In this video I’m looking back on one of my favorite memories from my whole Japan trip—my three nights in Kyoto during spring. It was my second time in Kyoto, but this time I actually stayed in the city, and honestly… Kyoto is just so nice. We hit that perfect cherry blossom timing, the weather was super comfortable (around 14°C), and it felt like a warm reset after Sapporo. Day one was pretty chill: we settled into our accommodation, and for the first time ever in Japan I stayed in a proper one-floor house instead of a tiny hotel room. Having the extra space for luggage and just being able to move around was so, so good. One of the biggest highlights of the trip for me was watching a pro volleyball match in Osaka—Suntory Sunbirds vs JTEKT Stings. The atmosphere was electric, and even from a few tiers back it still felt close and intense. Getting tickets was way harder than I expected as a foreigner (Japanese phone number + credit card stuff), so I’m super grateful we had help. After we couldn’t find tickets for a second match the next day, Jess and I did a little day trip out of Kyoto to get a more rural, outdoorsy break from the nonstop city vibes.