Sam Wallbridge Returns to Japan for Cherry Blossoms, Childhood Reunions, and a Thomas the Tank Engine Museum

There are trips you plan, and then there are trips that plan themselves. For Canadian travel advisor Sam Wallbridge, a return journey to Japan this past March and April fell squarely into the latter category. What began as an offhand comment to a friend, that she wanted to go back, snowballed within a matter of months into a fully custom adventure through Tokyo, Kakegawa, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, and eventually Seoul. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and Wallbridge was exactly where she was meant to be.

A Trip Born from Impulse and Intuition

Wallbridge is no stranger to Japan. In 2023, after leaving her job as a barista, she booked a one-way ticket on a whim and spent two months traveling through Japan, Singapore, Bali, Australia, and New Zealand. Japan left a mark. "I loved everywhere I saw, but Japan was special, and I wanted to see more," she says. "If I hadn't bought my onward ticket to Singapore and already had plans lined up, I would've tried to stay longer then." That feeling never faded. So when a friend asked to join a return trip, and then another friend signed on too, the group got to work. Flights, accommodation, and tours were booked just weeks before departure, with Wallbridge handling flights, travel insurance, and tours through her agency. The itinerary was loose by design, and that turned out to be the whole point.

The Moment That Made the Trip

Ask Wallbridge what stood out most and she will tell you: Kakegawa. Tucked into the mountainous, tea-growing Shizuoka region, this small city rarely appears on tourist itineraries. But for Wallbridge, it held something irreplaceable. She had arranged to stay overnight with a former Japanese student she had met when both were teenagers, a friendship that had endured across decades and distance. The reunion was everything she had hoped for, and then some.

The afternoon unfolded in a series of delightful surprises: ramen, a green tea museum, and then, as the group approached what their host had mysteriously hinted at, a question about Thomas the Tank Engine. "She asked if we liked Thomas the Train, to which we all laughed and said yes," Wallbridge recalls, grinning at the memory. "It was a Thomas the Train outdoor museum." That evening, the group shared a make-your-own temaki roll dinner with their host's partner and young sons, aged four and one. The night dissolved into laughter when the four-year-old commandeered Wallbridge's phone and began typing phrases into Google Translate, selecting whatever he thought might make the guests laugh. He was right. The following morning brought a bird sanctuary with owls, penguins, toucans, and a striking shoebill, before the group rounded out their stay with a visit to Hattasan Soneiji Temple, framed in cherry blossoms and quiet reverence. They left with good luck charms and full hearts. "It was a perfect break in the trip," Wallbridge says. "Off the beaten path and totally unique and personal."

What Japan Teaches You If You Let It

Japan is not a destination that lets you coast. Wallbridge speaks candidly about the richness of navigating its cultural intricacies. Shoes removed before entering certain restaurants. Multiple expressions of gratitude depending on context. A deeply observed hierarchy of respect, with the highest deference reserved for elders. Trains that stop running at midnight. And, somehow, some of the cleanest streets in the world despite an almost total absence of public rubbish bins. "Japan taught me so much about navigating cultural differences with grace," she reflects. "There are so many things that we don't do back at home that were really interesting to navigate."

Even the small logistical quirks revealed themselves as lessons. In Tokyo, travellers stand on the left side of the escalator to let others pass. In Kyoto and Osaka, they stand on the right. Trains were missed. Wrong tickets were purchased. The group once convinced themselves they were locked out of their hostel, only to realise the key card had the entry code written on it all along. Wallbridge does not recount these moments with frustration. She recounts them with affection. "That's the beauty of it," she says simply.

Hidden Gems Are Often Found by Getting Lost

If Wallbridge has one insider tip, it is this: wander. Her most memorable discoveries on both Japan trips came from wrong turns and happy accidents. In 2023, she stumbled upon an indoor fishing centre in Osaka entirely by chance. On this trip, a missed exit at Harajuku station led the group down an unexpected street, where they found a pocket of Tokyo styled after New York, complete with Statue of Liberty graffiti, a fake phone booth, and a Spiderman statue. Then there was Universal Studios Japan, where the group boarded the last remaining Jaws ride in the world. Their enthusiastic Japanese skipper, speaking entirely in Japanese, delivered her performance with theatrical flair before producing a fake shotgun and shooting the shark, even recoiling dramatically from the blast. "It was so over the top, but so fun," Wallbridge says. "Everyone would scream when the shark got close. It was such a blast."

Who Japan Is For, and Who Should Wait

As an advisor, Wallbridge is thoughtful about matching destinations to travellers. Japan, she believes, rewards curiosity above all else. It is a destination for those who want to understand, not just observe. First-time international travellers may find the culture shock significant, though she is quick to note that a guided tour or cruise can lower the barrier considerably by removing the uncertainty of independent navigation. Practically speaking, she now advises clients to allow generous time in off-the-beaten-path areas, where transport is less frequent and distances can surprise you. Kakegawa required a car. Even popular Hakone does not offer the easy connections many travellers assume. "Give yourself lots of time in these spots so you don't miss out on seeing what you want because you can't get around as fast as you want," she says. "Tokyo is for the fast paced."

The Bigger Lesson: Structure Meets Spontaneity

Across six weeks of total time spent in Japan over two trips, Wallbridge has developed a travel philosophy that extends well beyond this one destination. She is open about her ADHD, and about the fact that a basic itinerary keeps her anchored and motivated. But she has also learned to hold that structure loosely. Some of her most treasured travel memories, including an eight-hour bus ride from Paris to Düsseldorf that turned into ten hours, complete with no working toilet, no bathroom stops, abandoned passengers, and an arrest at the Belgian border, came from situations she could never have planned for. "If I plan things out too rigidly, I find I miss out on other organic moments," she says. "There's a perfect balance for each person, and knowing how much structure you need can make a world of difference."

What Comes Next

Five days in Seoul at the end of this trip was enough to light a new fire. Wallbridge spent thirty minutes before her flight teaching herself key Korean phrases, discovered there are two separate number systems, and came home having taught herself to read Hangul. She also came home a self-described K-pop convert. Japan and South Korea are both firmly back on her wish list, along with Busan, Jeju Island, and the quieter countryside and northern and southern islands of Japan she has yet to reach. Further afield, she has her eye on Egypt with the same friends, a girls' trip in the making. Greece, Peru, Tanzania, Costa Rica, and as much of Southeast Asia as she can fit in are all waiting. For Wallbridge, the world is not getting smaller. It is getting more interesting with every wrong turn she takes.