In May 2025 I took a trip to Japan with my brother and his partner. A country I’ve had on my bucket list for a long time.
From a young age I’ve always wanted to visit Japan. It’s a country that had captured my imagination, with it’s rich history, scenic landscapes and a culture built on respect. I spent two weeks visiting Tokyo, Nikko, Kyoto, Osaka and Nara. I saw Mt. Fuji, met bowing deers and stopped in a traditional Japanese house.
An activity packed two weeks in the land of the rising sun
Japan Adventure Day 1 – Tokyo
My alarm sounded at 0500h but I was awake before then. I spent Friday night at a friend’s in London Kings Cross. The noise of the city, cars zooming around, drunk revellers singing and a foxes yelling them to keep it down, left me with little sleep. The tube to Heathrow went smoothly, and check…
Japan Adventure Day 2 – Tokyo
After a solid night sleep we were out the door on the tube to Roppongi, grabbing some breakfast before visiting the Mori Art Museum. Situated in the 53rd floor of the Roppongi Hills Tower. It hosted an exhibition on computer generated digital art. Over multiple rooms there were 3D printed sculptures, animated displays and digital…
Japan Adventure Day 3 – Tokyo
The rain had dissipated through the night leaving a very sunny and hot morning. Pete and I went to the electronic district at Akihabara, whilst Ellina went off to a fashion museum – I don’t have a sense of fashion so it would be wasted on me. Every gadget you could want, old or new…
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 its…
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 Bonsai…
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 the…
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 the…
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 three…
Japan Adventure Day 9 – Kyoto
It was cold this morning, there was no central heating in the house, only gas heaters in the lounge, and utility room. We headed straight to the train station to get back to Tokyo for the bullet train to Kyoto. It was far warmer in the capital. We jumped on the train and sped south.…
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 Japanese…
Japan Adventure Day 11 – Osaka
No rain insight when we left the hotel, and the sun was out. We got the rapid train for Osaka, and 30min later it pulled into the Umeda station. Having breakfast at a soup bar (it was 1000h by this point) we got ready for the day. First on the agenda was the Osaka Castle.…
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 and…
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 among…
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