We shot for a week at the Ritz-Carlton, Nikko, and then traveled down to Tokyo for two days, and over to Kyoto for three . It was interesting because I went to Tokyo once when I was, like, 13 for a press junket [for Bridge to Terebithia]. This was my first time going as an adult; I’ve idolized Japanese culture—the food, the style, the music—forever. So to finally be [back] on the ground was pretty special.
What else made it special?
It was also special because my girlfriend and her mom, Rosa, came as well. It was amazing as a trio. I mean, we’ve traveled together at least three times a year for 10 years now and it’s always a very fun, open vibe. Thankfully, we do not over plan. It’s more like: Here are some neighborhoods we want to check out, maybe a restaurant we want to go to. It’s not over-agenda’d. We mostly just go with the flow and see where the day takes us. Sometimes, that means sitting in a little park and watching life happen. None of us left [Japan] feeling like, “Shit, we didn’t see enough.” For us, experiencing a place is about seeing what it’s like to be there, just for a moment. Also, they’re from Spain, I’m from the States, none of us speak Japanese, so we were all leaning into that confusion together. We spoke, probably, 95% Spanish [during the trip].
And then there was being in Nikko, which feels like you’re living in a Studio Ghibli movie. I brought some rain gear because they said it would be rainy, which it was, but it was always the perfect kind, by which I mean warm water and light. You could always go for a walk in it. And there were monkeys and deer everywhere. I grew up in Kentucky, and there are deer there, but there’s something about them in Japan where their angles are sharper. Out there in nature, the magic of a Japanese forest, it’s so special.
What I packed
The drugstore item he never travels without:
Advil. Always have Advil on hand. Before this trip, I had tiny travel size tubes, and there were two left. I had to refill it with the big boy. Maybe you had a fun night the night before, maybe you’re sore from a workout—whatever it is, Advil. Especially traveling abroad. In Spain, for example, you don’t get Advil. You get, like, acetaminophen, but you have to get a doctor’s note to get it.