Tokyo came into my life at exactly the right time.
I spent the first two weeks of 2026 at my pad in Rocky Point, Mexico, and for the first time in a long while, I wasn’t feeling that usual spark to kick off a new year. Instead of forcing it, I moved up my Japan trip by two weeks—and that decision turned out to be perfect.
What I needed wasn’t more beach beers and tacos.
I needed a reset.
So, I spent seven straight days in the spa at my Airbnb—soaking, sweating, cold plunging, repeating—shaking off some bad vibes from the year before and letting my head catch up with my feet.
Just peace, and a slow return to my center.
It was exactly what the doctor ordered—but, true to form, once I started feeling better, I also got antsy again.
Tokyo had been absolutely incredible, but it reminded me a lot of Milan, Italy—too many well-dressed, impossibly good-looking people. I feel like a square peg in a very fashionable round hole.
That’s when an opportunity to go back to Cebu, Philippines, dropped into my lap.
So I pivoted. I delayed the Kyoto/Okinawa portion of my trip and booked a $150 flight to Cebu on January 23rd. A week in Tokyo has already been enough to confirm what I suspected—it’s a fantastic place for shorter-term stays.
Even better, a friend offered me ten days of free accommodations in Cebu. Hard to say no to that.
I’ve already written about why Cebu and why it sits near the top of my list, along with Vietnam, as a potential home base. This just gives me the chance to explore Cebu deeper to see if it is the long-term slow travel answer.
Why the Philippines again?
Because the Philippines is made up of 7,641 islands, and only about 2,000 are inhabited. A few of them already rank among my favorite islands I’ve ever visited.
Japan isn’t going anywhere.
But opportunity knocked—and I answered.
This was the on the other end of the line!
I will forward all my calls!! 
As always, it feels like I’m getting away with something—but it’s really just good planning, a little flexibility, and a sprinkle of earned luck.
The magic isn’t in the price.
It’s in knowing when to move, when to stay, and how to let opportunity do some of the work for you.