The first time I visited Tulum as a 12-year-old with my parents, I stood awestruck before the clifftop ruins, watching waves crash against limestone as a guide wove tales of Maya astronomers tracking...
The first time I dipped my toe—quite literally—into the world of Japanese onsen culture, I was as nervous as I'd been during my first archaeological dig in the Yucatán. There's something equally intim...
After three years of living in Tokyo, I've come to understand that izakayas are far more than just 'Japanese pubs' as they're often described to tourists. These establishments represent a cultural ins...
The turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea stretched before me as my plane descended into Cancun International Airport, a sight that always brings me back to that pivotal childhood trip when I first fe...
Standing atop Mount Moiwa as the winter sun cast golden light across Sapporo's snow-blanketed landscape, I couldn't help but draw parallels between the layered history beneath this city and the pristi...
When I first moved to Tokyo for my research position three years ago, I felt like I was excavating a new kind of site—one that was simultaneously ancient and ultramodern, layered with centuries of his...
The first time I set foot in Peru's Sacred Valley, I felt an immediate connection to the land that transcended my professional interest as an archaeologist. There's something magical about waking up t...
When I first planned to visit both Mexico City and Dublin within the same autumn season, friends questioned the unusual pairing. 'What do these cities possibly have in common?' they asked. As an archa...