When I arrived in Tokyo a week later I had already made up my mind, I would go back to Japan from mid-November to mid-January, and volunteer at the Traveler’s House in exchange for a private room (not inside the hostel)

My first destination after a few days in Osaka was Hiroshima and the nearby island of Miyajima. To get there from Osaka, I got to ride the amazing Shinkansen, the bullet train system in Japan.

Despite being travel-weary after 15 months of traveling, arriving in Kansai Airport (Osaka) from Taipei was a much-needed shock to my system.

I got the chance to visit a lot of night markets while in Taipei and Keelong. Usually on outdoor streets, there are many of them spread across the city. They primarily sell food, but you can also find clothes and other cheap items.

A rediscovery of my city and country of birth, and a chance to spend some time with my parents, relatives, and friends.