Asia Japan

When in Kyoto: Attend a Japanese Matcha Tea Ceremony

  When in Kyoto, Japan The cultural capital of Japan, Kyoto is one of the country’s biggest tourist destinations. It’s home to 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites—many of them Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines—palaces, castles, geishas, and the picturesque Arashiyama Bamboo Forest.    Traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony When arriving to a Japanese tea ceremony, you’ll be welcomed into a minimalist tea room lined in tatami floor mats. While each tea ceremony varies, all will require…

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Big & Small’s 2018 Year in Review

Italy, the Middle East, SE Asia, USA and the Balkans Big & Small did slightly less traveling in 2018. Still, we managed to do a complete trip around the globe—starting in Italy, we headed east, only to end up back in Italy for the close of the year. We slept in a total of 41 beds, and visited 8 new countries. Through it all, we made use of planes, trains, automobiles, trams, buses, tuk-tuks, scooters,…

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Asia Travel Vietnam

A Journey Through Vietnam’s True Food Capital: Hue

Big & Small are excited to introduce Jazlyn Trent, a dear friend and our first guest writer! Below she gives her mouthwatering account of the food of Hue, an historical city that she believes is Vietnam’s True Food Capital. See more from Vietnam on our YouTube. There is something almost therapeutic about eating hot noodle soup in 100-degree (F) weather at 90% humidity. Maybe it’s because as soon as that steaming bowl is placed in front…

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Asia Travel Vietnam

7 Travel Tips for Hoi An, Vietnam

Watch our video above for more detailed and colorful explanations of everything to know before visiting Hoi An, Vietnam. The historic town of Hoi An may just be the most charming city in Asia. Located in central Vietnam, just south of the country’s third largest city Danang, Hoi An is a growing tourist destination. The Ancient Town is a UNESCO Heritage Site and it’s a stunning place in which various cultures collide—see lasting remnants of…

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Asia Travel

VIDEO: Big & Small Explore Hong Kong

The never-ending skyline is the first thing you’ll notice when landing in Hong Kong (along with a heavy layer of smog!). But in between the skyscrapers there are a ton of attractions to see in this great metropolis, including Victoria Peak (the highest point on Hong Kong Island), the lively Tsim Sha Tsui and Temple Street Night Market, the historical Man Mo Temple, and the longest escalator in the world. Here’s a recap of our…

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Asia Japan Travel

Video Update: Beppu and Wakayama, Japan

After the hectic pace of Tokyo, Big and Small made our way down to the southern island of Kyushu to enjoy the relaxing onsen life in the hot spring town of Beppu. Here’s a quick recap of our time exploring the hells and hot springs: From Beppu, we headed back north to the island of Honshu to take in the quiet and stunning coastline of Gobo and Shirasaki in Wakayama Prefecture. We spent over two weeks in the area,…

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Asia Japan Travel

16 Things You Must Do on Any Trip to Tokyo

Within our first few hours in Tokyo, Big hit his head on the doorway to our tiny pod apartment. Small later felt a little rumbling in the bed—just a minor earthquake off the coast. Yep, we’re officially in Japan. Though jetlagged for most of our week in Tokyo, we eventually got a hang of exploring this huge, wonderfully quirky metropolis—and wanted to share our discoveries. Sure, you can see the sumo wrestlers, walk across Shibuya…

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