Japan has a rich history of castle building, it is estimated that at one point there were 5,000 castles across Japan. The castles were originally built as fortifications for military defense along important routes or in strategic locations. These castles were traditionally made of a wooden frame with stone fortifications. Many Japanese castles were destroyed … Continue reading The black crow castle of Matsumoto
Japan is well known for its mountains, streams and general amazing nature so you would expect to find great sights around every corner. In April of this year we climbed Mount Takao (climbed may be a bit of an exaggeration) to try and see the elusive Mount Fuji and maybe find a tengu! Mount Takao … Continue reading The most disappointing “waterfall” in all of Japan
I thought it might be helpful to write a little about renting a car in Japan, in April this year we hired a car and self-drove for 4 days in Yamanashi prefecture. Japan arguably has one of the best transportation systems in the world and so for many people renting a car wouldn't cross your … Continue reading Renting a car in Japan
You may think I have written two posts about the same place, luckily I'm not doing that, K's house opened a second venue in Kawaguchi-ko which I stayed in for 3 nights in April of this year. So here is my review of K's house new venue: Fuji view. Location Compared to K's house this … Continue reading Accommodation: K’s House Mount Fuji View
One of the trickiest things booking somewhere to stay in a far away place is knowing whether the accommodation, hotel/hostel etc., is going to suit your needs. Reviews are always useful and so I thought I'd record my thoughts on the place I have stayed in Japan. First off is my most recommended place that … Continue reading Accommodation: K’s House Mount Fuji
So our final morning in Japan, I am always bereft when leaving Japan as there will always be more I want to experience and there is nothing quite like the atmosphere here that makes you feel at ease and at home. We were staying at APA Narita Ekimae and had booked a shuttle bus at … Continue reading Japan 2017: Day 18- Leaving
We woke up back in Tokyo after quite a crowded train ride home, today we were leaving Tokyo again to head to Kyoto. As we had such a great time staying with K's house in Fuji we had decided to double book ourselves for the next night, having a room booked in both Ito and … Continue reading Japan 2013: Day 9- Ito & Kyoto
Day 8: Kawaguchiko- K’s house Walking and Bus tour around Fuji Sengen shrine, Fuji 5th station, Wind cave, Ice cave, Aokigahara, Motosu Lake, Oishi Park For our 8th day we woke up in Kawaguchi-ko, staying at the amazing K's house hostel, in a private tatami room. Today we were doing the full day bus and … Continue reading Japan 2013: Day 8- Mount Fuji tour
So we awoke in our plush and fancy hotel for sunrise (as usual), we had bought breakfast with us as we were getting up around 3am to watch the sunrise. Sadly, the clouds from the day before had stayed and obscured the sunrise. As the clouds were obscuring the view we decided to explore the … Continue reading Japan 2017: Day 16; Kawaguchi-ko part 7; a cloudy day
On our 6th day in Kawaguchi-ko we were up at 4am again and decided to walk around Kawaugchi-ko and try some of the local attractions. We first returned to the northern shore to see how the blossom was getting on. Luckily they were at full bloom against the blue sky, perfect for photography! It was … Continue reading Japan 2017: Day 15- Kawaguchi-ko pt 6; boats and ropes
My Nihon 