Jennifer Garner Reveals She Faced a Big Fear and Found Wonder and Beauty on Her ‘Dream Trip’ to Japan

Jennifer Garner’s trip to Japan was jam-packed with beautiful sights, delicious food and a few personal-boundary-pushing experiences.

On Thursday, Aug. 15, Garner, 52, posted about her “dream trip” to Japan on Instagram, breaking down memorable moments and sharing her itinerary. “Dream trip to Japan: a to do list. 🇯🇵,” she began the post.

While traveling abroad, Garner visited temples and shrines, taking in the serenity of Tenryu-ji and the Kinkaku-ji Golden Pavilion in Kyoto. She also posed in Tokyo and saw the famous 3D cat billboard in Shinjuku, asking can “this guy visit LA, please? 🐱.”

Between temple visits, Garner took in the food scene. In one image, she wore a bib while eating ramen noodles. She also posted an oyster farmer catching the shellfish in nets.

In another video, which she calls “the triumph of the former picky eater,” the actress tentatively takes a bite of abalone. “Honor the life forces that feed us,” she captioned the slide.

Though she appears hesitant at first, she says: “This abalone was alive in front of us five minutes ago. We have to honor it by eating it,” before tasting the shellfish.

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Her other excursions included a boat ride with a glass of champagne, exploring urban alleyways lined with bars and neon signs, and taking in a peaceful field of water lilies.

Garner also gave a shoutout to her Deadpool and Wolverine costars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, sharing a picture of the movie poster in Japanese.

After returning from her envy-inducing vacation, the Yes Day star visited ex-husband Ben Affleck for his birthday on Aug. 15.

She was spotted visiting the actor’s Brentwood home according to pictures obtained by Page Six.

Garner’s summer has been action-packed. Along with her Japan trip, the actress made an appearance at San Diego Comic-Con to promote Deadpool and Wolverine — and got stuck in an elevator at one point.

“Thanks for having us here. My first Comic-Con,” she said joking about the unfortunate incident in July.

She also took her mom Pat on the Today Show to bake a cobbler together in June. “It’s the best to be here with my mom!” Garner said of the special appearance.

“It’s just the sweetest. I’m so proud of her and so happy that we’re here together.”