No trip to Japan would be complete without going to see Mount Fuji and no trip of mine to Japan would be complete without staying in the area for at least week! Mimicing our 2017 trip we had booked to stay 8 nights in Kawaguchiko to do some hiking, photography, and have a slower pace … Continue reading Japan 2019 Day 15: Driving to Kawaguchiko to see Mount Fuji
Having been in Tokyo on 4 separate trips before, I have already visited most of the main tourist spots. I wanted to visit some less well known places in our one full Tokyo day, starting in Nezu. Nezu is north of Ueno park, and is one of the only areas in the whole of Tokyo … Continue reading Japan 2019 Day 14: Tokyo's Cat Temple Gotokuji
It was our last day in Tohoku before heading back to Tokyo and we needed to return the hire car back to Fukushima station by 2pm and watch the Shinkansen we had booked while in Mito station. We spent the morning exploring central Aizuwakamatsu by foot, going into tourist stores and getting some gifts for … Continue reading Japan 2019 Day 13: Back to Tokyo for a gluten free feast
We were staying in Mito for one reason, to see the torii gate at Oarai Isosaki Shrine. We left the hotel at 5am after a quick breakfast of microwave rice. Even though Mito city is in Ibaraki it was also hit by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Oarai Isosaki Shrine is has stoof since 856 … Continue reading Japan 2019 Day 12: Mito, waterfalls & daruma
As we didn't do enough driving the day before, we decided another 117 miles was in order. We were driving from Fukushima down to Ibaraki prefecture, outside of Tohoku. We had some stops planned on the way, and didn't need to get to Mito in Ibaraki during day light, so we could take our time. … Continue reading Japan 2019 Day 11: Shirakawa & Ibaraki
On Friday the 11th of March 2011 an magnitude 9 earthquake occurred off the coast of Tohoku, it was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan. This triggered a tsunami which hit the Tohoku coastline killing thousands. The tsunami also hit the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant setting off 7 nuclear meltdowns. Thousands of … Continue reading Japan 2019 Day 10: Visiting the Fukushima nuclear exclusion zone
We started the day with a bit of a lie in and weren't on the road until 7am. We were heading up into the mountains to explore Goshiki-numa (Five coloured marshes), a collection of strange coloured ponds in the mountains north of Aizuwakamatsu, in Bandai-Asahi National Park. It was quite a fun drive going up … Continue reading Japan 2019 Day 9: Goshiki-numa and Aizu’s history
One of the main things I wanted to do in Tohoku was to explore the areas affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. One prefecture that was affected more than others was Fukushima. Not only suffering the direct impact of the earthquake and tsunami, but with the ongoing fall out from the nuclear reactor meltdown. … Continue reading Japan 2019 Day 8: To Fukushima!
Driving 150 miles across Iwate to find the prefectures natural beauty spots!
A spectacular 100 mile road trip up the coast of Iwate
