Discover Japan Through a Guest's Eyes

In March of this year, Jeff Linder set out on his Insider's Japan small group tour. It was his third tour with Odysseys, but Jeff is anything but a travel novice. Scores of trips around the world have seen him develop a keen eye for both photo opportunities and local customs, and we're fortunate that he spent the time to document his trip, via both prose and photography, on his personal travel blog, entitled Puffinless Travel. 

We've selected a handful of Jeff's best shots below, and have linked to each blog post, where he details everything from his group's hands-on calligraphy class, to their exploration of the unique Gassho-style village of Shirakawa-go, to the curiosities one can find inside a Japanese 7-11, and much more.

Our sincere thanks to Jeff for his wonderful words and photography. Here's to many more adventures together!

"Everything about the Japan trip was fantastic - itinerary, hotels, fellow guests, and most of all our guide, Mariko. Japan was my third trip with Odysseys, and I’ve got another one (Egypt and Jordan) coming up in November.  They’ve all been top notch."

—Author and photography Jeff Linder

Explore Jeff's Trip

A Trip Through Japan: Two Days in Tokyo

A Trip Through Japan: Mount Fuji and Hakone National Park (March 18)

A Trip Through Japan: Takayama, March 19-20

A Trip Through Japan: Shirakawa-Go, Gokayama, Kanazawa

A Trip Through Japan: Kanazawa, March 22)

A Trip Through Japan: Kyoto, Day One (March 23)

A Trip Through Japan: Kyoto, Days 2 and 3 (March 24-25)

A Trip Through Japan: Hiroshima, Day 1 (March 26, 2025) – “Make Peace Together”

A Trip Through Japan: Hiroshima, Day 2 (March 27) – A Restorative Visit to Miyajima

A Selection of Jeff's Photography

Kenrokuen Gardens, Kanazawa

The torii gates at the shrine of Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto

Kinkaku-ji, the "Golden Temple", Kyoto

Kenrokuen Gardens, Kanazawa

A staircase in the Odawara shopping concourse

Gassho-style architecture in Shirakawa-go (Photo by guest Yvonne J)

Part of our hands-on gold leaf experience in Kanazawa

Author and photographer Jeff Linder in front of Mount Fuji