in the afternoon or later. By the time the plane touches down, my body is already behind. I don’t sleep on flights — never have been able to — so I arrive carrying that familiar mix of exhaustion and adrenaline. The kind where your eyes feel heavy but your mind is wide open, taking everything in whether you want it to or not.

Jet lag hits fast, but I’ve learned not to fight it on that first night in Japan.

A Few Small Things I Miss About Japan

There are big reasons I love Japan — the cities, the culture, the history, the energy that seems to hum just beneath the surface. But the things I find myself missing most aren’t the landmarks or the moments people usually talk about.

They’re smaller than that.