First solo trip ever and my gear as a minimalist

Okay so I'm 28 years old and this was my first time leaving the country. Grew up in a small town in Mississippi, and we were not the family that did vacations every year. Saved up through and finally had enough to actually do it. Just got back from 15 days in Asia and I need to talk about the setup because I felt glad I was able to make it work.

Apps I used: Skyscanner for flights, Booking for hotels, Suica card app for Japan transit, Klook for attraction tickets, Voicetra for text translation, Uber Eats for getting around, and Safety Tips for earthquake alerts which yeah Japan requires that one. Oh and Kuli Kuli for menu translation because I mean I just don't understand Japanese characters and I'm hungry literally all the time.

Gear I packed for the whole 15 days, red eye flight included, kept it under 7kg: 3 sets of shorts and tshirts, flip flops, inflatable neck pillow, small power bank, charger, plug adapter, Insta360 GO Ultra for vlogging (it's tiny and has this little magnetic lanyard you hang around your neck), and an empty water bottle. Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara. 15 days.

The trip was genuinely great but the thing that stuck with me most was how the Japanese approach everything. Their English is not great but the second you ask for directions, even if you're showing them your phone translation, they will respond entirely in English the whole time. It's kind of amazing and kind of hilarious. Insta360 GO Ultra was also a good decision. Clips straight to my chest or neck, footage syncs to your phone automatically through the app, very easy. Got so much vlog material without thinking twice.

Also... ramen in Japan, specifically the small alley spots or the standing ones, every single bowl was unreal. Don't skip those. Felt really good about the minimal setup. Next trip I want to get under 6kg.