Japan Adventure Day 13 – Nara

Rain was forecasted for 1400h, so we had to get as much outdoor stuff done asap. Our destination was Nara, another former capital. During the height of Buddhism in Japan, it was the seat of power. The city is renowned for its temples and the bowing deers. Within the Nara national park, you walk amongContinue reading “Japan Adventure Day 13 – Nara”

Japan Adventure Day 12 – Uji

Another glorious sunny day. There is an exhibition at the Kyoto Museum about Japanese art throughout its history. Interesting to see that the style took influence from China and Asia before the western techniques arrived. It also showed how Buddhism made a huge impact in developing this unique style. There were statues of Buddha andContinue reading “Japan Adventure Day 12 – Uji”

Japan Adventure Day 10 – Kyoto

It rained throughout the night and the day, a part from a short break around 1600h, it was a wet one today. We jumped on the train to Arashiyama district of Kyoto, known for its bamboo forests and the last operating tram line in the city. First stop was the Yusai-Tei gallery. A traditional JapaneseContinue reading “Japan Adventure Day 10 – Kyoto”

Japan Adventure Day 8 – Nikko

After a chilled start we made our way through the town, to the iconic red bridge that pretty much appears in every picture for Nikko. From there it was up hill into the woods where Buddhist temples are nestled amongst the trees. The most famous is the ‘Nikko Toshogu’ that has the carvings of threeContinue reading “Japan Adventure Day 8 – Nikko”

Japan Adventure Day 7 – Nikko

Thankfully I had a lay in, the festivities of the Gyobar last night gave me a foggy head. I packed up my stuff ready for the trip to Nikko. Two hours north by train of Tokyo into the countryside. We had swapped the high rise buildings for high rise mountains. Straight off the train theContinue reading “Japan Adventure Day 7 – Nikko”

Japan Adventure Day 6 – Tokyo

This was our last day in Tokyo, and the weather wasn’t playing ball. Umbrellas up and rain jackets on. We ran to the subway to catch the train to Azumabashi. Outside a popular miso soup bar, we queued up to fuel us for the day. At 1130h, we took the ferry to Odaiba, seeing theContinue reading “Japan Adventure Day 6 – Tokyo”

Japan Adventure Day 5 – Tokyo

It was a relatively chill day. In the morning we went to the fish market for breakfast. Sampling the food from the street vendors, before making our way to Niihori area to visit a bonsai museum. The subway followed by a bus journey got us to the suburbs, where it is situated. The Shunkaen BonsaiContinue reading “Japan Adventure Day 5 – Tokyo”

Japan Adventure Day 4 – Mt. Fuji

We were out the traps at 0720h to get to the Tokyo Station for 0800h, to meet the tour guide for Mt. Fuji. A coach trip to all the best and iconic view points to see Japan’s highest mountain. It was almost a 2 hour trip to our first stop; Lake Kawaguchi. Down on itsContinue reading “Japan Adventure Day 4 – Mt. Fuji”