The Bamboo Traveler
Exploring the history and culture of the world's most fascinating places Free Japan Travel GuideWelcome to the Bamboo Traveler
Welcome to The Bamboo Traveler, a travel and book blog dedicated to helping you dig deeply into the history, heritage, and culture of a place. Whether it’s through the pages of your passport or the pages of a good book, I’ll help you travel the world, uncovering the history, culture, food, architecture, and natural beauty of some of the world’s most fascinating places.
I spent many years living, working, eating, and traveling in Asia—8 years in China where I taught English and ran my own language school, 1 year teaching in South Korea, and many years exploring the countries of East Asia and Southeast Asia.
However, since 2021, I’ve been slow traveling around Latin America. I started in Mexico, made my way through Central America and now I’m working on making it to the tip of South America.
You’ll find lots of book recommendations and travel inspiration, advice, and tips that I learned from my travels through Asia and Latin America!
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Shirakawa-go Itinerary: Enter a Japanese Fairy Tale
Shirakawa-go makes the perfect day trip from Takayama or the perfect day trip from Kanazawa. It also makes a great stopover when traveling from Takayama to Kanazawa or from Kanazawa to Takayama. Here is my suggested Shirakawa-go itinerary for 1...
44 BEST Things to Do in Quito: Culture, Food & History Lovers
Are you planning a trip to Ecuador and wondering what to do in Quito? Is the city even worth visiting? In this article, I’m going to share with you 44 things to do in Quito for culture, food, and history lovers. You’ll also find my honest opinion about each attraction...
Quito Itinerary: 3 Days in South America’s Most Beautiful City
Are you planning a trip to Ecuador and thinking of spending some days in Quito? However, you’re not sure how to plan your time there. I, too, struggled with planning my Quito itinerary. The city has a lot to offer culture, history, and food nerds like me. During my...
How to Find the PERFECT Place to Stay in Tokyo (Even on a Budget)
Struggling with figuring out where to stay in Tokyo? I totally get it. There are so many neighborhoods and hotels to choose from, and each has its pros and cons. Ginza is central but expensive. Asakusa is cheap but far away. There seems to be no place that checks all...
15 Surefire Tips for Planning Your First Trip to Japan
Preparing for a trip to Japan can be more overwhelming than preparing for a trip anywhere else in the world. You’ve got to book a plane ticket that is often more expensive than flying to most other places in the world, figure out all the options for accommodations (a...
Takayama Itinerary: Travel Back in Time to Old Japan (2024)
When you visit Takayama, it feels like you’re stepping back to a time when Japan was ruled by shoguns and samurai. Many of the beautifully-preserved wooden houses, shops, cafes, shrines, and temples were in fact built 400 years ago. It's often referred to as "Little...
Kamikochi Hiking: The Perfect Day Trip from Takayama (2024)
Looking for an easy and active day trip from Takayama? Want to get out in nature and do some hiking while in Japan? Hiking at Kamikochi is ideal for both inexperienced or physically challenged hikers like me and expert hikers. There’s a wonderful and easy hike with...
Explore Recent Book Challenge Posts
28 Books on Vietnam That’ll Give You Serious Wanderlust
If you’re like me and you love to read up on the place you’re traveling to, then you’ll find yourself overwhelmed by all the choices of books on Vietnam. I swear the number of English-language books on this country could fill a small public...
50 BEST Books on Hong Kong
"This is what I fear the most: The skyscrapers remain intact, the countryside hikes still beautiful, and our harbor rippling with night lights; you can still go to work and tweet dumb shit and outwardly you can’t tell that anything is wrong, but the only ones left are...
15 Books on Malaysia That’ll Spark Your Wanderlust
Malaya, with its mix of Malays, Chinese, and Indians, is full of spirits: a looking-glass world governed by unsettling rules. - The Night Tiger (2019) - By Yangsze Choo I visited Malaysia for 3 weeks in 2018 and fell in love with the country and its friendly people,...
30 Books on Singapore That’ll Give You Serious Wanderlust
Travel to Singapore from the comfort of your armchair with these 30 books on Singapore – mysteries, historical fiction, and history!