Arashiyama is the “one stop shop” of Kyoto sightseeing. Just an hour by bus from central Kyoto it offers souvenir shopping, a bamboo forest, a river and a monkey park. Arashiyama Bamboo Forest is free and has a few paths which guide you throughout the small forest. If you take a rickshaw you have access …
Kinkakuji (otherwise known as the Golden Pavilion) is a zen buddhist temple in Kyoto. It is one of many sites that makes up the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, and it is a National Special Historic Site as well as a National Special Landscape. When it was built by a poet and nobleman in the …
Just a three hour Shinkansen ride away from Tokyo is the original capital of Japan, Kyoto (where we will be spending the last stint of our Japan vacation). Kyoto Imperial Palace was the residence of the Emperor of Japan until 1868, when everything shifted to Tokyo. Thirteen years before the move, Kyoto Imperial Palace was …
Ueno Zoological Gardens opened in 1882, as Japan’s first zoo, with bears, monkeys, foxes, raccoons and birds on display. They now care for over 500 different species, many of which I have never even heard of and some that I have never seen in a zoo. For example, they have an entire aye-aye exhibit. Unfortunately …
Tokyo Dome is an indoor stadium that typically hosts Giants games (the main Tokyo team). Today two other professional teams were playing, SoftBank Hawks verses Rakuten Golden Eagles. We were rooting for SoftBank since our entry included SoftBanks jerseys and flags (they ended up not winning but we had fun anyway). Since we bought our …
Kawagoe is an hour (multi) train ride from our Airbnb in Horikishobuen. It is also the high school hang out of my friend, Megumu, who grew up not far from here. Kawagoe is known as Little Edo since many of the buildings here have been preserved since the Edo Period. The Edo period (1603-1867) was the …
My college friend met up for the day, recommending Asakusa since it is right in the middle of Tokyo and we had a big travel day yesterday. Asakusa is known for having an atmosphere of “Old Tokyo” since the main attraction, the Buddhist temple Sensoji, was built in 645. Sensoji is Tokyo’s oldest temple. The …
We took our first bullet train of the trip from Tokyo to Nikko. The shinkansen on the way there maxed out at 150mph and the one on the way home 170mph. Despite the speed it took about two and a half hours each way taking a local train to the Shinkansen and then another local …
Akihabara is a district in Tokyo known for its electronic stores, manga (Japanese comics and novels), anime and video games. I was in need of a charger for an old computer and unbelievably found a used one for a great price at one of the hundreds of electronic stores here. We also wanted to check …
Tokyo has countless animal and pet cafes, concentrated in an area known as Harajuku. We made an appointment days ago at Mipig, a micropig cafe. (It does book out.) Your appointment includes a 30 minute time slot and unlimited fountain drinks. The micro pigs happily wag their tails as they come to sit on your …
Just a few minute walk in this quiet ward of Tokyo where we have been calling home is an iris garden. We just followed the iris tiles in the street, decorations hanging from poles and street signs with arrows to get there. We are so fortunate in that the irises are in bloom. Horikiri Shobuen …
One of the things we had to do in Tokyo was visit an observation deck for a view of Japan’s metropolis. There is no better place for a view than Tokyo Skytree, the world’s tallest tower. We chose today to visit Tokyo Skytree since there was no rain in the forecast. It was a little …
Apparently at Disneyland in Anaheim popcorn is a popular snack. I didn’t know this as I usually go with a churro and Dole whip. Since Tokyo Disney Resorts mimic the original location they have taken the popcorn concept and ran with it. The popcorn buckets are collectible and change with regularity, as do the popcorn …
Tokyo Disney Resort opened in 1983, and is fully owned and operated by The Oriental Land Company under a Walt Disney Company license. Not that you would know this when you visit. Just like Disney Sea this park has an attention to detail, exceeding that of the original Anaheim location. Unlike Disney Sea, whose attractions are …
Shibuya is one of 23 wards in Tokyo, it is also one of the most colorful and busy districts. It is the center for youth fashion and culture and is the focal point of Japanese fashion and trends. We arrived around dusk so we could see the lights at night. The train station exit as …