How Set Forth Adventures collaborated to create the perfect week-long trip to Japan, full of delicious food, amazing sights, and father-son memories that will last a lifetime.

This spring, Set Forth Adventures worked with Josh and Daniel Hicks of Lexington, Kentucky, to plan a custom, week-long adventure to Japan in celebration of Daniel’s high school graduation. We caught up with Josh after his trip to talk about traveling in Japan, what it was like to spend so much one-on-one time with his son, and what he thought of working with Set Forth Adventures.

Set Forth Adventures: Hey Josh, thanks for sitting down with us today. It sounds like you guys had a great trip! What made it so special?

Josh Hicks: One of the main things that made it special was the chance to spend quality time with Daniel before he heads off to college 1,200 miles from home. This was his high school graduation trip. Japan is a special place for both of us, and this was kind of a “last chance” to do a trip like that while he is still in the house. It was the perfect way to conclude this chapter and send him off.

SFA: Yeah, that’s fantastic to hear. I’d imagine it was great to spend some dedicated time with him, and cool to be abroad with him as a young adult as opposed to a child. What was it like traveling with just the two of you?

JH: It is great to see your child become a man and develop his own interests. Seeing him get excited about adult things was really special. I am so used to seeing my kids be excited about kid things, like cartoons or whatever. But, in Japan, I saw him excited about his own “adult interests” – the vintage Japanese cars we drove, the food, and even the busy, diverse cities we explored. It was fantastic to watch him navigate a foreign country as a fellow adult and share that time with him.

SFA: That’s awesome to hear and sounds really special. I’m excited to learn more about your trip. To start: was there anything that surprised you about the trip and/or about Japan?

JH: I was surprised by how easy it was to get around. The public transportation was amazing. I wasn’t sure if it would be as easy to navigate Japan as the itinerary [from Set Forth] made it look. But, the only times we had any trouble was when I didn’t look at the schedule closely enough.

SFA: I also know that food was a big part of this trip for you, and something you were excited about. Were there any highlights on that front?

JH: The Michelin-star ramen we got outside of Tokyo. Instead of going somewhere near where we were staying, we specifically chose this place, and took a train out there for dinner. It was fantastic and well worth the trek! We also had a phenomenal meal at a Katsu restaurant when we were back in Tokyo at the end of the trip – just the most delicious fried pork and chicken.

SFA: Dang, Michelin-start ramen sounds amazing! Were there any funny moments, travel mishaps, or miscommunications with locals?

JH: I spent about 3 months on Duolingo before the trip trying to learn some basic Japanese. Honestly, I was successful at that, but I didn’t need it at all in Tokyo or Kyoto. Everyone knew English and knew how to direct tourists around. However, after taking the bullet train to Hakone, we were in a more rural spot. We had actually gotten on the wrong train leaving Kyoto, but it was no big deal: our plan was to take a local train to our end destination. However, it ended up being easier to just grab a taxi, which we did. However, after we started driving, we quickly realized that our driver didn’t know any English at all. I communicated in a broken combination of English and Japanese, and the driver was very patient with me – definitely relied on a few key words that I ended up repeating again and again.

Daniel thought it was hilarious, and definitely was giving me a hard time – “what about your Japanese dad? How’s that going for you now?”.

SFA: Oh man, there’s nothing quite as comical as stumbling around a language barrier! It’s been great to learn more about your trip, and some of the special moments along the way. If you had to choose just one, what would you say was the top highlight of your time in Japan?

JH: Fun2Drive in Hakone [a guided driving experience in vintage Japanese performance cars] was a once in a lifetime experience for both of us. As much as we enjoyed the whole trip, from the serenity and history of Kyoto to the bustling streets of Tokyo, driving those cars on the mountain roads in Hakone was once in a lifetime. I would recommend that experience, and driving those mountain roads, to anyone who goes to Japan.

It was actually Daniel’s idea and wish to find a way for us to drive a classic Japanese car – I was just going to have us watch a drift show or something. So, it was fantastic to have that idea come from him, and then be such a fantastic success. Set Forth, of course, found the provider itself and made it happen.

That makes me want to add – I am only going to use Set Forth for planning my trips going forward. It was so great to have the experience entirely catered to us. It felt like everything we were doing, every day, was exactly the right thing for us.

SFA: Well, that’s great to hear and we are, of course, excited to work with you again on your next adventure!