Local Foreigner Partner, Alex Erdman Ely shifted gears in December, when she stepped away from travel planning to take an epic 18-day honeymoon with her husband Jamie. The pair split their time between Japan and the Philippines — two destinations that allowed them to maximize their active lifestyle. Their trip began in Niseko, Japan’s powder paradise, before ending with a week of scuba diving (and sunscreen applications) at Amanpulo in the Philippines.

What was the inspiration behind honeymooning in Japan and the Philippines?

When we first started thinking about our honeymoon, we envisioned spending two weeks on a beach in the Maldives. But after assessing my husband’s fair skin and our combined hatred for sitting still, we decided we needed to pivot. Since we knew our honeymoon would be during the Christmas season, we decided skiing needed to be a major component of the trip, since it’s something we do every Christmas and is an activity we both really enjoy. We settled on Niseko, Japan, which is known to be a mecca for powder hounds. We decided to throw in Amanpulo for a little bit of that relaxation element (and it’s been on my bucket list for years!).

Give us a brief overview of your itinerary.

We started the trip in San Francisco, where we celebrated an early Christmas with family. Then we flew to Haneda (which I always recommend over Narita) and overnighted in Tokyo. The next day we flew to New Chitose Airport on Hokkaido and drove two and a half hours to Niseko. We stayed at Hirafu for the first three nights, followed by two incredible nights at a ryokan called Zaborin in Kutchan. En route to the Philippines, we made a pit stop in Tokyo and indulged at the Aman Tokyo (one of my all time favorite city hotels). From Tokyo we flew to Manila, then on to Pamalican Island, home of Amanpulo. We stayed for a full week, spending our days scuba diving, eating, and reading. On our way home we used airline miles to book amazing first class tickets on Korean Air, so we spent a final wild night in Seoul, which was surprisingly incredible. All in, we were away for 18 days.

What were the trip highlights?

First tracks with Hanazono Powder guides, cat skiing at Iwani Resort, drinks at Bar Gyu +, and scuba diving off Pamalican Island.

Anything funny/memorable/unexpected happen during your trip?

While cat skiing in the middle of nowhere Hokkaido, we actually met a family that knew my husband’s father from San Francisco, so that felt like a pretty serendipitous moment. In Tokyo we had an incredible meal at Shima and actually got to spend a nice amount of time with Shima San (the chef), who told us all about his life and the restaurant. He even walked us to the street and hailed us a cab after our meal! We also made some great friends at Amanpulo on New Year’s Eve, who we’ve since met up with twice in New York since we’ve been back.

Alex, you’ve been to Japan in the past, what made this trip different?

My first trip to Japan was a scouting trip for work, so it was much more focused on touring and learning about Japanese culture. I love Japan, but Niseko really felt like Japan-lite, which was nice. We got bits and pieces of culture, but most of our time was spent on the slopes.

Anything you’d do differently?

Next time I go to Niseko, I think I would take the direct Finnair flight from Helsinki to New Chitose and skip Honshu all together, in order to maximize my time skiing. I’d also plan fewer meals at nice restaurants. Japan is a very specific destination when it comes to dining, and as much as I love food and dream of four+ hour dinners (that my husband dreads), after a few nights the length and ceremony of fine dining experiences can get old. Our favorite meals ended up being at simple Undon joints and an Anthony Bourdain yakitori spot in Kuchan called Yoshitake Torimatsu.

Any tips for travelers going skiing in Japan or island hopping in the Philippines?

For Niseko, definitely do First Tracks one morning and a Cat Skiing experience! For the Philippines, bring lots of sunscreen.

What’s the next trip you have planned as a couple?

We’re headed to The Point, one of our all-time favorite resorts, with my husband’s sister and brother-in-law.

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