I’ve arrived in Japan!
January 11, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C
Well here I am, my first time in Japan and a busy two weeks ahead of me! I’ll be travelling over 2,500 KM by rail from Tokyo to Nagasaki and back again, with lots of stops in between! 🚅 🇯🇵
First stop Hakone
January 11, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C
First stop on my trip is Hakone and Lake Ashi! Couldn’t believe that I’m lucky to actually see Mt Fuji, often covered in clouds and fog there is a high chance that you travel this far and don’tRead more
Hakone-Shrine
January 12, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C
Short walk from Motohakone is the Hakone Shrine, a beautiful lake front Shrine nestled into the side of a mountain... got here bright and early to beat the crowds and it paid off!
Ōwakudani
January 12, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C
Ōwakudani- or the ‘Great Boiling Valley’ was created 3000 years ago Kani-Yama erupted and collapsed. Today hydrogen sulphide steams from the yellow ground, and this hot water is used to boilRead more
The Hakone Open Air Museum
January 12, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C
Open air art museum in Gora, famous for its outdoor sculptures and one of the largest collections of Picasso works! It also had an outdoor foot Onsen heated to 46* by the active volcano it was aRead more
Chisuji-no-taki Falls
January 12, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C
The Chisuji-no-taki Falls are named after the way that the waterfall looks like a thousands threads all falling- it was certainly worth the short walk down to the falls.
Odawara —> Kyoto
January 12, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C
This evening I’m travelling to Kyoto from Hakone, and it involves my first ever bullet train! The thing was SUPER FAST, travelling at over 175MPH and made the over 200 mile journey from Odawara toRead more
Kiyomizu-dera
January 13, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C
Beautiful morning spent at Kiyomizu-dera, this area of Kyoto is a buzzing hive of activity perched on a hill overlooking Kyoto (despite the fact it was one hell of a climb from the city centre).
Ginkaku-ji
January 13, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
Little translated as ‘silver pavilion,’ it is named after the fact that the shogun wanted to line the house either silver... it was never realised.
Fushimi Inari
January 14, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 2 °C
Was worth getting up early to get here... nice and quiet! With seemingly endless shrine gates, this places really is a world unto itself, spread across a woody mountain.
Fushimi Inari- snacks
January 14, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C
Couldn’t help but try these traditional Japanese snacks at the outdoor market by the Fushimi Inari.
1) Takoyaki (octopus dumplings): batter mix cooked with pieces of octopus inside, these are thenRead more
Nijo-jo Castle
January 14, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
Taking up a large part of north western Kyoto, built in 1603 as the official residence of the first Tokugawa shogun, Ieyasu.
Lunch
January 14, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
Stop for lunch, which means complete guesswork as to what your eating. I decided to visit a supermarket today and buy some random snacks, safe to say it actually turned out ok.
• Green Tea:Read more
Kyoto Imperial Palace
January 14, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
The Kyoto Imperial Palace is a massive walled palace in the centre of Kyoto, was a nice walk through on my way to Daitoku-ji.
Nara Park- Tōdai-ji
January 15, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C
Starting the day at Nara park mainly to visit the Daibutsu “Great Buddha” at Tōdai-ji. It’s one of the largest brzone Buddha’s in the world, with a total height of 15m his ears alone are 2m-Read more
Lunch in Osaka!
January 15, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C
Lunch today at a standing up only ramen restaurant at the side of the street, completely no English so I just pointed and hoped for the best. After some googling I was served fried tofu with sobaRead more
Osaka Castle
January 15, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C
First stop in Osaka is their beautiful castle.
Dotonbori
January 15, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C
Spent the night walking around the vibrant, colourful and extremely chaotic Dotonbori neighbourhood of Osaka with its millions of LED displays!! Osaka is known as ‘Japan’s kitchen’ and theRead more
Tennoji Park
January 16, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C
The tall Hitachi tower in the background is japan answers to the Eiffel Tower in France. I think they have forgot to include the elegance and class that I’d found in Paris.
Shin-Sekai
January 16, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C
Centred around the 103m-high tower Tsūten-Kaku, Shin-Sekai is home to pachinko and mahjong parlours and continues to retain the nostalgia of retro Japan, with over the top signage (I thoughtRead more
Lunch- Kushikatsu
January 16, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
Lunch today, I’m having the usual ramen (I’m slightly addicted), and Kushikatsu, this is a local Osaka dish which is basically deep fried meat and veg with a lovely sweet dipping sauce. Both mealsRead more
Abeno Harukas
January 16, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C
Japan’s tallest building at 300m, I would have thought it was all officers, but nope this massive 60 story building is a only a hotel and department store!
Shinkansen Osaka —> Himeji
January 17, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C
Early morning Shinkansen train to Himeji this morning. On the way to the station I passed one of the famous Osaka landmarks. When building a new motorway in the city centre they were met with anRead more
Himeji Castle
January 17, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C
This morning was spent at Himeji Castle, one of the few original castles left in Japan (many were destroyed during WW2). This castle is over 600 years old.
