Traveling with purpose. Writing from the heart. Marie Journals is a personal travel blog about slow travel, hiking, and intentional journeys—mostly around Japan. Here, I share honest travel stories, detailed guides, reflections from the trail, and practical tips from my own experiences hiking and walking pilgrimages like the Camino de Santiago.
One of the most fun and random trips of 2024 was my trip to Chūgoku Region with friends. We just booked our flights with no plans at all, and that’s it. Yamaguchi Prefecture Day 1 Mar 16, 2024– We flew from Haneda via ANA around noon and arrived at Iwakuni Airport before 14:00. It was…
One of the things I am most grateful for this year was being able to travel to Europe and walk the Camino de Santiago. It started with a planned trip with my best friend, whom I hadn’t seen in ages. Our plan was to meet in Portugal while she was in Europe for her brother’s…
Seasonal depression is real. Sending hugs to everyone like me who experiences it every now and then. It feels like it’s never going to end, like there’s no light at the end of the tunnel — but there is. Every time I go through a depressive episode, I get physically ill at the same time….
Choosing Your Camino Route This is Part 3 of my Camino series. Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here. While preparing for my Camino, I felt overwhelmed by the amount of information out there. Everyone says different things and some even say you plan too much, JUST GO AND WALK IT. It’s easier said…
What I Packed, What I Learned: Camino de Santiago Prep Guide for First-Timers Preparing for this trip took months—mainly because I kept delaying it out of hesitation. But once my visa was approved, things got real. That was my cue to seriously plan for it and start reserving places for domestic transportation and (gulp) start…
I recently completed my Camino de Santiago journey, and it turned out to be one of the most memorable experiences of my life. In this post, I want to share what led me there, what I discovered along the way, and the lessons that stayed with me. 🌿 Spiritual or Religious Reasons For centuries, the…
There’s something magical about waking up to the sight of Mt. Fuji. If you’re looking for a peaceful retreat, I highly recommend staying here for a night or two. Last weekend, we camped at Koan Motosuko Campsite at their lakeside tent area with a front-view of Fuji-san and I really have no words to describe…
Kamakura is this super chill coastal town just south of Tokyo, kind of like a mini escape from the big city vibe. It’s got a cool mix of old-school Japan and surfer town energy — think ancient temples, hiking trails, and then right around the corner, a beach with people walking dogs and riding waves….
Oopps I did It Again.. Someone told me that Nantai is easier than Shirane so I thought, “oh maybe it’s not gonna be so bad.” I got this. WRONG. Hikemaster rated this hike 3/5 but for me it’s more like 10/5. Haha! I was dying on the trail.. for real. I think it’s the hardest…
Lately, I think I mastered the art of relaxing and unwinding that it doesn’t take me long to switch from “WORK MODE ME” to ->”OFF-WORK ME”. I think my brain logs off the moment I log off my computer, that’s how quick it is these days. It’s crazy because I used to have trouble switching…