Japan travel and photography 2026

Thanks again guys! I am very grateful for all the insights here. I have been under a rock lately (end of semester + insomnia!!), but will return to try and post a few more replies soon. We did reserve a very nice hotel in Kanazawa–UAN Kanazawa, near Kanazawa Castle. I am amazed at how much more affordable things are outside of Tokyo. I had always heard that Tokyo was expensive, but from what I’ve seen lodging-wise, it is no worse than the SF Bay area, which we visit often. Kanazawa OTOH, is about half from what I’ve seen.