Tokyo Bay visit today – a newer modern area with many made islands. We see the Unicorn Gundam robot outside Diver City Plaza. Inside is the Gundam Base store full of model robots to build and paint. Lots of artist models showcased for lots of dollars but the craftsmanship makes them almost worth it. A […]

Lots of walking today. Our first stop is Senso-Ji temple, Tokyo’s oldest Temple. We enter through Thunder Gate with its huge lantern. (weights 670 kg) The main hall is huge, the incense burning is said to bestow health. The five storey pagoda is the second tallest in Japan, but it’s very crowded. We tried black […]

Free time in the morning, so after our japanese breakfast we check out of the hotel and wander around the lake. Lots of paddle boats to rent or take a boat cruise. Bikes are also available to rent. The lake is about 19km around, lots of fishermen trying their luck. A lovely morning stroll before […]

Today we take 4 different trains to reach Mt. Fuji. First the Subway to Kyoto station, then a bullet train to Shinyokohama where we see our first glimpse of Mt. Fuji. Next is a local train to Hachioji, then our final train on the Fujikyu rail line to Kawaguchiko. From the train station, it is […]

This morning we traveled to the Saga/Arashiyma bamboo forest with beautiful tall bamboo rustling in the breeze. Lots of different green colours. Strong rickshaw drivers seen through the forest of green, pulling tourists through the bamboo. We see a river meandering down a deep gorge with a colourful temple up the hillside. A lovely morning. […]

We start our day off with a visit to Kinkaku-ji, the golden pavilion, originally a shogun villa but now a buddhist temple. Beautiful gold leaf temple (20kg gold used) with lovely gardens. Nijojo castle visit next – this was the Shogun’s Kyoto Residence ( no picture taking allowed). Huge building with many rooms, gold walls […]

Kyoto was once Japan’s capital. Countless temples, shrines and other historical structures survive today. A visit to Nishiki market for lunch, an upscale market with lots of seafood and other tasty treats. Also a  visit to a fancy department store where we saw a belt priced at $560, and it didn’t look extraordinary in any […]

We travel by ferry to the scenic island of Miyajima, which was once a sacred island. A beautiful 16m high Torii gate stands in the harbour like it is floating, but is actually weighed down by 7 tons of small rocks. We see tame deer everywhere who try to eat your papers, nibble your pockets/backpacks […]

A long morning traveling to Hiroshima using a local train and 2 different bullet trains that reach speeds of 300 km/hr. From our hotel we take a tram to the Peace Memorial Park and museum. It’s a somber visit as we reflect on the tragic events of Aug 6/45 when the USA dropped the first […]

On our way to our first stop of the day, we pass by lots of cherry blossom trees, then it’s on to the Sakurayama temple, a very large and beautiful temple. After visiting the temple,we head to the  Miyagawa morning market. As we walk through the market, we try out the many samples available – […]