This is a fabulous 4-room hotel in Kyoto. It would be an incredible experience to stay here.

Claire, Jason, and Melvin will be escaping for two days after the wedding to the Elk Cove Inn on the Mendocino coast

Pontocho is a narrow alley, packed with restaurants on both sides offering a wide range of dining options from inexpensive yakitori to traditional and modern Kyoto cuisine.

Mel Mel needs a ton of love and care while we are in Japan. He's very high-maintenance and will require a sitter to live at our home for 3 weeks while we're away. Look at that face. You can't resist those puppy eyes.

Akin to London's Harrod's, Japan's department stores are 10 luxurious floors of everything you could ever dream of. Japanese department stores are famous for their unparalleled customer service. The constant greeting by the staff is a distinguishable feature. If you visit a big department store just before it opens, you would usually see its employees lined up neatly, waiting to welcome customers. The moment the second hand of the clock hits the opening time, the doors will be punctually opened, and customers can make a grand entrance being flanked by bowing and greeting staff.

Tsuruya Yoshinobu has a history of more than two hundred ten years as the most famous confectionery shop in Kyoto. It also has served as the specialty shop for the ancient Imperial Household and the head masters of tea ceremony in Kyoto since it was established in 1803.

A multi-level wonderland, each floor has a different theme and a dizzying array of options foreach: crafting, beauty, cooking, travel gear, housewares, accessories, stationery and decor.

Shibuya is one of the best areas to shop in Tokyo. It's located next to a major train station and is a good area to start our journey in Japan.

A ryokan is a type of traditional Japanese inn that originated in the Edo period (1603–1868), when such inns served travelers along Japan's highways. They typically feature tatami-matted rooms, and bathing in hot springs

This beautiful hotel is the center of Kyoto and features gorgeous rooms and gardens.

This Art Deco hotel features historical furniture and great amenities. It's centrally located in the Meiji district in central Tokyo and it's a great jumping off point to explore Japan.

Let us travel Japan by rail for a week! These passes will get us from Tokyo to Kyoto and back again.

Did you know that Kyoto has the most Michelin-starred restaurants in the world? Treat us to lunch at Michelin-starred ramen house, Inoue いのうえ

Everyone, including Anthony Bordain, says we have to go see this one-of-a-kind show that you could only find in Tokyo. It's an insane evening at the Robot Restaurant featuring fun – and sometimes campy – performances full of tanks, taiko drums, a giant panda, dinosaurs, ninjas and (of course) robots on stage. No, seriously.

This Sake Brewery has been in operation for 380 Years and 14 Generations. Plus we get a free small bottle of sake!

Yes! You can do this in a small town outside of Kyoto. Check it out: http://www.decoist.com/2015-06-11/kawadoko-waterfall-restaurants-kyoto-mountains/

Literally meaning "East Temple," this temple hearkens back to the era when Kyoto was the capital of Japan in the late 700s. It holds Japan's tallest pagoda.

This is the 2nd tallest building in the world and it dwarfs all of Tokyo's other skyscrapers. Plus, in the base of the building is a huge complex with tons of restaurants, shops, an aquarium and a planetarium.

At Uobei Sushi in Tokyo, you can order your sushi and it will arrive within a minute via a lightening fast conveyor belt to your seat. Each piece is $1 to $2.50. So I imagine, even if we pig out, we'll barely get to $24. We're silly.

Meiji Shrine boasts beautiful forested areas and a traditional Shinto shrine, despite being located in the center of the Tokyo. A great place to get relief from the crowds!

This is the largest fish market in the world. Luckily, we'll be jet lagged, so maybe getting there at 430am won't be a problem.

Claire loves Anime, but everyone loves Miyazaki's film so: Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, etc etc!

Aka "Drunkard's Alley" with your help, we will find rows of tiny bars, some so small that they only fit 4 or 5 at a time. Popular yakitori shops and similar late night eateries rule the alley.

Help us enjoy more noodles! In February 2013, a fire destroyed the traditional, low Japanese abode that housed this long-running soba shop, leading to a lengthy break in operations and much hand-wringing among Tokyo's buckwheat noodle enthusiasts. Fortunately enough, Yabu Soba rose from the ashes in October 2014 and is now back to serving both excellent soba and a wide variety of tasty side dishes.

En is a small Japanese-style teahouse in the Gion area of Kyoto. Help us enjoy an authentic tea ceremony experience first hand!

We'll be in Tokyo during the May sumo tournament!

We'll be eating sushi at Jiro's son's restaurant!

This ambient sushi bar in Kyoto is one of the best places in the city to sample authentic sushi. Den Shichi Sushi is decorated in the classic sushi bar style, where chefs make sushi at the long bar that extends down the middle of the restaurant.

Nishiki Ichiba (Nishiki Market) extends about 400 meters from Teramachi to Takakura. There is a saying in Kyoto: "There is no kind of food that you can't find at Nishiki." Indeed, the market is lined with shops selling fish, meat, dried goods, side dishes, yuba (dried bean curd skin) and Kyoto vegetables. This "kitchen of Kyoto," as it is called, comes alive early in the morning.

Treat us to a full day bike tour including lunch. It'll be a great way to familiarize ourselves with Kyoto.

It's a library lounge in Roppongi Hills!

Help us enjoy some tonkotsu pork cutlets!

We will visit 8-10 family-owned and operated shops that have been in existence for over 100 years.

Shin-Hinomoto is a classic izakaya specializing in seafood, sourced each day from Tsukiji market.

Because we like to do all kinds of random stuff!