Looking back through these old memories it seems like our plan was just to do a tour of Tokyo's park! As the day after exploring Ueno park we headed to Yoyogi park, next to the famous Meiji Jingu. Now, exploring Tokyo's parks is actually a great way to experience Tokyo, as they all have a … Continue reading Japan 2010: Day 4; Yoyogi Park & Meiji Jingu
For our day in Kyoto we picked two of the main tourist attractions to visit; Kiyomizu dera temple and Fushimi Inari shrine, both situated on the eastern edge of the city. It was another hot, humid and overcast day as we made our way to one of the most famous temples in Kyoto. As many … Continue reading Japan 2013: Day 10- Kiyomizu dera & Fushimi Inari Shrine
For our second (full) day in Japan, our third since arriving, we headed to the local large city of Ueno. Ueno has a long history, the park itself was first opened in 1876, so it has been open for over 140 years! Sadly, a lot of Ueno was damaged or destroyed due to the bombings … Continue reading Japan 2010: Day 3; Exploring Ueno park
So we awoke in our tiny "double" bed in Asakusa feeling fresh thanks to a good nights sleep after 40 hours of travelling. We decided that we wanted to explore the area around our hotel a little, we had both been to Japan before, separately, but Asakusa Senso-ji is always a good place to start … Continue reading Japan 2010: Day 2; Asakusa in the rain
Castles played an important role in Japans history, right up until the Meiji restoration and the modernisation of Japan. Sadly, through war, fires, and in the name of progress, many Japanese castles were destroyed. Today, although Japan boasts a large number of castle keeps, only 12 are those that have remained through the years. Hikone … Continue reading The castle on lake Biwa: Hikone castle
My Japan trip in 2010 was for graduating my undergraduate degree (yay!). Myself and my university, who I studied Japanese with, headed off for a trip of a lifetime. We flew into Tokyo Narita airport and took the NEX into Tokyo, where we were staying at Asakusa Chisun Inn (which is now sadly closed). … Continue reading Japan 2010: Day 1 Arriving in Japan
Japan has an amazingly deferential relationship with nature, protecting the stunning environment that the islands of Japan home. One of the most intrinsically tied aspects of Japanese culture and nature is the cherry blossom phenomenon. If you have spent any time reading about, studying or visiting in Japan you will have seen the numerous references … Continue reading Chasing the cherry blossom: Getting the most out of sakura season in Japan!
In the Fuji Five lakes region of Japan, in Shizuoka prefecture there is another aspect of the World Heritage list, the waterfall Shiraito. Part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu national park Shiraito falls is situated to the west of Mount Fuji, about a 1 hour drive from Kawaguchiko, or it can be accessed by bus, although this … Continue reading Shiraito Falls- the widest waterfall in Japan
In most countries great tourist attractions or areas of great beauty close at 5pm, tourism is over for the night and everything is barred shut, this is especially true in the UK where I live. So with this mentality I traveled to Japan, visiting the tourist destinations during the day and used the evenings for … Continue reading Exploring Japan after dark
When you think of Japan a few images may come to mind, towering sky scrapers, robot waiters, sushi, or the bright vermillion gates of shinto shrines. One place in Japan is especially famous for these gates in Fushimi Inari Taisha which is for the shinto shrine of Inari, goddess of the harvest, situated in Kyoto. … Continue reading Fushimi Inari Taisha: The never ending gates
My Nihon 