B-Side Travels, Japan! #2.5

dispatch 2.5. update.

Currently in Onomichi. In a café on top of Senkoji mountain, one of the three main mountains here in Onomichi. A quick hike up the mountain took me 30 minutes, reaching the Senkoji Peak Observatory. More than the view, I think what I really enjoy is the hike up a maze of narrow alleys and stairs. It’s been said that this place is perfect for wandering. And I definitely agree.

Entering the café felt like stumbling upon a hidden gem; three of the staff immediately greeted me and welcomed me in. I might be the first customer. The coffee, the view, is amazing.

I’m back to Solo travel. For the past 2 weeks I’ve been traveling with friends. It’s been fun and I’ll miss the company. But from here until the end of this trip, I’ll be on my own again.

Now on to business. This post is just an update and also an apology. I was not able to keep my promise of releasing new posts every Wednesdays, as I said on my introductory post. I overestimated myself, and misjudged my priorities.

Now I know. During this trip: Travel First, Writing Second. I’m drawing a boundary, and not letting the pressure of finishing a piece and publishing on a specific day affect my days and my travel experience. Experiencing the present above all else. For this trip, it’s the priority.

Which means: releasing new posts on specific days of the week, like Wednesdays (as initially planned), is not going to work out. As the pressure of deadlines is causing me to stress out more than I anticipated, which eats into the travel experience. Also, the end date of this “B-Side Travels, Japan!” Pop-up series will be extended; the series will end probably sometime in May, 2026.

What won’t change: I will still be writing about the cities and places I have visited and will visit (I’ve written about 2 out of ~14 so far). Currently, I’ve been to about 6! So yes, the writing and publishing is lagging. But I will write about all of these places and publish them on my site. There’s so much to say, and I’ve been really enjoying all of them. I will still be releasing new posts on a weekly basis. Well, weekly-ish. Just no promises on a particular day. My desire to share this travel experience, the places I visit and the people I encounter will not change.

So. If you’re still interested and curious, and don’t mind the spontaneous, irregular, weekly-ish email notifications of new posts about overlooked and amazing places in Japan, then please continue to follow along! And if you haven’t yet, subscribe here to receive new posts in your email. You can read it straight from there, or on my site.

dispatch 03 will be released in a few days.

Until then,

Mike. 3/15/2026.