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Adventure is out there
  • Andrea and Luke French
  • Luke French
  • Andrea and Luke French
  • Luke French

Adventure is out there

Our travels, to see where the world takes us Läs mer
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  • Adventure is out there

    Kenroku-en Gardens, Kanazawa, Japan

    17 maj 2024, Japan ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    It's easy to see why this is regarded as one of the top gardens in Japan! The trees and flowers were gorgeous, and we didn't even visit in one of the 'beautiful' seasons. A really serene place to wander around, although we did pick a quieter time to go, it had touches of Japanese whimsy like stepping stones and bridges.

    As we exited the gardens we noticed 3 golden eagles soaring high above us. We had been thinking maybe there was a pair near to the castle, and we were so lucky to spot them - but actually there's so many around here they are easy to spot!    Läs mer

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  • Adventure is out there

    Kyoto, Japan

    18–22 maj 2024, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    We racked up about 30 miles in steps over the three days in Kyoto, and still only scratched the surface of the amount of things to see!

    The city is filled to the brim with temples, shrines, gates, gardens, notable streets, and mouthwatering restaurants. It is so well kept and clean, and feels safe to be wandering around so is a pleasure to visit.Läs mer

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  • Adventure is out there

    Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple, Kyoto, Japan

    19 maj 2024, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Such an unusual temple with hundreds, maybe thousands, of small statues across the site. All of them were carved individually so there's lots of variation in their facial expressions.

    The moss and grass growing around them make them meld almost seamless into the landscape, looking like they were always there.

    There was also a more unusual Buddha sculpture, as it had been made to be touched so that blind people could experience it too.

    We loved exploring the temple area, and the walk up to it was lovely too as it took us through a local village and some touristy shops - one where we bought some more yuzu sake!    Läs mer

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  • Adventure is out there

    Kyoto River, Kyoto, Japan

    19 maj 2024, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    We mostly visited the river as Luke had found out that there was turtle shaped stepping stones there, which were advertised as 'lots of fun for children' (and, as luke put it, ' for my wife as well').

    As we walked there we were surprised to find the end of a marathon close by, with cheering crowds and some exhausted runners! We made our way down to the stones and found people of all ages enjoying the whimsical area, so I wasn't the only adult to find it cute (kawaii!).

    We carried on walking along the river and got to see some wildlife too. There were golden eagles, which we have now lost count how many we have seen, and also encountered a large river rat. We've never seen one before, and thought it was a beaver at first! Unfortunately an invasive species within Japan, they seemed like super small capybara but the long tail gave it away.    Läs mer

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  • Adventure is out there

    Kinkaku-ji Temple, Kyoto, Japan

    20 maj 2024, Japan ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    One of the most famous temples in Kyoto we headed here early morning to try and avoid the crowds. Unfortunately, there was still many, many people! We went on a weekday too, thinking it would be better than a weekend, but that just meant that there was groups of school children on outings as well.

    The actual experience itself wasn't special, but the views of this temple are STUNNING. It exceeded my expectations for just how beautiful this could be, although it was difficult to find a serene place among the crowd.

    Nature treated us to a stork perched perfectly in front of the temple too, so still that there were questioning murmurings from the crowd about whether it was a real one or not, dispelled as it changed position ever so slightly every few minutes.    Läs mer

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  • Adventure is out there

    Okazaki Shrine and Temple, Kyoto, Japan

    20 maj 2024, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    What a find! Luke took us to this shrine as its dedicated to rabbits, and fertility, but we managed to get a bit confused and went to the temple first.

    We were the only ones there, and had to be let into the temple by a monk. The inside was amazing, so we weren't complaining, and then we were allowed into the gardens to wander around too. This was such a surreal experience! We had been in many gardens just as nice as this, but heaving with tourists, and now we were walking around by ourselves.

    We then realised the shrine was next door, which had all of the rabbit imagery, so we headed there as well.

    This was so adorable, but much busier than the temple. We spent far longer than we thought here as we loved exploring both areas.    Läs mer

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  • Adventure is out there

    Hōkan-ji Temple (Yasaka Pagoda), Kyoto

    20 maj 2024, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Another contender for the busiest place in Kyoto this is a famous photo op at the top of the street looking down to the temple at sunset. We got there just in time, after wandering through the cutest traditional streets (with a Starbucks?!) and it was already packed.

    Everyone was scrambling for the perfect photo with the sunlight just about to disappear, and the orange rays lighting up the sky.

    It got some comical for me that I started taking photos of the photos being taken, and there was some good ones!

    When we headed down to the street to the temple you could see more detail within it, and its a shame that only the outline is usually seen in the photos as there was an intricate design underneath.    Läs mer

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  • Adventure is out there

    Fushima Inari Taisha, Kyoto, Japan

    21 maj 2024, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Another one of the famous temples in Kyoto, this one has thousands of Shinto Gates across a mountain area. It was really busy to start with, but most people only do the small loop while we headed up for the main loop. There was still plenty of people around, but a lot more spread out as everyone hiked up at their own speed.

    There were some fantastic views across Kyoto from the viewing points too, but the real amazement was just how many of the gates there were. They just kept going!

    It seemed like the temple was dedicated to either foxes or shiba type dogs, as there was lots of this imagery around, and it was all so cute! I could have sworn that one of the dogs was carrying a stick, while the one on the other side had a ball.

    It was quite the trek up to the top, and to be honest the three shrines at the top all looked so similar that if one wasn't labelled ''Top' I wouldn't have known we reached it.

    We went down a different route, finding a couple of other tourists on our way. One was an American who warned us not to go in one direction as he had just been at the top, came down a side road and "ended up in a local village". He seemed quite surprised by the whole experience!

    The other was a woman who wasn't sure if she had made it to the top or not, so there was lots of confused tourists around the mountain. Once we headed down the extremely steep path we continued walking the Kyoto trail.    Läs mer

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  • Adventure is out there

    Rengeōin (Sanjūsangendō) Temple, Kyoto

    21 maj 2024, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    This was a huge temple that was amazing inside...but we couldn't take photos. Which is such a shame as it was so unusual with one thousand individually carved wooden Buddha's and a huge buddha statue in the middle. There was also additional statues of other major religious icons at the front. Garuda featuring again although completely different to how he was represented in other countries.

    Amazing to get to see, and not as busy as other sites (possibly as no photos allowed?), the outside grounds were also a nice addition that we had a wander around after we exited the hall.    Läs mer

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  • Adventure is out there

    Dotonbori, Osaka, Japan

    22 maj 2024, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    The centre of the madness of Osaka; the iconic Glico guy sign and the canal with high rise buildings and advertisements on each side, with huge advertisements on shop fronts trying to lure customers in.and stand out in the crazy crowd.

    It was a fun kinda madness that we wandered around a couple of nights, choosing to go to restaurants off the main strip though and mostly just being gawking westerners, pointing and laughing at all the weird sights!    Läs mer

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  • Adventure is out there

    Nara Park, Nara, Japan

    23 maj 2024, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    One of the main draws of Nara Park is the bowing deer, which I simply had to see. There are crackers you can buy for them, and after a bow you can reward them with a cracker. All of the deer know how to do the bow, but it really depends which ones want to do it, or just want you to give them crackers!

    There's a few tricks to follow to ensure you don't get hassled too much. One being that you need to keep the crackers out of sight, otherwise you are doomed. We saw many tourists being chased by the deer as they were holding their crackers, when we put them in my pocket for safe keeping!

    It was a fun experience, although disappointing as we saw other tourists allowing them to eat other items, and ones in busier areas were pretty much obese. There were literally hundreds of them across the park so we preferred to sit in a less crowded spot and enjoy deer spotting from there.    Läs mer

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  • Adventure is out there

    Shinsekai, Osaka, Japan

    25 maj 2024, Japan ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

    Another of the crazy areas of Osaka that we found while wandering around, with Tsūtenkatu Tower glowing blue while looming over the brightly lit colourful restaurant displays.

    Although this was on a smaller scale than Dotonburi, the same level of weird had been squeezed into the area, increasing the density of weird! It felt a little less busy though, and we wandered into a couple of arcades to play some games. Unfortunately leaving without the Totoro keyring cos the grab game was rigged 😕Läs mer

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  • Adventure is out there

    Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima, Japan

    27 maj 2024, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    This Shinto shrine rising from the sea is one of the main tourist things to do in Hiroshima (outside of the memorial area). You need to go over to the island on a ferry, and even though the crossing was very quick it took us a long time to get to the port as we took the cheaper option of the tram to get there, which stopped every 2-3 minutes.

    It was a bit of a drizzly, foggy morning when we went which added to the atmosphere but meant you couldn't see too far across the water.

    In low tide you are able to walk up to the shrine, but I was happy to see it partially submerged instead.    Läs mer

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  • Adventure is out there

    Miyajima/Itsukushima, Japan

    27 maj 2024, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    This was a lovely island to wander around, the main attraction being the shrine but there's plenty more to see. We walked through the town, stopping to get tasty curry bread and a custard dessert. There are lots of deer on the island too, but as they don't get fed by tourists (or shouldn't at least) they aren't as persistent as the ones in Nara.

    The pagoda was a short sharp climb up but had some lovely views from the top. We sadly missed seeing a huge wooden rice paddle as it wasn't open for viewing when we were there though.    Läs mer

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  • Adventure is out there

    Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima, Japan

    28 maj 2024, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    The city of Hiroshima has such bad connections, of devastation and sorrow. In school we are taught about the horrors, with facts and figures we are later tested on...but being there is different. There is sadness to the city, but also hope; a city rebuilt from rubble, and united in the campaign to abolish nuclear weapons.

    We were surprised about the sheer number of school children also visiting the memorial park, but we shouldn't have been. The Japanese are determined that this tragedy will not be forgotten by future generations, and will not be repeated.

    A haunting memorial, and somewhere I wouldn't have dreamed I would visit when I learnt about it all those years ago in school.    Läs mer

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