Christmas in Taipei

December 25, 2023February 2, 2024

We arrived just after midnight on Christmas at Taoyuan in Taiwan. By the time we made it to the Grand Hyatt Taipei and checked in, it was almost 1:30am. After getting some sleep, we headed out in the morning for a small Taiwanese breakfast before making a quick visit to the National Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall nearby. After, we went to have lunch with family. In the early evening, we headed out to Banqiao to see Christmasland at New Taipei City Hall.

December 23, 2023January 27, 2024

ANA First Class from ORD to NRT

We had the opportunity, thanks to United MileagePlus, to upgrade to First Class on ANA flight 11 from ORD to NRT while on our way to TPE. The flight was fantastic, both in terms of the seat and service provided. There were some pre-flight reservation issues that threatened to derail the flight, though luckily we had planned a long enough connection at ORD that it was not an issue.

December 6, 2023January 21, 2024

Tokyo Imperial Palace East Gardens

After waking up at the Hyatt Place Kyoto one last time, we returned to Tokyo via Shinkansen. We had some time before our flight from Haneda so we visited the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, near Tokyo Station. After a nice lunch nearby and some more snacking at the ANA Lounge at Haneda, we end our fantastic 11 night trip to Japan!

December 5, 2023January 20, 2024

Enko-ji, Shisen-do, and the Shimogamo-jinja

Our last full day in Kyoto! After waking up at the Hyatt Place Kyoto, we headed out to visit Enko-ji and Shisen-do nearby. We also made a late lunch reservation for Kani Doraku‘s nearby location. Afterwards, we ended the day with a visit to the Shinto Shimogamo-jinja.

December 4, 2023January 16, 2024

Bishamon-do and Sanjo to Shijo

After waking up at the Hyatt Place Kyoto, we headed out in the morning to Bishamon-do, near Yamashina Station at the eastern edge of Kyoto City. After spending some time at this Buddhist temple, we returned to central Kyoto and walked through various shopping areas from Sanjo to Shijo, eating various snacks along the way and having lunch and dinner as well.