Reset search
Japan
  • Treading Through Gaia
  • Treading Through Gaia

Japan

Home for the next few years or so. Read more
FollowInsightsInsightsCalendarCalendarPhotosPhotosShareShareBucket list
InsightsCalendarPhotos
  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Okinawa II

    April 24, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Early morning, I got up and went out to get some breakfast at Mos Burger and met up with Eliska at Kokusaidori to head to the bus terminal going to the beach. On the bus, one of my job agents called me since I was job hunting at that time though at that point not really. We went to Moon Beach first, the place was absolutely devoid of any other human. We pretty much had the whole place to ourselves, it was a bit chilly but it was still a beautiful beach. We spent an hour or so here before heading to the next beach near Sheraton at San Marina.

    This area was huge and breathtaking with turquoise waters and wonderful cloud formations, the pictures were marvelous. We went around the area and even inside the restricted zones, we climbed the lighthouse and walked across the wooden bay walk seeing different kinds of fish swimming under the crystal clear waters. We were in for a bigger surprise as we saw through the bushes that the beach does in fact stretch further for a couple of more kilometers. We left our things at one of the tables seeing as there was nobody there anyway, even the hotel itself was closed. We walked and walked and the landscapes seemed to change every few meters. The beach was very dynamic with lots of different rock formations, caves and wildlife. All in all, it was one of the best beaches in Okinawa so far. As it was getting dark, we decided to head home. I remember getting some okonomiyaki for dinner and also realizing that I couldn't withdraw money from the ATM so I had to call my bank to have it fixed, luckily they were still taking phone calls even late at night and managed to sort things out.    Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Okinawa III

    April 25, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    I went to Araha Park first and checked out Araha beach which was unfortunately close. It was pretty weird to see a beach closed because of covid but I guess it is what it is. I stuck around for a bit before going to Manza beach, the beach was very chill and empty as always. There were a lot of sea life swimming about, the most interesting one was the sea rabbit that sprayed a red smokescreen as I accidentally touched it, I waded through the water to reach the island at the other side, the rocks were really spikey so I was glad I was wearing my slippers, not to mention the spiky sea urchins littered all around. It was fun but after awhile I decided to go to where Eliska was at Cape Maeda.

    Cape Maeda proved to be the absolute best place in Okinawa mainland. It was lowtide but the ocean left a lot of leftover springs in its wake, there were caves and alcoves that housed a myriad of colorful fish and sea creatures, it was like a natural aquarium. I jumped from one puddle to the next, taking a peak through the crystal clear water of the ecosystem happening below it. It was quite tempting to jump right in but at the same time, the water was very cold. There were unique rock formations all around the beach, I have never seen anything like it. After exploring for some time, I went back to Eliska's to catch up. We then went up to the cape area, it was quite rocky but the view of the ocean was spectacular. As the sun set, we grabbed some pizza for dinner and waited for our bus to arrive, which operated at an island schedule as in it was quite late which made us very nervous if we were going to end up stuck here but in the end it came. I offered Eliska a place to stay in exchange for the time she hosted me and Kara. She was planning on camping but she took my offer.    Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Okinawa IV

    April 26, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Eliska and I went out to get breakfast in the form of spam sushi, one of Okinawa's delicacies. We said our good byes here as Eliska was going to another place while I had to catch a flight to Osaka so I decided to hang about Kokusaidori. It was raining heavily throughout the day and it was also very cold, I had to find shelter so I ended up spending a lot of hours in Don Quijote. After a bit more, I decided to just go to the airport and played some Animal Crossing to pass the time.Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Osaka

    April 26, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    It was already dark when I arrived and we took a tram from the airport to the not so city center. Here, I took the train going to my hotel. The ward I was staying seemed to have a lot of homeless people but it was still pretty safe walking around at night. I got to my hostel and checked in and took a shower and went straight to bed since I had to hike the next day.Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Mt. Kongo

    April 27, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    I woke up early and dropped by the convenience store to get some breakfast and lunch for the hike to Kansai's highest peak, Mt. Kongo. The train ride took a couple of hours and I have unfortunately missed the bus going to the mountain so I had to stick around an hour or so for the next one. Soon, I was out into Kansai's wilderness, one of the thing I love about bus rides through Japan's countryside is always seeing the different natural landscapes.

    I went down the bus stop hoping it was the right one but I couldn't find the trailhead. I asked a group of boys for directions but they said it was their first time here as well. Eventually an old man pointed us to the right direction and I started the climb. To be frank, Mt. Kongo was pretty much a stair climbing simulator, there were some nice moments here and there but a huge majority of the hike involved a ruthless uphill slope filled with flight after flight of stairs. One of the memorable spots of Mt. Kongo was a gazebo with a huge cherry blossom beside it. As the wind blew, petals would scatter all around. It was a very zen moment. The craziest thing was I actually had a job interview, and I had to do it while climbing the mountain. I didn't want to, but they pretty much said it was now or never so I tried to give it a go. Needless to say, it ended very poorly due to bad connection (of course), not that I cared much for it and I continued on the hike and reached the summit soon enough. I asked the same group of guys to take my photo with the summit sign and had some onigiri with a view of Kansai below. After a while, I took another route going down which was much more fun. I called Janelle and we had a nice video and chat while I was hiking down. The interwebs were much more cooperative on this side of the mountain, I guess. Eventually, the hike downward started to get really challenging and I had to say good bye to Janelle while I continued on down. There were a lot of steep parts but being surrounded by the tall trees and upheaved roots were much better than the stairs going up. The only thing I was unsure of was where I would end up following the path as I didn't want to go down the same way. I finally reached the bottom of the mountain and followed the road going back to the bus stop. Along the way, there were more cherry blossoms. I got to the bus stop and ate the remainder of my sandwich and got on the bus going back to Osaka.

    From there, I went to an onsen as is customary for every hike that I do in Japan. When I got back to the area of my hostel, I had some ramen and finally got back to sleep.    Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Kyoto

    April 28, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    I got on a train from Osaka going to Kyoto and I wandered around the streets of my area as I couldn't check-in yet. I had lunch and just walked around aimlessly until finding my way back to my hostel. I had a long rest since my legs were still tired from climbing Mt. Kongo but soon I was out and about heading to Fushimi Inari.

    It was time to experience Kyoto's empty tourism campaign and it sure did deliver. The whole place was empty, I couldn't even find someone to take my picture. It was surreal to have such a holy place all to myself. What seemed to be like an endless stream of torii gates, continuing in all directions leading up and down, left and right. I tried to see where each path went only to be dragged further and further from where I was supposed to go. It was definitely worth it though, I've seen cemeteries, frog ponds, bamboo forests, and even waterfalls. Continuing on, I found my path back and hiked my way to the top and saw an awesome view of Kyoto and further up was the summit. Nothing to special but a summit all the same. I took my time going down and found myself taking another detour into a forest that kept on going forever, I had to turn back as the trees started to cover the sky and it grew darker, colder and extremely quiet, it started to irk me a bit especially when I started to hear startled sounds coming from the bush and I did see warnings on wild boars so I definitely chose to turn back. I left the temple grounds extremely satisfied and went back home to take a hot bath and played some Animal Crossing.    Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Kyoto II

    April 29, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Another fun filled day, taking advantage of Kyoto's empty tourism, I hit a lot of Kyoto's temples. Starting with Kinkaku-ji Temple in the morning, a temple completely made of gold, the whole place was devoid of tourists. It was awesome, I had a rest here for a bit and got some food from the convenience store afterwards for brunch.

    I went to Kiyomizudera Temple next, another super popular temple but now empty, a temple made of wood, perched on top of a hill overlooking Kyoto below it was Gion, an untouched traditional neighborhood of Kyoto, I was really able to see what old Japan was like by simply walking around this area, the Yasaka Pagoda towering above the small houses.

    Next stop was Nazenji temple, a neat temple with an aqueduct. I wanted to see the Zen garden too but it was closed due to Covid. Instead, I took a nice small hike around the temple. I wanted to go further in, but I honestly didn't know where I would end up in and the fact that I might get lost so I opted to go back down.

    My last stop was Ginkaku-ji Temple, instead of gold, it was laden in silver. It is quite underrated as I feel like there is much more to see in this area. It had its own Zen garden and traditional houses. It was well worth the trip. I went home tired from all the walking but very much fulfilled.    Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Kyoto III

    April 30, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    The third and last day, I had to take a continuation job interview from the one I messed up in Mt. Kongo. I did what I had to do but to be honest, I just wanted to get it over with and be on with the day.

    I went to Tenryuji Temple first, this area of Kyoto was my favorite as it was the closest the the mountains. The air here smelled amazing. The temple needed money to get in and I wasn't really interested in that anymore after so many temples. I went around and there was the ever-popular bamboo grove that was pretty much empty, a truly rare sight. I went to the backside and climbed up to get awesome views of the valley and river and climbed a bit more to reach a well-designed flower garden. Here, I reminisced a long time about my life, whether I was happy right now or not and thought about the future. I decided to go down and hang around near the river, watching it flow in silence and then taking the tram back as it was time to head back to Tokyo.    Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Hiroshima

    July 23, 2020 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    My first time traveling with such a big group. I was with Veda, Lisa and Mariam again along with Sol from Barbados and Lisa and Mariam’s friend, Alima, from Kazakhstan. Lisa’s group arrived first while Veda, Sol and I arrived around night. We met up at the apartment that I reserved on Agoda. We had some time to catch up and chill for a bit. The girls were sharing the bed and a room next door while Veda and I had the tatami room with our futons. We went out to get dinner and inadvertently ended up in the nightlife district of Hiroshima. We had some Mexican food and had mango beer which tasted quite good strangely enough. Alima shared a lot of her cigarettes with me since I was still socially smoking at that time. After getting to know each other a bit more, we went back to our place and had some more drinks and snacks, playing some drinking games and what not.Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Hiroshima II

    July 24, 2020 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

    A bit of a rainy day, we went to the Memorial Park and got to see the famous domed building of Hiroshima and got to see other interesting things like the eternal flame, memorial for the children with the paper cranes, and other structures that function as a reminder of those dark days. We got our tickets for the museum and lined up to enter. The experience inside, seeing close up and learning about how gruesome the effects of the bombing left Hiroshima was too powerful. In deafening silence as we viewed each face and story, seeing the remnants of the past definitely left us quite teary eyed and dejected. It wasn't the best start of the day. We got out of the museum quite depressed.

    We walked around the park some more and went to try out Hiroshima's okonomiyaki. It was delicious but I've had better ones elsewhere. Afterwards we got on the train and headed to the harbor to take a ferry to Miyajima. The ferry ride was very fun, everyone was vibing despite the rainy weather. We wanted to see the giant orange torii gate on the sea and we kept on searching for it while we were on our way to the island. To our disappointment, it turned out the torii gate was under construction and covered completely, it was funny because we kept on looking for it but it was right in front of us the whole time. The island was rainy and windy and cold, we had a blast. There were a lot of deer roaming as well, one of them bit Lisa's dress. There was a floating water temple by the beach and we tried going around the island but the rain forced us to rest inside a huge temple made of wood. We lazed around here for a long time, relaxing under the roof while heavy rain chorused all around us. We talked and had our alone time to be Zen. Mariam was sketching, turns out she's pretty good at it. When the rain subsided, we headed back to Hiroshima and had another crazy drinking party.    Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Okunoshima Rabbit Island

    July 25, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    We started the morning by going to a park where Hiroshima castle was located. We went up and about and finished the castle which was quite similar to Odawara castle in terms of the layout. We grabbed some udon for lunch while Sol sort of separated a bit from the group and we got on a train to the docks to catch a ferry to Okunoshima. Here, the apartment owner sort of caught us with more people than I booked for and was arguing a lot which really put me in a sour mood, it turned out okay though. My friends were quite supportive. We got our tickets and soon we were cruising to Rabbit Island.

    There were pretty much rabbits everywhere, but the island itself was actually an old world war 2 bunker, it even had some gas chambers. We got some left over veggies on the ground and fed it to the rabbits. Aside from the rabbits, Okunoshima was very beautiful, with beaches and forests, several hiking trails that offer amazing vistas all around. We thoroughly enjoyed going around the place. There were a few moments that stood out though, when an eagle flew towards Mariam, her scream was so funny, shouting at the top of her lungs "Blyat!" We also saw a half-eaten rotten bunny corpse, it was truly a wild island with lots of predators up and about to control the rabbit population. We circled around and stopped by a beach to enjoy the wonderful view and take some pictures. Afterwards, we headed back to the docks and turns out we were at the wrong one, it was a good thing someone pointed it out or else we would have missed the last boat back.

    On the train back, we saw the most amazing scarlet sunset and on the walk back to our place, we were able to play with fireworks with some guys by the river. Then we proceeded to have the biggest party inside the apartment, while also learning how to fold paper cranes from Mariam. I brought them home with me and use them as decorations for my room.    Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Hiroshima III

    July 26, 2020 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

    The last day was pretty chill, our group separated as the Lisa, Mariam and Alima`s flight was much later. Veda, Sol and I got to the airport first and had a pretty good lunch before getting on our flight back to Tokyo.Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Asahikawa II

    September 6, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Coming straight from Sapporo, I arrived at Asahikawa at night and managed to grab dinner at Pepper Lunch before everything closed. I got to my hotel, a pretty good one at that, and checked in. I took a nice bath at the hot tub and went to sleep for the big day ahead.Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Biei

    September 7, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    I started the day by going to the convenience store to buy some breakfast and sun screen. I got on the bus going to the Blue Pond near Biei, it was really the bluest pond I have ever seen, very serene and tucked away in the mountains, well worth the trip. The trip on the way and back was also very beautiful seeing the vast meadows and farmlands, surrounded by mountains with the sun shining brightly. It was going to be a very good day.

    I got back to Biei to have lunch and even got to take it home because I couldn't finish it, I was also quite excited to start biking around the area. The town of Biei was also very pretty, the houses had ample spacing and the roads were wide. There was a certain quaintness to the whole area that made me feel really free. I finally got to rent my bike and set off, I hit various hotspots from farmlands, trees and various flower fields, even an alpaca farm! Taking rests every now and then to absorb my surroundings, not that it wasn't possible to do so while on the bike as every second of it was just beautiful. I was using an electric bike so the going the higher slopes didn't take too much of my energy. I stopped by a swing by the hill and saw a very nice panoramic view of the farmlands. There was also the Tree of Life, it was quite difficult to get to but super worth it. As I neared Biei again, I decided to take one more detour to a nearby park but on the way ended up falling over and scrapping myself. I still pushed through and hanged around for a bit before going back to return the bike. I took another train back to Asahikawa and pretended to have just gotten on the previous station to save a lot of money. I took a nice hot bath and had a good rest because the next day was going to be much much tougher than biking around meadows.    Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Mt. Asahidake

    September 8, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Waking up extra early and got on the bus going to Daisetsuzan National Park where Mt. Asahidake, the tallest mountain in Hokkaido, was located. I got off the trail head and started off with the ropeway. I didn't want to use it but it seemed like it was the only way, and frankly I am glad I did as I don't think I had it in me to finish the whole ascent like that. Leaving the gondola, there was no educated staff to teach me about the routes so I had to just go with my gut and aim for the summit first. This was my first alpine mountain in the summer months and it was so pretty, there were a lot of plants and flowers scattered all around. It was foggy for a bit since it was raining but I didn't let it bother me that much. There were two huge mountain lakes and geysers at the base. Steam gushing out as Mt. Asahidake is a volcano. As I started the hike, the clouds parted way and gave me a nice view of the surrounding mountain range and forests. This was going to be a good hike.

    The climb lasted for a couple of hours, I got quite tired. The greenery gave way to rocks and soon, I was bouldering up the mountain. The fog sometimes made it so hard to see what was in front of you, the wind sometimes was very strong as well. I didn't have hiking shoes too and my shoes would slip on the gravel sometimes so I had to hang on to the ropes as if my life depended on it. Very fun, a bit stressful. I eventually made it to the top where a single bird plopped on to a branch and everything else was covered by clouds. I ate my lunch and started going down.

    Downhill was much trickier since I was slipping even more often, all the way down. It was not fun for my knees but the views were much better on the way to the base with the clouds parting ways and the sun shining through. Here is where I went full gladiator mode, I opted not to take the ropeway down and decided to finish the rest of the mountain on foot all the way to the bottom, not even knowing where I would end up in. It was really worth it though, aside from the fatigue. The hike on the way down pass the gondola was pretty much empty. The only person doing it was literally me so I had the whole mountain all to myself. There were a lot of dragon flies flying around, different trees of all shapes and sizes. There were some rocks I had to scale over, and as I descended more, the more the forest came to be. I was soon surrounded by trees and the path became much more narrow, more rocks to scale, puddles to avoid and insects to watch out for. The descent took so long, I was beginning to doubt myself and was getting a bit worried but I still continued on and on and on. I soon found myself in marshland, a wooden boardwalk, a bit dilapidated. My shoes ended up getting swallowed by the mud puddles a couple of times, much to the misery of my now wet socks. This continued on for a long time but I was glad for the flats. I eventually found myself back to the base, so happy I made it back in one piece.

    As with every mountain hike, I went a bit more downhill to look for an onsen. The first one was only available for guests, but I found another one that allowed anyone to enter and so I did. There were just a couple of people and soon they were out and I had the whole onsen to myself again. I swam like a child and stayed for as long as I can until I decided it was time to catch the bus. The sun was now setting, turning the clouds orange. I waited for my bus for a bit more, checking out the other hotels in the area to see if I can find someplace to rest away from the cold. I was able to get on the bus and end the day tired but satisfied, even seeing some familiar faces in the bus from the hike.    Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Noboribetsu

    September 9, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    I got on the bus from Asahidake going to Noboribetsu. I had to transfer and wait for a long time before the train going to the town my hotel was in arrived. I got off the train and walked across the highway and got to my really high-class hotel that I got for cheap because of the pandemic. I had such a huge room all to myself, a traditional Japanese room with tatami flooring and a comfortable futon. I lazed about here for a while before deciding to go for a long walk to the nearby beach.

    The path towards the beach was slowly being clamed back by nature as the concrete road soon became more lush with greenery and insects were all over. I got to the beach and was pleasantly surprised to find it empty. I sat down near the edge of the water and Zenned out for quite some time. Watching the sunset under the horizon and reminiscing about my life. I also tried going up to see the nearby light house and got another nice view of the sunset. The day became even better as a guy came by with five dogs tailing about, running around the beach. Now, I would have been happy with just one dog, but having so many dogs running around, it really made my day. The owner was very kind and we talked some. I also was able to get really good photo opportunities with them. I went back after it started to get dark.

    I jumped in the onsen and went back fully refreshed and relaxed. I got some snacks from the convenience store and watched Mulan with Janelle before going to bed.    Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Noboribetsu II

    September 10, 2020 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    The next day, I went to Jigokudani located in a very nice hot spring town. I ate some crab miso ramen before walking towards Jigokudani. It was raining heavily but it fortunately subsided and I was able to get a nice view of the natural hot sulfur pools and geysers around the area. I took numerous hiking trails to circle the place, being one with nature and all despite my very sore legs, I pushed through going up some hills and I was able to see even larger sulfur pools and hot springs. A bit further, there was a nice natural foot bath, I put my feet in the hot flowing river and I must say, it really helped with the fatigue. I lazed about here for quite sometime before heading further upstream. The rocks here were very interesting, the colors were vivid from red and blue and green marbles, probably from the mineral-rich water flowing. The town also had a lot of oni statues, I am guessing it goes with the Hell`s Valley nickname, as in Jigokudani. I walked around some more and considered going to the bear zoo but opted not to cuz I the bears there looked like they were being mistreated. I met the same familiar face all the way from Asahidake at the bus station going back to my hotel.

    I arrived and walked to the beach one last time to enjoy my last day in Hokkaido, got some snacks to reward myself for a good spontaneous trip and went to bed completely satisfied.    Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Osaka II

    September 19, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Veda dropped out of the trip and it ended up just being me and Ellie. We took the night bus to Osaka and arrived around morning. Got to our AirBnB and put our stuff in and got some breakfast by the cafe.

    We got on a train to Nara afterwards and then came back afterwards to spend a night in Dotonbori. Ate some takoyaki and had some beers, got drunk and ended up going up the Don Quijote ferris wheel.    Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Nara

    September 19, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    From Osaka, we went to Nara. Took a walk to the nearby Nara Park and peeked at some temples. The whole town had deer strolling around, they are sacred animals. They were very friendly and would bow to people as well. Once they get a scent of the deer biscuits, they would all gather around you to grab a snack. We went through some gardens before arriving at the park. Bought some biscuits and fed the deer and went around the park and temples before going to grab some coffee at a coffeeshop downtown and having some Vietnamese food by the station. Next, we were off to Fushimi Inari once again in Kyoto.Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Kyoto IV

    September 19, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    This time around, the place was packed with Japanese people, it seems like they have had enough of staying at home with the pandemic. The path was filled with people and so we decided to take the mountain paths around and did a spontaneous hike which went on for a while. Going through forests and climbing flight after flight of stairs. It was very fun but tiring, in the end we did make it up the summit and got to see the view of Kyoto from above. Finishing the hike, we went back to Osaka to finish the day with some ice cream.Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Tottori

    September 20, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We wanted to catch the bus going to Tottori but unfortunately it was all full. The Japanese were surprisingly rebellious during Silver Week. We got on a train and got off the station and we missed another train which set us back another hour until we got on the express going to Tottori. The ride was very relaxing, taking us into the mountains and farmlands, surrounded by tall trees and rivers. All in all, a good way to rest and recuperate.

    We got to Tottori and wanted to have a quick lunch but decided we didn't have the time so we just got on the bus going towards the sand dunes. The traffic was insane and it took almost an hour just for a supposed 15 minute ride, we decided to just get off and walk and got to a part of the sand dunes that didn't have a lot of people just because everyone went to the mainstream entrance. We were very lucky and capitalized the moment to have the sand dunes all for ourselves. The ocean was just right beyond the dune's horizon and oddly enough, there was a furry right in the middle of the desert. I took a photo with him of course. There were some flowers growing near the sand hills as well. We spent some time going around and decided to get a bus and start heading back. We got some food from the convenience store and were now on our way back to Osaka after a long day.    Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Kyoto V

    September 21, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    One of the best days of the trip, biking all around Kyoto proved to be one of the most fun activities to be done inside the traditional city. We started at Kyoto station and rented our e-bikes and off we went going towards the river. We rode along it which felt amazing, with the summer breeze and clear blue skies. The sun shining down warmth and the sound of the river moving along with us, what a great day. We parked our bikes when we needed to and just enjoyed the river. There was a guy who was playing a Chinese bamboo flute, we stayed for a while and got to know him while he played us some songs even some from my request such as Yue Liang Tai Biao Wo De Xin. We also encountered a cute dog and played fetch with it. We stopped by Gion to grab some snacks and walk around the old town. We had some udon for lunch and went through the Imperial Palace grounds, both slipping on our bikes under the rocky gravel.

    We somehow ended up in the most nature-rich part of Kyoto, we were in a farmland, from there we went up the mountains, into the forest, I was euphoric. The views were awesome, and the downhill was adrenaline-filled, going full speed. I probably would have died there and then but definitely worth it. We stopped by some lakes and another temple or so before heading to Arashiyama area for the bamboo groves which was super full this time around. We biked a bit more around the area and had a rest by the river before deciding to head back to return the bikes. We grabbed some ice cream at the convenience store and were soon riding along the river again. We had to carry our bikes up the stairs because of some routing problems but it was all good as we got there on time to return our bikes.

    To end the day, we went to an very good onsen. I let my body get the best relaxation it can get after a long day of biking and my body thanked me for it. We went back to Osaka afterwards and had a pretty good teppanyaki dinner, grabbing some more drinks and ended the day but I had trouble sleeping and the air-conditioning kept on turning off.    Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Kyoto VI

    September 22, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Waking up a bit down after losing some sleep, we went to a café to get some coffee. Ellie wanted to buy a souvenir for Veda so we went back to Kyoto's Gion to get him an umbrella, she also wanted to get a yukata, she got a red one and we went around Gion taking some nice photos as well as the temple. We went back to Osaka and saw the most radiant orange sky thanks to the sunset. We got some dinner, I had chicken nanban, and then showed her where her bus stop was as I was taking the bullet train back to Tokyo and we said our goodbyes.Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Mt. Akagi

    October 24, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Kanya, from Indonesia, invited me to go hiking with Ogura-sensei. It was perfect as it was something that I had been meaning to do especially during autumn. We met up at the train station and went off to Gunma where Ogura-sensei was waiting for us. He was an avid mountain hiker but also a very kind soul, he pays for the hiking expenses of students who are interested in going hiking with him out of his own pocket. The same applied to me even though I wasn't even a student. He didn't want to wait for the bus as there was a long line so he opted to go for a taxi which was really expensive but we didn't have to pay anything. We arrived near the trailhead and went near the river and saw a lot of koi fish and ducks swimming about. There was a famous red bridge leading up to the shrine where we offered our prayers before climbing.

    The hike itself was very easy, though Kanya seemed to have a harder time. There were a lot of people and sometimes there were lines, a lot of boulders to scale up on but nothing too difficult. We had some snacks along the way, checking out various view points with stunning visas of brown and yellow trees extending all the way as far as the eye can see. We also got to see one of the lakes on top of the other side of the mountain. The trail became easier as we got higher, we even saw a pampas grass field. When we finally go to the summit, we had some more stuff to eat and enjoyed the view before starting the way back down. Downhill always has a bit more added pressure on the knees, my legs were wobbly but we zigzagged all the way back down. Sensei and I wanted to go to another hike up toward the lake but Kanya was already too pooped so we decided to go to the nearby marshlands instead. Definitely a better choice walking around the wooden boardwalk, nice views of the mountain and trees. A bit chilly as the sun started to go down.

    We got on a bus going to an onsen which is always the perfect idea after a hike. Getting to soak at the outdoor baths while watching the sunset in the nude, really felt so good. Sensei treated us to dinner before Kanya and I headed back to Tokyo.    Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaJapanTreading Through Gaia

    Kawaguchiko II

    November 14, 2020 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    A day trip to Kawaguchiko, I rented an e-bike to visit the popular autumn sites in the area. I had to wait a bit but eventually got a bike for myself and headed to the lake. I was really blown away by the sheer beauty of the golden and red leaves of maple and ginko. I went to Momiji Tunnel first, taking in the sights as I cruised along. I can see where the name comes from as the trees on both sides met in the middle covering the sky, forming a tunnel with plenty of colorful fallen leaves covering the paths. Surrounded by red and yellow, it was an amazing sight to behold. I continued biking and got to Oishi Park and even slipped and fell. I had some ramen at the nearby restaurant, got some water and set off again. With such a clear day and not a cloud in sight, Mt. Fuji loomed the whole time, the scenery was so enchanting.

    I was running a bit out of time as I had to return the bike soon and my legs were getting a bit tired but I continued on, wanting to circle the whole lake, which was totally worth it as there were so much variety to see from the golden brown mountains and even more autumn foliage. Every second of the bike ride was just absolutely spectacular. In the end, I was able to arrive back at the nick of time and return my bike as well as catching the bus back to Shinjuku.    Read more