Japan and Vietnam, by someone who actually lives here.
First-hand guides and honest stories from 8 months backpacking Southeast Asia, living three years in Japan's Hokuriku region, and a current base in Da Nang. Written by a real person who's still figuring it out on the ground.
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Hey, I'm William
I'm a Florida man who ended up backpacking Europe and Asia for 8 months, then spending three years in Japan's Hokuriku region. Toyama as home base, with Kanazawa and Takayama a short train ride away, before trading the snow for a motorbike and a beach town in Da Nang, Vietnam. Barefoot Surfer is where I write the guides I wish I'd had: the ones written by someone who actually lived in the place, paid the rent, learned the language badly, and figured out the local market prices the hard way. No AI-generated top-10 lists, no places I've never been. Just honest, first-hand travel writing from Japan, Vietnam, and the rest of Asia.
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Get the Da Nang First-Timer's Cheat Sheet
One page with everything I wish I’d known before landing: getting a SIM, fair taxi and Grab prices, where to eat, how to rent a bike, and the stuff guidebooks skip. Plus weekly stories from the road across Japan and Vietnam.