If you'd like to make a donation to NCLR, please feel free to do so through their website or through this link, which will send your donation to Sam and Karim, who will make sure it gets to NCLR. https://www.nclrights.org/get-involved/donate-now/

If you'd like to make a donation to KQED, please feel free to do so through their website or through this link, which will send your donation to Sam and Karim, who will make sure it gets to KQED. https://tinyurl.com/48zx42ff

If you'd like to contribute to Phillips Black, please feel free to donate on their website directly or through this link, which will send the donation to Sam and Karim, who will make sure it gets to the organization. https://www.phillipsblack.org/contribute

Our favorite nursery in the city is Flora Grubb Gardens. https://www.floragrubb.com/gift-certificate. Sam has developed quite a green thumb over the past year (or, at least he's trying)! Please feel free to order a gift certificate directly from Flora Grubb's website or send through Venmo here.

Karim and I love to head up to Napa or Sonoma for a day when we can!

In Taipei, the first stop of our honeymoon, we’re excited to explore the city’s famous night markets, where we expect to taste many of the city’s delicious specialties!

On the first leg of our honeymoon in Taipei, we’re planning to make the most of the city’s famous nightlife.

The centerpiece of our honeymoon will be a five-day trek through the Kunisaki Peninsula in Southern Japan. Each day, we’ll hike 8-10 miles between small Japanese villages. Our luggage will be transferred while we trek, and we’ll be welcomed at the end of each day at a new Japanese inn with a meal and hot springs. Day 1 will be a hike described as “deep into Kunisaki’s verdant countryside to the Kumano Magaibutsu, Japan’s largest Buddha relief carvings.”

Day 2 of the trek will include a “journey across the top of a dam before once again delving into forest on a trail skirting around Mt. Yayama to Choan-ji, once Kunisaki’s most powerful temple. Centuries ago a castle stood atop Yayama, a symbol of Choan-ji’s importance. Today, however, the temple’s well-tended peaceful gardens, renowned locally for flowers blooming throughout the year and the autumnal colours of its trees, reflect its genteel waning of fortune.”

Day 3 will feature a trek from Matama to Akane, “a more demanding walking day, starting with an ascent of nearby Mt. Inomureyama. At 458m (1502ft). The mountain is not the tallest in Kunisaki, but this is nonetheless a steep and challenging climb, particularly when wet underfoot. The views on a fine day alone are well worth the effort as is the dramatic and intriguing vestige of Kunisaki’s pre-Buddhist religious roots found at the summit in the form of a circle of giant rocks.”

Day 4 of our trek will be from Akane to Imi, including hiking along a “forest-lined path to the top of a low mountain capped by a giant rock where Itsutu-ji-Fudo, a small Buddhist sanctuary, lies in its lee. From here panoramic views stretch out across Kunisaki to Himeshima, an island in the Seto Inland Sea and your destination today, and further beyond to Honshu, Japan’s main island. The descent from here passes through the atmospheric precincts of Kyu-Sento-ji, a once powerful but now mostly ruined temple. Two impressive Nio guardian deities, myriad gravestones, stone ramparts and foundations are all that remain today.”

Day 5 of the trek will feature a ferry ride to the island of Himeshima, where we plan to hike and rent bikes to ride around the island!

In Southern Japan, we plan to take a ferry out to beautiful Himeshima island and rent bikes for the day to explore!

At some point on our Japanese honeymoon adventure, we’re sure to stop for a couple of bowls of hot ramen and cold beers! Yum!

To get from Southern Japan to Tokyo, we’ll be taking the famous high speed rail line! About 650 miles in a quick 4.5-5 hours.

Walking tours are one of our favorite ways to see a city! We get to explore and meet interesting new people. We plan to take a tour of some of Tokyo’s most famous neighborhoods!

On our first trip to Tokyo in 2016, we loved the adorable tiny bars of the city’s famous Golden Gai district. We’ll definitely be back!

We love eating in Tokyo! We haven’t settled yet on where exactly we’ll go, but possibilities include a sushi omakase, a multi-course meal at a tofu specialty restaurant, or a yakitori meal (assortment of flame grilled meat and vegetable skewers).

Our last leg of the honeymoon will be time to relax on the beach in Waikiki.

Whenever we're in Honolulu, we love to get brunch at this spot--a gorgeous hotel right on the water!

On the final Friday night of our honeymoon, we plan to dress up in our Hawaii best and head out to a nice dinner near the ocean. We have a few favorite spots on the Waikiki strip!

A splurge for the final night of our honeymoon! We’re planning to stop in Hawaii en route home from Japan and we’ve always dreamed of staying at the Four Seasons Resort at Ko Olina.

On the last night of our trip, we plan to stay local at the Four Seasons for one last splurge at Mina's Fish House, a seafood specialty restaurant from a James Beard Award-winning chef.

As many of you know, Sam and Karim have recently become huge basketball fans! They go to about 5-6 games a year at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Go Dubs!

We’re sure to order a bottle of bubbly to celebrate at one of our honeymoon dinners!

In Southern Japan, we plan to spend a day in Kurokawa, famous for its hot springs. The town offers a day pass that allows you to visit the natural springs at three different ryokans.

Karim and Sam (little known fact) are certified WSET level one sake tasters. (They took an online weekend course during the pandemic!) Definitely looking forward to trying the best sake Tokyo has to offer!

In Taipei, the first stop on our honeymoon, we plan to take the famous gondola to the Maokong tea district, where we can hike through the tea fields, visit temples, and stop for lunch at one of the region’s famous tea houses.

Our first stop on the honeymoon will be a few days in Taipei! It has a legendary food scene. We’re thinking of going to an acclaimed restaurant like RAW or nku.

We’ll have just one night in Fukuoaka, Japan and we plan to visit one of its izakayas!

After our honeymoon hiking trek across the Kunisaki Peninsula, we plan to relax at the beautiful Sanga Ryokan—kaiseki meals and hot springs!

One of our favorite Japanese meals is soba noodles (traditional noodles made from buckwheat flour) with tempura vegetables on the side. Tokyo has a number of specialty restaurants that make their own noodles and serve nothing but soba and tempura!

One of the highlights of our honeymoon will be a day at Tokyo Disney Sea in Japan!

We can’t wait to eat in Tokyo! On our first trip to Japan in 2016, we had an incredible sushi omakase, a tasting meal of delicious sushi bites served at a sushi bar where the chef prepares each bite to order. We’re looking forward to another special meal on our honeynoon!

The final stop of our honeymoon, on the way back from Japan, will be a few nights in Honolulu! We can’t wait to set sail at sunset.

Our honeymoon will feature a six-day hiking trek across the Kunisaki Peninsula in Southern Japan. Afterwards, we plan to relax at Sanga Ryokan, a gorgeous hotel in a national park with kaiseki dinners and natural hot springs!