A travel blog for flashpackers
Another day, another Big Buddha. We stupidly chose New Year's Day to visit Kamakura, not realising that we would be joined by literally one million others! Many Japanese people make a pilgrimage to Kamakura as early as possible in the New Year. As we had no hope of getting to the shrine through all the... Continue Reading →
Tokyo is a vast city so where you stay will affect the flavour of your trip. We've stayed in several places and each has its own merits. Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku 1. Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku. This is quite a basic 'business' hotel but the location and service were good. A short walk from Shinjuku... Continue Reading →
Kyoto is one of my favourite cities in the world and we have been there four times. Every time I make sure I visit Gion at sunset in the hope of seeing geishas and we have succeeded a few times. I love the old world feeling you get in Kyoto which seems lacking in Tokyo... Continue Reading →
1.Tokyo Skytree and/or Tokyo Tower. You will get a great view of Tokyo from either of these towers. I love the area around Tokyo tower and it's less crowded than Skytree. Tokyo Skytree 2. Cocoon building. This building is particularly striking at night which is when I think Tokyo really looks its best. Cocoon tower... Continue Reading →
We caught a train from Hakata to Nagasaki on a limited express train which took about two hours. We walked down to the port from the station which was quite nice to walk around. Then we caught a tram to the Peace Museum. This was similar to the Peace Museum in Hiroshima. From there we... Continue Reading →
This really is the main event when visiting the Hakone area even though there are plenty of other interesting things to do and see and eat while you are there. We chose to see Mt Fuji by cable car which included sailing on a pirate ship on Lake Ashi on the return journey. Hot tip:... Continue Reading →
Atomic Bomb Dome We spent two nights in Hiroshima which allowed us to visit the Atomic Bomb Dome, Peace Memorial Park and Museum, Shukkeien Garden and Miyajima island. Shukkeien Garden Miyajima All photos copyright Paul Turner
Himeji castle We stopped at Himeji to visit the castle on the way back to Tokyo from Hiroshima. We were able to leave our (carry on) luggage in a locker at the station which made the whole thing very easy. The castle is a pleasant walk from the station. We have now visited several Japanese... Continue Reading →
Tsukiji fish market is a great way to spend a couple of hours and maybe enjoy an early lunch - you will never eat fresher sushi elsewhere. It's not particularly cheap and it has become very popular with tourists so can be quite busy but is still worth a visit.
Art is not really my thing but I was outnumbered on one of our visits to Japan so we combined a trip to see Mt Fuji with the Hakone Open Air Museum and I actually enjoyed it! Not crowded like some museums and plenty of fresh air. It's pretty large so allow enough time to... Continue Reading →
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