Looking to escape? Here’s a recent trip local readers took to Japan. Check it out, then find more reader travel inspiration at www.mercurynews.com/tag/wish-you-were-here/.

SWEDEN: Rick and Joy Spohn from Morgan Hill celebrated their 31st wedding anniversary by staying in the iconic ice hotel in Jukkasjarvi, a small village in the Swedish Lapland. The area is home to the indigenous Sami, who were descendants of nomads who lived in North Scandinavia for thousands of years. The hotel is made entirely out of ice and snow, and drinks are served out of ice lasses. The ice blocks are gathered from the nearby Torne River each year and molded by artists and sculptors to construct the temporary residence. Rick and Joy enjoyed local delicacies from the hotel restaurant’s ice menu and slept on an ice

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