Episode 186 features Mike and guest Joe Petrovic covering news and a deep dive into their Japan trip. News: U.S. Bank launched transfer partners (Flying Blue, Ethiopian Sheba Rewards, ALL), but access is limited to legacy cards no longer open to new applicants. Aeroplan is reinstating its 18-month p…Episode 186 features Mike and guest Joe Petrovic covering news and a deep dive into their Japan trip. News: U.S. Bank launched transfer partners (Flying Blue, Ethiopian Sheba Rewards, ALL), but access is limited to legacy cards no longer open to new applicants. Aeroplan is reinstating its 18-month points expiration policy starting November 30, 2026, with any account activity resetting the clock. Both hosts also shared recent card bonuses and trip updates, including Mike's Punta Cana stay at S...more
Japan’s most photographed sacred sites may draw the largest crowds, but quieter temples and shrines can be just as memorable. Taking the time to explore beyond the best-known landmarks can offer visitors a broader appreciation of the country’s religious traditions, architecture, and history.
In thi…Japan’s most photographed sacred sites may draw the largest crowds, but quieter temples and shrines can be just as memorable. Taking the time to explore beyond the best-known landmarks can offer visitors a broader appreciation of the country’s religious traditions, architecture, and history.
In this episode, host Angie Orth continues her conversation with Chris Peskosky and Alex Murphy, the travel content creators behind It's Chris and Alex. The pair share more of their favorite discoveries from traveling through Japan, including the most underrated shrines and which temples are worth the extra effort to reach.
You'll hear which shrine surprised them the most, why some of the region's most photographed sites are still worth the crowds, and the practical habits that make traveling in Japan easier. Chris and Alex also share the story behind Nara's largest Buddha statue and a piece of advice that catches almost every first-time visitor off guard.
What You’ll Learn:
0:17 Kyoto's most underrated shrine, dedicated to star-crossed lovers
3:18 The hidden temple trek that leads to a secluded bamboo grove
4:37 Why Fushimi Inari's iconic gates still live up to the hype
7:07 Inside Nara's Todaiji Temple and its massive bronze Buddha
10:11 The one packing tip every visitor to Japan needs to know
Taking time to understand local customs can help travelers explore Japan more thoughtfully and respectfully. Learning the etiquette associated with a shrine visit, an onsen soak, or even a train ride can deepen your appreciation of everyday life and traditions in Japan.
Host Angie Orth talks with C…Taking time to understand local customs can help travelers explore Japan more thoughtfully and respectfully. Learning the etiquette associated with a shrine visit, an onsen soak, or even a train ride can deepen your appreciation of everyday life and traditions in Japan.
Host Angie Orth talks with Chris Peskosky and Alex Murphy, the travel content creators behind It's Chris and Alex. The pair has spent extensive time exploring Japan and built a following by helping travelers experience the country the way locals do.
You'll learn about etiquette at sacred sites, from approaching a torii gate to taking part in a shrine's prayer ritual. Chris and Alex also share what to expect during a traditional bathhouse visit, how to behave respectfully on Japan's famously punctual trains, and the unwritten rules for interacting with some beloved animal residents.
What You’ll Learn:
1:21 The traditional ryokan stay that made them fall in love with returning to Japan
9:29 How to tell a shrine from a temple, and what each gate signals
12:36 The proper etiquette for praying at a shrine
23:17 What actually happens inside a traditional Japanese onsen
31:44 Meeting Nara's famous bowing deer, and how to handle them
In this weeks Travel Tuesday Flashback Episode, we’re taking you with us to vibrant, bustling Tokyo! From theme parks to tea ceremonies, ancient temples to glowing digital art museums, we packed our itinerary with the best of Japan’s capital city—and now we're sharing it all with you. Whether it’s y…In this weeks Travel Tuesday Flashback Episode, we’re taking you with us to vibrant, bustling Tokyo! From theme parks to tea ceremonies, ancient temples to glowing digital art museums, we packed our itinerary with the best of Japan’s capital city—and now we're sharing it all with you. Whether it’s your first trip to Tokyo or you’re planning a return visit, this episode is full of helpful travel tips, must-do activities, and honest insights to help you experience the magic of Tokyo like a squad pro.
Download our 5 Day Tokyo Itinerary to make your trip planning even easier!
• Stay at the Rembrandt Style Tokyo Nishikasai Grande Hotel or DoubleTree by Hilton near the Kyoto Station
• Get an eSim from Airalo before you go and the Tokyo Tourist Subway Passes as soon as you get there
• Reserve your Tokyo Disney Sea tickets well ahead of time
• We highly recommend the Tea Ceremony Workshop, Sumo Wrestling Show the Onsen experience, and going to TeamLab Planets while it’s still there.
• Visit iconic sites like Sensoji Temple, Sumida Park, Nezu Shrine, and Ueno Park during cherry blossom season
• Stroll through Tsukiji Outer Market, sampling sushi, seafood, and Japanese street snacks
• Discover hidden gems like Hamarikyu Gardens and the peaceful Nezu Shrine away from the crowds
• Take in sweeping skyline views (for free!) from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building’s observatory and catch their epic Godzilla-themed light show
Find more recommended activities in our Japan Experience's Viator Shop
Find a great flight deal to Tokyo, or anywhere else, by signing up for Thrifty Traveler Premium and get flight deals sent straight to your inbox. Use our promo code TSP to get $20 off your first year subscription.
Connect: YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram and contact us at [email protected] to submit a question of the week or inquire about guest interviews and advertising. Submit a question of the week or inquire about guest interviews and advertising.
Contains affiliate links, thanks for supporting Travel Squad Podcast!more
• Get a $200 gift card after your first payment of $500 with Melio (affiliate) - https://milestomemories.com/go/melio/
• Get 3 free months of Audible - https://milestomemories.com/audible-subscription-offer-2/ Mark is taking his son to Japan on points, so we walk through exactly how he booked it, sn…• Get a $200 gift card after your first payment of $500 with Melio (affiliate) - https://milestomemories.com/go/melio/
• Get 3 free months of Audible - https://milestomemories.com/audible-subscription-offer-2/ Mark is taking his son to Japan on points, so we walk through exactly how he booked it, snagging American Airlines business class from Detroit through Dallas to Tokyo for 100,000 miles a person, why he locked it in even though it is not the rock bottom price, and his plan to fly Delta One home from Seoul nonstop for 140,000 SkyMiles. It turns into a bigger conversation about how the burn side of miles and points has gotten harder and less fun, and why getting the trip you want now can beat holding out for the perfect saver award. On the news side, there is an excellent Audible deal with three free months plus a $20 credit for Prime members, another two Hyatt hotels dropping suite upgrade awards, and Hyatt dressing up an old 13 month booking window as a shiny new elite benefit. Then we react to a great Benji article full of points assumptions worth rethinking, from not needing to be a credit card travel protection expert, to skipping mediocre free breakfast, to whether tracking every tiny bonus is actually worth your time, and the classic debate of booking flights first versus hotels first. Let us know in the comments whether you are team flights or team hotels, and drop any Japan tips for Mark.
Episode Guide:
• 0:00 What's Coming Up
• 1:35 Why Japan? A 16th Birthday Bucket List Trip
• 2:59 How We Booked 100K Business Class to Tokyo
• 6:02 Flying Delta One Home From Seoul
• 8:58 A Great Audible Deal (3 Free Months + $20)
• 9:59 Hyatt Drops More Suite Upgrade Hotels
• 11:41 Hyatt's "New" 13-Month Booking Benefit
• 14:07 Do You Need to Master Card Travel Protections?
• 16:53 Skip the Free Breakfast?
• 19:27 Are You Wasting Time Tracking Points?
• 23:41 Book Flights First or Hotels First?
• 29:30 Final Thoughts Links
• Sign-up for Rakuten! (referral) - http://milestomemories.com/go/rakuten
• Hyatt upgrade certs - https://milestomemories.com/hyatt-expands-list-of-hotels-that-dont-accept-suite-upgrade-awards/
• Hyatt 13 month benefit - https://milestomemories.com/hyatt-early-award-access-for-elites-and-cardholders/
• Points assumptions - https://milestomemories.com/travel-and-points-assumptions/ ✈️ Track your travel credit cards for free
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Erin and Kattie recap a milestone trip to Japan, from Kattie's food obsession and the days where everything goes right, to confronting our own romanticization of the places we visit.
POSTCARD episodes come out mid-month, between each regular episode of Curious Tourism. Catch candid discussions on t…Erin and Kattie recap a milestone trip to Japan, from Kattie's food obsession and the days where everything goes right, to confronting our own romanticization of the places we visit.
POSTCARD episodes come out mid-month, between each regular episode of Curious Tourism. Catch candid discussions on the latest in travel-related media and hot-button topics.
Send your questions or commentary to the show on Instagram @curioustourismpod or email [email protected]
If you're a fan of the show, don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review Curious Tourism: Responsible Travel Podcast.
• Read Erin's award-winning blog, Pina Travels.
• Subscribe to Kattie's podcasting newsletter, Pod the North.
CREDITS
• Written and Hosted by Erin Hynes
• Produced by Kattie Laurmore
Hyatt's 2026 award changes are live, and Shawn and Mark look at what happened after the switch. Some stays barely moved, some got cheaper, Japan got hit hard, and a few members appear to have been charged rates that do not match what Hyatt showed during booking.
They also talk …Episode Description
Hyatt's 2026 award changes are live, and Shawn and Mark look at what happened after the switch. Some stays barely moved, some got cheaper, Japan got hit hard, and a few members appear to have been charged rates that do not match what Hyatt showed during booking.
They also talk through the points hoarding debate after Benjy's "case for zero" article. A big transferable points balance can feel like an emergency fund, but it can also lose value while cash could earn interest or get invested. Then they close with Chase's new 10X Paze offer, the limited but useful merchant list, and how it can stack with Rove shopping bonuses.
Episode Guide
• 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel
• 0:23 Hyatt's devaluation aftermath
• 2:47 Japan Hyatt awards get hammered
• 4:28 Category 1-4 certificates lose ground
• 6:00 Hyatt booking glitches and overcharges
• 9:30 Detroit seminar tickets and hotel warning
• 10:53 The points hoarding mistake
• 13:52 Investing cash vs. holding points
• 15:10 Shawn's Citi ThankYou redemption win
• 16:21 Cashing out, burn rates and earn rates
• 20:24 Chase Paze 10X and Rove stacking Links
• Travel Freely/CardGenie — https://travelfreely.com/cardgenie/?bref=mm
• Hyatt 2026 award chart updates — https://newsroom.hyatt.com/awardchartupdates
• Doctor of Credit: Chase Sapphire & Freedom 10X Paze Promo — https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-sapphire-freedom-cards-get-10x-with-paze-checkout-through-2026-united-newegg-shoprite-dunkin-etc/
• MTM: Rove promotion and stacking with Paze — https://milestomemories.com/new-rove-promotion-and-stacking-with-paze/
• Paze merchant directory — https://www.paze.com/merchant-directory
• Points mistake - https://milestomemories.com/points-and-miles-mistake/more
"Annoying Interpersonal Interactions" are what make the world go round.
Get your messages in! WE NEED YOUR INTERACTION! [email protected] - do say hello!
Abroad in Japan is the podcast devoted to the most unique country in the world. Subscribe for new podcasts twice a week, every week…"Annoying Interpersonal Interactions" are what make the world go round.
Get your messages in! WE NEED YOUR INTERACTION! [email protected] - do say hello!
Abroad in Japan is the podcast devoted to the most unique country in the world. Subscribe for new podcasts twice a week, every week.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.more
When Tom Feiling lived in Tokyo in the early 1990s, Japan was a vision of the future. A place where science fiction existed next to centuries old Shinto shrines.
He returned to the country nearly twenty-five years later to find some of the shine had worn off.
Its population is aging and shrinking.…When Tom Feiling lived in Tokyo in the early 1990s, Japan was a vision of the future. A place where science fiction existed next to centuries old Shinto shrines.
He returned to the country nearly twenty-five years later to find some of the shine had worn off.
Its population is aging and shrinking. Inflation is finally setting in after decades of economic stagnation. People are choosing solitude over companionship. And countryside villages are being abandoned as their last residents die off.
Japan still looks like the future, but it is a troubling future, and a warning for us all.
Tom is the author of Alone in Japan: A Journey to the Future.
We spoke about Japan’s culture of overwork, extreme forms of solitude, sex doll showrooms, and attempts to save village life and big city prosperity.
Personal Landscapes relies on the support of listeners like you to keep going. Please consider joining my Member's Club on Substack, where you'll find show notes for each episode, book reviews, reading-related videos, and more.
You’ll be supporting an independent ad-free podcast that publishes carefully curated conversations like this one, backed by decades of reading. Go to https://www.personallandscapespodcast.com/p/start-here
Follow my travels — and buy my books — on https://ryanmurdock.com/
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.personallandscapespodcast.com/subscribemore
Do you think you'll ever get the sucking noise down pat? Let us know - [email protected] on the ol' emails!
The Abroad In Japan podcast will return 30th April!
Abroad in Japan is the podcast devoted to the most unique country in the world. Subscribe for new podcasts twice a week, ever…Do you think you'll ever get the sucking noise down pat? Let us know - [email protected] on the ol' emails!
The Abroad In Japan podcast will return 30th April!
Abroad in Japan is the podcast devoted to the most unique country in the world. Subscribe for new podcasts twice a week, every week.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.more
