It's almost been a year, and I'm starting to feel my travel bug getting antsy. Luckily, I have a trip to Japan coming up in short order, and like my Europe trip, I will try my best to capture as much of it as possible on this blog. Japan is the target destination because I've always been fascinated by the country and its people. They embrace tradition and family, while pushing the bounds of technology with elegant determination. Besides their contributions to advancing science, it is no secret that they value beauty - I'm looking forward to showers of cherry blossoms, serene landscapes, and handcrafted masterpieces. Since I love cycling and heard about tours in Japan, I'll be kicking off my trip with a cycling tour that will start in Fukuoka and end in Kagoshima. From there, it'll be a crazy rush through Hiroshima, Kyoto, Takayama, Toyama, and Tokyo. Research Compared to Europe, I took a much more laid back approach to this trip, partly because I kne...