NomadMinh · Seattle → Asia

Everything I wish someone told me before a trip.

Which subway exit. How much cash. The transit card that refunds you. I overthink every trip so you don't have to.

currently filing: japan, seoul, bangkok

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Shibuya crossing at night, traffic and crowds under neon signs

Tokyo · Jul 2026

I rushed my first Tokyo trip. Here's what I'd redo.

Part 1 of the travel stuff that didn't go viral from this trip. None of my first Tokyo trip was bad. I just moved too fast to keep any of it.

5 min read

A bright, neon-lit shopping street in Tokyo

Japan · Jul 2026

The 'Buy It When You See It' Rule (and What Belongs in Your Japan Survival Kit)

How to avoid overconsumption in Japan while stocking up on the pharmacy and konbini essentials that will actually save your trip.

8 min read

An airplane wing above the clouds at golden hour

Japan · Jun 2026

Getting into Japan is easy. Leaving isn't.

The exit nobody plans: shipping your suitcase ahead, the tax-free rules that changed, Suica refunds, and the departure tax hiding in your ticket.

7 min read

The pile

Destinations

every trip leaves receipts, notes, tickets. these are mine.

Tokyo Tower from below against a blue skyjapanTsutenkaku Tower in Osaka under warm lightseoulCoffee and cake on a wooden tray in a Japanese cafebangkokEmpty shuttle bus with blue seats looking out at a snowy landscapeeverywhere

The toolbox

Things I built because nobody else did

CalculatorJapan Cash Calculator
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built this the night before my own flight

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Elsewhere

The video versions live here