This article is a detailed look inside 9hours – the designer/minimalist capsule hotel which opened in December 2009. Unlike most other capsule hotels, this one allows women – and out of all the capsule hotels that do allow women, this is probably the only one they would want to visit.

Reception desk.

From a sign in the lobby of the hotel…

9hours offers a refreshing innovative service concept focusing on the “value of time” in an urban area. It attempts to break down the well known, the traditional notion of hotel service and stay. We attempt to introduce a functional accommodation experience in an unprecedented manner for those who seek practicality and special aspects in a hotel stay. You can stay here for a maximum of 17 hours. You can check in anytime.

Kyoto map, even information, Kyoto city one-day bus pass, JTB Tour applications, internet and even free lending of an umbrella!

All surfaces are sleek. All signs are part of the walls and floors. Minimal icons are used to guide you around the hotel. A simple colour scheme of white, black and silver serves to enhance the uniqueness and uncomplicated functionality of the hotel.

Lobby area (reception is behind) with elevators up ahead.

Most signs in Japanese hotels will be in English and Japanese.

Having a background in design - I'm a huge fan of Japanese design and how user friendly it always is... even without language, this image makes sense.

After checking in you’ll probably head straight to the locker and shower area. Men’s and women’s locker and shower areas are on separate floors.

There is a public bath and private shower cubicles. Just like every other Japanese capsule hotel, you’ll find razors, combs, toothbrushes and hairdryers.

The locker is a decent size, large enough to fit a small suitcase or a large backpack.

Lockers in the bath/shower area.

9hours creates an experience with their brand. All the toiletries, and even coffee and bottled water, have been made especially for the hotel.

A yukata, towel and 9hours branded toiletries in your locker.

You know what a toilet looks like – but have you seen a control panel for a toilet like this one?

It’s even got a button to play a flushing sound to mask whatever you’re doing in there…

A very fancy toilet indeed...

As well as the showers being on separate floors, capsule rooms for women are on different floors to the men. There are toilets and vending machines on every floor.

Men and women's capsules and bathrooms are located on separated floors accessed by separate elevators.

Another cool graphic on the walls inside the capsule hotel.

After going up the elevator and through the small, very plain room with only a vending machine and a toilet door, you enter the capsule room. There are about 20 – 25 capsules on each floor. If you’ve ever stayed at a hostel in London, you’ll know that it can be fun to hang around the 15 other people in the room – but in such a closed society like Japan, you get privacy literally by being encapsulated!

The eerie gold and green lighting illuminates the entrance to your capsule.

Locate your capsule and jump in! There is a sliding blind to give you privacy.

The entrance to your 9hour sleep system.

Inside the capsule is a very comfortable mattress, a pillow custom made for the hotel, and a control panel for lights and the alarm. Unlike other capsules, there is no TV inside – which I like, it only takes up room and distracts from relaxation.

At the foot of your capsule bed are instructions on how to use the hotel and sleep system.

You can use a normal alarm if you like, but the “Sleep Ambient System” has to be experienced. I’ll let 9hours tell you all about it – verbatim from the How to use the “Sleep Ambient System” printout inside the card left at the foot of your bed:

The “Sleep Ambient System” is designed to help you sleep better. Setup your wake up time and start the system. The lighting in the capsule dims gradually to make falling asleep easier. The next morning as your wake up time approaches, the lighting slowly becomes brighter to help you wake up comfortably.

It was a very cool way to go to sleep/wake up. When you start the sleep system, the lights slowly fade over about 15 minutes. It does the reverse to wake you up in the morning. I woke up with such a strange feeling, maybe it was my dream but I thought for a moment I was sleeping outside …

Control panel inside the capsule to set the alarm and room lights.

True to the nature of the interior, the exterior of the building is very simple.

9hours Capsule Hotel from the street - tall thin buildings are typical of inner city Japan.

The really convenient thing is that you can check in at anytime and start your 9hours. I first stayed at 9hours during a sweltering few days in August during my summer holiday travelling Japan. I checked in around 8PM and checked out before dawn to walk along the Kamo River.

I’d recommend staying here when you’re travelling solo or in small groups.

How to Book Accommodation at 9hours Capsule Hotel

The 9hours.jp website is bilingual and you can make a booking directly through their online reservation system. Payment is made upon arrival.

How to Get to 9hours Capsule Hotel

9hours is located in Teramachi, on the west side of the Kamo River across from Gion. There are a few train stations nearby and buses run frequently through the area. The closest station is Kawaramachi Station, here are directions to get there:

• Train from Kyoto Station: Take the Kyoto City Subway Karasuma Line for 3 minutes, getting off at Shijo Station. From there find the Hankyu Kyoto Line at Karasuma Station, heading to Kawaramachi Station which is just 2 minutes away.
• Bus from Kyoto Station: I’m a big advocate of the 500円 all-day Kyoto City Bus Pass – but when I stayed at 9hours, I took the train there and walked all the next day. If you want to take the bus, the easiest way is to ask the staff at the information center inside Kyoto station. From memory, I know the 203 bus goes along Shijo Dori – just get off at Kawaramachi Station.

Walking to 9hours Capsule Hotel from Kawaramachi Station

After getting off the train, take any of the western exits up to the street. There is a main road called Shijo Dori – you want to get yourself on the sidewalk on the south side of this road. You’ll see a MOS Burger and a McDonalds along here.

Walk west along this road, past the MOS and McDonalds. After McDonalds, turn left at the lights – you’ll be walking down a one-way street against traffic. After 100 metres you’ll see a Family Mart convenience store – 9hours is next to that!

View Larger on Google Maps

With the bus and train so close, 9hours is a great place to see the amazing and almost ancient treasure of Kyoto. Be sure to see these places on your next visit:

• The Golden Pavilion – Kinkakuji – UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Kyoto’s Castle – Nijojo – UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Fushimi Inari – mountain shrine with thousands of red gates – UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Kyoto Imperial Palace – National Heritage Site.

Next time you visit the Kyoto area, spend a night at 9hours and let me know how you like it!

Japrish is basically my own version of Engrish. It’s all from Japan – and it’s not that it’s bad English (although many times it is) – more that it is somehow strange and amusing. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves…

The Super Great Feeling Bringing Fake Beer

A limited edition beer from about 2 years ago.

A kind of Japanese beer – actually called happoshu, which has a lower content and I classify it as fake beer – brought out about 2 years ago in a limited release. The ads for it were hilarious, dudes would take a big swig and react like someone you’d see on a Solo ad.

I Challenge You To A Sale

I dare you... break the price!

There was an awesome example a few months ago of a shop in Osaka posting a sale sign with swear words printed in huge letters. This one gets the message across… in a challenging way.

Mentally Challenge You With A Truck

Hoping this one doesn't live up to its name.

Snapped this one day on a drive to work… couldn’t believe what I was seeing in my rear-view mirror.

That Is Important

Good English... interesting facts.

Raise your spirits and buy a Rav4!

What Do You Want To Be?

There are many factors to consider.

I’m not sure… would you?

Whistle If You’re Thiesty

Come on... the correct spelling is right there!

Spotted in a local American burger place.

Enjoy It In Unison

Combine those items and I will enjoy it.

At the deliciuous MOS Burger restaurant, this label was on the menu holder.

We’ll Settle For Peace – Anytime

Just layback, and wait for it to happen...

This one is on my mousepad, bought from a 100 yen shop.

Target Audience

Specific enough?

In a country of 100+ million people, I guess the niches are more varied.

Changer The Changing Machine

Put a note in, get coins out - too simple?

The “Glory Model Series” (which was actually out of order) found in a games center (bowling, arcade games, etc) in Kyoto.

Lots more Japrish to come, grab the RSS or email alerts to find out when new posts are published.

Kyoto Gosho was the Imperial Palace of Japan before the capital was moved to Tokyo in 1869. This article won’t talk much about it’s history – you can find plenty on that topic on many other sites – instead it shows a lot of pictures from inside the palace grounds, as well as explain how to get the free English speaking tour.

Pictures of the Kyoto Imperial Palace

… and a look at the free English tour.

The tour group in front of one of the many halls, standing beside a brilliant red and white wall that leads to a huge, and very important, ceremonial hall.

In the middle of Kyoto (map at the end of this article), the Palace lies inside the Kyoto Gyoen National Garden. The entire garden (except for the Palace grounds) is freely open to the public, and it’s a nice place to bring a lunch and relax.

The garden surrounds have a rich history, during the Meiji Era it was a small town of about 200 houses for court nobles who would frequent the Palace. The remains of 9 outer gates surrounding the garden can still be seen, however most of the houses were removed and turned into the garden you can see today.

The garden itself is surrounded by a large wall, which once had 9 gates. Inside the garden, before you get to see inside the Palace grounds, you can’t help but notice the length of the inner walls that surround the Palace.

The respected 300 year old tree stands outside the wall of the Palace's south west corner.

This is a muku tree and in the background is the wall of the Palace. The tree is highly respected in these grounds. At 300 years old, it is one of the few big and old muku trees here. It became notable after a legendary samurai, leading a radical “rever the Emperor and expel the barbarians” group, died beside the tree in 1864.

The first hall encountered on the tour.

After booking in for the free tour (details at the end of this post on how to do this) and gathering in the waiting room prior to the tour, we set off (on a very hot day during Japan’s summer) for what was a 90 minute tour.

The guide, a Japanese lady, spoke excellent English. The fact that the Kyoto Imperial Palace is property of the Emperor and hence the goverment, I guess, ensures you get a quality guide!

I’ve been on plenty of other English speaking tours where the guide speaks barely legible English, sounding as if they just memorised a script – and they don’t have the ability to understand or answer any questions.

Waiting hall for official visitors with various rooms for different ranks.

The tour shows you many different buildings and the guide explains the uses and history of these places. This waiting hall, near one of the main gates, was the first to show us the amazingly decorated interior walls. Of course, you can’t go inside these rooms but you get a great view of what’s inside.

Below is just a few (and the first) of many such paintings seen.

Scene with cranes.

Scene with a tiger and waterfall... I find this one interesting because there are no tigers in Japan.

The style of many of the buildings – mostly the white walls – reminds me of historic Kurashiki in Okayama. The buildings here and the area in Kurashiki are preserved from the same era.

White exterior walls with a large gate like entrance.

One of the great things about this place is the ability to experience it without the masses of tourists at every other site in Kyoto. There was about 40 people in our tour group, which means if you hang back or go ahead a little, you can get some great photos and really experience the expanse of this splendid Palace.

Looking at the Kenrei-mon (south most gate) I even had enough time to take a HDR photo with no-one in the shot!

Every building and area of the Palace has a specific purpose. The picture below is looking across the forecourt at the most important building in the Palace. The gravel forecourt played an important role in ceremonies – as did a few other buildings in the Palace.

This is the Shishinden - Kyoto Imperial Palace's most imporant ceremonial building.

Not only is this the most important ceremonial building – of which there are many – it is easily the biggest single building in the Kyoto Gosho. This ceremonial hall, and the entire area in general, was where enthorment ceremonies for past emperors took place.

The gravel garden contains a cherry blossom tree (to the right of the hall) and in view in the photo above you can see an orange tree which all played important parts in ceremony.

Detail of the main gate and wall surrounding the Shishinden ceremonial hall.

These walls and many other structures are well maintained. The detail is amazing. You can click the image above to see it in higher resolution and more detail. At the end of each row of roof tiles is the Emperor’s seal.

Random fact: the guide explained that most people think the red colour of the painted gates and pylons are the same as those seen in China. However Japan’s gates and temples are generally a more orange colour.

Looking at the ceremonial hall's main gate at the beginning of the ceremonial hall's forecourt.

Turning around from the ceremonial hall is a huge and open area. This is the south area of Palace grounds.

Kenrei-mon, from the HDR photo above.

During this tour I learnt one of the reasons why so many amazing buildings have burnt down in Japan. Of course they were made mostly of wood, but the the roofing was made from a thatching of matchstick size pieces of wood. Crammed together these were great kindling with plenty of air space to help a fire along.

In maintaing the Kyoto Imperial Palace’s building, workers use traditional techniques when restoring the roof.

Japanese Traditional Thatched Roof.

This detached building has an interesting purpose. It was?built to place a sacred mirror in for the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Taisho in 1915. That’s all it does, houses a mirror, and doesn’t get much use at all.

The freestanding Shunkuden houses an Emperial mirror.

On the east side of the Palace grounds is a man made lake and some green gardens. These are opposite some residential rooms and other types of meeting halls. They were used for recreation by the Emperor and his family.

An old wooden bridge crosses part of a man made lake onto a small island.

We visited the Kyoto Gosho in the middle of summer. In autumn and spring the gardens would come to life even more, with cherry blossoms or the changing colour of the dieing leaves.

Free Kyoto Gosho Guided English Tour

You have to book in for the tour of the Palace before you can enter, but you can do it on the same day. English guided tours take place at 10am and 2pm.

Take your passport to the Imperial Household Agency Office, which is in the west side of the garden – directly opposite the north-west corner of the Palace walls. It’s very easy to find once you get to the garden, there are plenty of maps.

The people in the office have good enough English to book you in for a tour that day. All you need to do is fill out a simple form and show them your passport.

I had enough time to go first to Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion temple) in the morning, then into the office to?book in the 2pm tour, then go to the nearby Nijo Castle, have lunch and return at about 1:45pm to gather for the Kyoto Gosho tour.

How to get to the Kyoto Imperial Palace

The Palace is in the middle of Kyoto, very close to Nijo Castle.

View Larger Map

The best way to get there is by bus. I’m a big advocate of the all-day city bus pass (I’m about to do an entire blog post on it actually). You can get it from most hotel receptions, or from around Kyoto station. It costs 500 yen for the day – a one way trip anywhere is a flat fee of 200 yen. I usually get this pass first thing in the morning.

However on the day that I visited the Kyoto Imperial Palace I was getting around Kyoto on a bicycle. The bike hire shop was right near the Golden Pavilion (kinkaku-ji) and was a very easy downhill ride from there.

For now, marvel at the main gate to the World Heritage and Ancient Kyoto Site of Fushimi Inari…

The large main gate at the bottom of Inari Mountain, leading to the torii (red gate) lined paths.

This is a HDR photo of the main gate at the shrine area.

If you visit Kyoto, this is the number 1 place you must visit. I’ve been to Kyoto many times and visited 11 of the UNESCO World Heritage sites – this is my favourite so far!

Like what you see? Follow Japan Travel Mate to find out when the full article with lots of pictures is published (take a look at the sidebar on the right of this page, you’ve got plenty of options!).

Nijo Castle in Kyoto... not your stereotypical Japanese castle.

Kyoto’s Castle – Nijo Jo

Nijo Castle was built in 1603 by the infamous Tokugawa shogunate. The castle defended the nearby Kyoto Imperial Palace and was a place for shoguns to stay when they visited Kyoto. Almost 400 years later, in 1994, it officially became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In 1626 the castle underwent a huge renovation and there are still remains in the castle grounds from that time.

Check me out in the reflection! Very hot and humid day.

This guard station was original built in 1663.

A group of samurai known as the Nijo Zaiban were dispatched by the shogunate for night watch and patrol around the castle. One group comprised 50 samurai and the castle had two groups permanently stationed at Nijo Castle.

Every spring (April) the guards would rotate duty with other squads.

The main gate with the guard station (previous picture) on the left.

This gate pictured above is called Ninomaru Higashi-otemon (higashi = east and mon = gate) and it is the main entrance to the Nijo Castle grounds.

Ninomaru-goten Karamon.

Such detail and colour, welcoming the special people into the inner grounds of Nijo Castle.

Ninomaru Palace and Garden

The real history and main reason this is a World Heritage site is seen at the palace and landscaped garden inside the castle walls.

Ninomaru Goten - you could roughly translate goten in Japanese to a mansion in English.

The Ninomaru Palace inside the castle grounds is made up of many residential style buildings in a diagonal pattern alongside a pond. Each room inside the palace has its own individual and magnificent features.

Ninomaru Teien.

To the south west of the palace is Ninomaru Teien (teien = a special type of wide, landscaped, designed garden). It has designed rock formations, a man-made waterfall and three small islands in the pond.

Another view of the Ninomaru Teien.

Honmaru Palace – Inner-Inner Nijo Castle Grounds

Over a bridge crossing a moat, and through another gate is area of raised ground deep in the center of the Nijo Castle grounds.

A view of Honmaru?Palace from a raised ground area deep inside Nijo Castle.

One of the residential style buildings of the Honmaru Palace that has Japanese Important Cultural status.

Another of the Palace buildings.

The interior moat and Honmaru Yoguramon (gate). This moat separates the Ninomaru area from the Honmaru area.

This place has World Heritage status... respect!

Visiting Nijo-jo

Nijo Castle is really easy to get to, it’s very close to Kyoto station. You can take the bus (a 500 yen day bus is the most economical way to get around Kyoto) which is only a 15 minute ride from Kyoto station. Alternatively you can take the subway to the Nijo stop.

Entry is 600 yen.

When I last visited Nijo Castle I was using a day hire bicycle, such a great way to get around Kyoto!

This short video was taken during my visit in summer of 2011.

History of Kinkaku-ji

Kinkaku-ji was built in the Kamakura period (between 1185 – 1332) as an aristocrat’s country estate. In 1397 it was taken over by a retired shogun who transfored the temple into an elegant recreational villa. He had aspirations of becoming a dynastic figure, hence the gold leaf gilding.

A wide view of the temple and pond from the main photo spot.

Taken from the very edge of the main photo spot.

When the shogun, Yoshimitsu, died in 1422 it was converted into a Zen Buddhist Temple. After death, this shogun was awarded the name “Shari-den Kinkaku” (金 = kin/gold). That’s why today the temple is commonly refered to as Kinkaku-ji (or Golden Pavilion) and not its real name of Rokuonji Temple.

Design of the Golven Pavilion Temple

The temple has a very interesting design which is the inspiration for Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion Temple).

The brilliance of the temple in real life just can't be done just through photos, even HDR photos.

The first floor (ground floor) contains 2 statues and is built in the court noblemen’s residence style, reflecting an era of around 1000 years ago.

1st floor - you can just make out the statues inside.

The second floor (gilded in gold leaft) is designed in the samurai warriors house style and contains 2 statues.

2nd Floor.

The third floor (also gilded in gold leaf) is built in a Zen temple style. It also holds ashes, said to be those of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism.

3rd Floor, including the Golden Phoenix on top.

On top of the temple is a golden figure of “ho-o” – a classical Chinese mythical phoenix bird.

Close-up of the golden 2nd and 3rd floors and the "ho-o" mythical bird.

The surprising thing about Kinkaku-ji, aside from the sheer brilliance of the temple itself which pictures cannot do justice, is the garden of the temple grounds.

The garden utilises the sight of a local mountain and specially selected rocks have been placed in the pond. There is also a lookout area along the path.

Anmintaku Pond in the temple grounds.

Somewhere along the strolling garden path.

Taken from the lookout area.

There are also various buildings such as halls and tea houses in the temple grounds. And of course, a souvenir shop to buy lucky charms and other standard stuff.

Hojo Building.

Visiting Kinkaku-ji

The grounds of Kinkaku-ji are relatively smalled when compared to other sites in Kyoto. Your visit would last around 45 minutes, with plenty of photo taking time and a liesurely stroll through the entire garden.

From Kyoto station it is a 15-20 minute bus ride to the entrance of the temple grounds. You’ll find signs in English at the station as well as a screen inside the bus telling you where you are and when the stop to Kinkaku-ji is coming up.

If you’re spending the day in Kyoto, be sure to grab the 500 yen all day bus pass. The buses run to all the major historical sites and areas and a one way trip usually costs 200 yen. There are vending machines for these passes at the bus stops in front of Kyoto station, if you have trouble finding them, go to the information center inside the station where the English speaking staff can help you.

Audience’s Top 3

Here are the top 3 photos as decided by the views on each photo.

By far the most viewed of all the photos, this Toyota FJ Cruiser has golden custom artwork representing elements of Nagoya castle.

A local temple near my house in Toyota city, Aichi.

Kamo River in Kyoto during a sunrise walk.

Editor’s Top 3

The next 3 photos are my personal favourites. They either didn’t get the attention they deserved or it just reminds me of a great time I had during my travels in Japan.

Daigo-ji is a World Heritage Site and the oldest wooden structure in Kyoto. One of my favourite places in Kyoto.

A pile of mini-torii gates at Atsuda Jingu temple in Nagoya.

The gorge is near the Nakasendo, a historic route between old Kyoto and Edo (modern day Tokyo).

The only ways to stay up to date with the JTM Photo series is @JapanTravelMate on Twitter or my photos of Japan on Flickr.

The trip took me to Okayama (west of Himeji and Osaka), then a day trip to the amazing Awa Odori festival of Tokushima and ending with a few days in Kyoto. Although I’d been Kyoto before, there really is so much to see in this beautiful city so I had to go back.

I’ll be posting more detailed articles (with photos and some videos) on each of the places I visited below. Getting email alerts or grabbing the RSS (Feedburner) feed is the best way to stay up to date, and make sure you receive notice when the in-depth articles are posted.

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Shinkansen from Nagoya to Okayama

Read the post: Shinkansen: riding the bullet train in Japan – photos and HD video with all the information you need about bullet trains in Japan.

It’s been a while since I’ve ridden the bullet train. The other option to get to Okayama was an overnight bus (leaving Nagoya at about 11PM, arriving in Okayama at 7AM), and I can’t sleep on buses. So, I took the Nozomi shinkansen, it takes about 1.5 hours.

HDR photo of one of the 700 series shinkansen waiting at the station.

I’ve never ridden the Nozomi before, when I used bullet trains before in Japan it was using the JR Pass. With the JR Pass you can use almost all bullet trains, except for the Nozomi. The Nozomi is a super express, usually the newer 700 series super-cool looking train. I got to the platform very early to take some photos and videos of the shinkansen.

In Okayama I met some of my girlfriend’s family and friends. Had a fun time at an Izakaya with a cool Japanese guy who is an electronic music producer.

A day trip to Awa Odori in Takamatsu, Shikoku

Read the post: Awa Odori Festival in Tokushima, Shikoku – lots of photos and HD video from the front row of the festival’s main stage.

Next on the itinerary was a bus trip from Okayama to spend the day at Takamatsu for Awa Odori. Actually, it was only a few hours, but we saw the best of it.

The bus left Okayama station around 9AM. We stopped about everything 30 minutes at designated road-rest areas along the way. The best bit of the bus trip was travelling over the Seto Inland sea and the amazingly huge bridges.

Chanting and dancing, was truly a spectacle.

Awa Odori was just awesome. Since we were with a kind of tour, we had purchased seat tickets and had a great seat. We were in the second row of the main festival dancing stage. There are 4 such stages, as well as dancing in the streets. The dancing in the streets is free for all, so it’s hard to get such a good spot to see the dancing.

Day trip to Kurashiki

Read the post: Kurashiki and the historic Bikan district – a bit of history on a sweltering day.

Kurashiki is a unique small town on the outskirts of Okayama city. It is unique and famous for its buildings which have white walls with dark wooden frames. We spent a little over an hour roaming the streets.

A typical white walled building in Kurashiki, this one selling souvenirs.

But it was a very hot and humid day, so we didn’t last too long.

Night trip to Karakouen

Read the post: Korakuen in Okayama at Night – One of Japan’s Top 3 Most Beautiful Gardens.

A botanical/historical style garden across the river from Okayama, Karakouen holds an event each summer where for about 2 weeks, the garden is lit up at night.

A once in a year opportunity to stroll the gardens at night.

There were many awesome sights, including seeing Okayama castle lit up across the river. I utilised my long exposure photography practice from the previous nights bus trip with average results.

A few days in Kyoto

Then we headed to Kyoto for a few days. I’ve been to Kyoto at least 5 times and there is still so much I want to see.

There was a lot happening in Kyoto, as it was Obon (a festival period honouring the dead) and many families come to Kyoto for various rituals. After a ritual or two, I set off on a mission to see as many of Kyoto’s World Heritage sites that I could in just a few short days…

Kinkaku-ji

Read the post: Amazing Golden Pavilion Temple, Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto – lots of photos and a HD video.

After seeing so many photos of this place, the pure impression of seeing the Temple of the Golden Pavilion (as it is sometimes called in English) was that of pure amazement. Perhaps the most famous icon of Japan, there was a huge amount of tourists strolling through.

HDR photo of the famous temple.

Keep an eye on japantravelmate.com, for an in-depth, photo heavy post on my visit to Kinkaku-ji, including a HD video.

Nijo-jo

Read the post: Nijo Caslte in Kyoto – as always, lots of photos and information about this World Heritage Ancient Kyoto Monument.

Nijo castle is situated in the heart of the city. However it’s not your typical castle. I was expecting to see a large building, stereotypical of a castle structure (like Himeji castle). However, Nijo-jo is more of a group of buildings, surrounded by a moat and layers of thick walls and battlements.

The main moat and high walls of the central area of Nijo-jo.

Still very impressive, and very easy to access.

Kyoto Gosho

Read the post:?Kyoto Imperial Palace (Kyoto Gosho) ? The Best English Tour in Kyoto for Free!?-?a look inside the Emperor’s previous palace – a photo heavy post!

The Kyoto Imperial Palace, and former residence of the Emperor. The palace contains several buildings, and although it isn’t a world heritage site, the grandeur of this place is very impressive.

A main hall inside the Kyoto Gosho (Kyoto Imperial Palace).

Accessible only by guided tour (tours available in English), entry is free.

Bicycle Hire

The above all happened on day 1 of my Kyoto trip. We got around all day on some very comfortable bicycles, which were hired from near Kinkaku-ji in the morning and then dropped off near Kyoto station in the late afternoon.

Comfortable and almost new bikes, great way to get around Kyoto.

9 Hours Capsule Hotel

Read the post:?Inside a Modern Designer Capsule Hotel ? 9hours, Kyoto.

I’d been really keen to stay here, after seeing this place on the net a few months before. This really is a special capsule hotel, one of the newest in Kyoto. It is within walking distance to the famous Gion area of Kyoto.

A single capsule in the hotel, a specially formed mattress and pillow make for a great sleep.

Walk to Shimogamo-jinja

On the second day I got up before the sun came up, to walk north along the Kamo River towards Shimogamo Shrine is another World Heritage site, open free to the public from 6AM.

A little north of the city, near a fork in the Kamo river you'll find Shimogamo Shrine.

500 yen bus pass

After an entire day cycling, and with the temperature around 35 degrees, on day 2 I got a 500 yen bus pass. It lasts the entire day and get’s you to most of the major sites around Kyoto. A typical one way trip on the city bus is 200 yen.

Probably the cheapest way (besides walking) to get around Kyoto.

Ginkaku-ji

Everyone told me Ginkaku temple (a.k.a Temple of the Silver Pavilion) was nothing impressive at all. Being a Zen Buddhist temple, I found a quiet and welcoming serentity to the temple and its beautiful gardens.

HDR photo of the Silver Pavilion Temple.

Daigo-ji

I was looking for outstanding things in Kyoto, and at Daigo-ji you can stand beside the five-storey pagoda (gojunoto in Japanese), which is Kyoto’s oldest wooden structure that is still in existence today.

The five-storeys of the main pagoda temple in Daigo-ji.

There are many grand temples, modest shrines and beautiful gardens throughout the Daigo-ji temple area.

Kyoto station

Continuing to look for outstanding things, I spent some time in Kyoto station. While hanging around a train station doesn’t really sound like fun to most people, you have to realise that Kyoto station is the biggest train station in Japan.

There is a happy place on the top of Kyoto station.

If you ever visit, be sure to take the many escalators to the Sky Garden where you can look out over Kyoto.

Stained glass windows

Spotted just a few blocks north of Kyoto station, is Yodobashi department store. It must be very new (on Google Maps street view it looks to be under construction). Along the south and west facing streets are these great colourful stained glass windows depicting various scenes from Kyoto.

There was at least 10 of these above various windows and entrances to Kyoto-Yodobashi department store.

…watch this space for photos, videos and more in upcoming posts.

I continually test these out and look for more every time I travel in Japan, which is just about every week!

Things To Do In Japan

(For free… or cheaper than usual!)

• Travel in off-peak times: Now this doesn’t mean you will be missing the good weather. Peak times in Japan are during the major national holidays and the school holidays. The best time is the first 3 weeks of March and all of April. This is spring in Japan and students are at school, the cherry blossoms are blooming and the weather is great. September and October are good times also, it is autumn in Japan and everyone is back to school and work. Mid-July and all of August are summer holidays in Japan, which means peak domestic travel and hence, high prices on just about everything. It is easily the busiest time of year and also the hottest. Read more detail about the best time of year to travel to Japan.
• JR Pass:?The JR Pass is available to anyone on a tourist (Temporary Visitor) visa and give you unlimited travel on all Japan Rail buses, trains and shinkansen (bullet trains) – the only exception is you can’t travel on the fastest express services. At first glance, they may seem expensive. Last time I travelled to Japan on a tourist visa I paid almost $700 AUD for a 3 week JR Pass. Consider this example: a return trip on the shinkansen (bullet train) from Nagoya to Okayama is normally about 24,000 yen (about $300 AUD). Osaka to Tokyo is much further and more expensive. I did about 6 of these trips during a 3 week stay, so I saved about $1000 AUD and saw a lot of the country. Conditions are you must be travelling on a tourist visa and you have to purchase the JR Pass before you enter Japan. For information on getting a JR Pass in Australia, visit JTB Australia’s JR Pass page.
• Bus travel: If you can’t get a JR Pass (for visa reasons), or if you’re already in Japan without one, then bus travel is cheap in Japan, generally about 1/3 or less of the price of the shinkansen. I’ve travelled with Willer Express many times – good buses, good prices and you can book online through their English website.
• Cheap shinkansen travel: If you can’t get a JR Pass, but you don’t want to take the bus, there are cheaper options for the shinkansen. You can buy an unreserved seat, which means a seat is not guaranteed. People tend to sit in the carriage vestibules and there is nothing wrong with that. Being a super fast train, you’re not in for a long journey! But if you travel in off-peak times, and during the day (i.e. not the morning or evening when shinkansen is used for work travel) then you’ll get a cheaper ticket AND a seat.
• Hire a bicycle: This is a great thing to do even if you have a JR Pass, so consider it not only a form of transportation but of entertainment too! My funnest day in Kyushu was when a mate and I hired a bicycle each and rode around Fukuoka. It was only 200 yen for the entire day! Some cities can be more expensive through, especially Kyoto.

Bicycle hired in Fukuoka, Japan. So very cheap and oh so much fun!

• Walk: Not only is it totally free, you get to discover some great places you would never see when travelling via faster methods. Strolling around just about any part of Japan, business districts, shopping areas, residential, if Japan is a new country for you, will show what Japan is like off the normal tourist track. You’ll constantly discover cool things to do in Japan while you’re out on a walk.
• Find the local international association or city hall: Just Google it for the city or town you are visiting. If they have a website in English then they will have a lot of information at their offices about the local area. Often there will be brochures on the local sites to see and walking routes.
• Travel with a friend: You can stay at hotels together, and save money on many meal deals
• Buy alcohol, snacks and more from a supermarket: Shop for your daily drinks and snacks at supermarkets. Definitely go to a supermarket if you want to buy alcohol. Not only is it much cheaper than convenience stores and vending machines, there is great range and it’s also a very interesting way to discover more about life in Japan. You’ll be surprised by what you find in the supermarket! In Aichi prefecture look for MEGLIA, in Kyoto look for LIFE. Usually there will also be a food shopping area around major train stations where you can get cheaper-than-convenience store prices.

Spirits in the supermarket are at least 60% cheaper than in Australia. Beer is a little bit cheaper in Japan.

• Buy toiletries and more from drug stores: Drug stores (as the Japanese call them, pharmacies or chemists as I would call them!) are easy to find in Japan. If you need to buy toiletries then head here, they are very cheap. They have many things, you can usually find drinks and snacks here too.
• Buy one water bottle and carry that with you: Now there are a few reasons behind this one for me, predominantly I feel like I am being raped and cheated every time I purchase bottled water. In spite of most Japanese people’s thinking (call it marketing conditioning perhaps), Japan has drinkable tap water from just about all their taps. If it isn’t safe to drink, there will be a sign saying don’t drink it. Buy one water bottle from a supermarket and then fill it up at free water bubblers on your travels, this will easily save you around 600 yen per day.
• For a big night out: Find an izakaya?(Japanese style restaurant), depending on the price, you will usually find great value deals on all you can eat (tabehodai) and all you can drink (nomihodai). Not only is it a great experience and delicious, but it won’t end up being too expensive.
• Buy travel insurance: What better way to blow out your budget than having to spend thousands of dollars on medical bills? Getting travel insurance before you leave is a must!
• Stay at a capsule hotel or a hostel: Capsule hotels are really cheap and very comfortable. Hostels are available which are also very cheap. I’ve stayed at a great capsule hotel in Osaka that is really cheap. Also I just got back from Kyoto where you’ll also find a few cheap capsule hotels.
• Sleep in an internet cafe: Internet cafes in Japan are amazing. When you are in Japan you MUST visit one just to see what I mean. Anyway, you can buy cheap blocks of say 5 hours or more, enjoy free drinks and sometimes snacks, a comfortable private lounge or armchair and of course… the internet. Many Japanese people themselves will sleep in internet cafes, as the trains usually shut-down between about 12:30AM and 5AM. Here’s a great net cafe in Osaka that is close to the Shin-Osaka station.
• Visit temples, shrines and castles: I just got back from yet another a trip to Kyoto, and saw the great Shimogamo Shrine. It is free, it is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. There are so many temples and shrines all over Japan, and most are free to walk around (but usually you can’t go inside).

A little north of the city, near a fork in the Kamo river you'll find Shimogamo Shrine.

• Finally, plan ahead: I’m not saying plan every single stay and stop on your Japan trip… that is almost the opposite of what I do when I travel, I find spontaneity and the freedom to change or choose your plans creates a better trip. But if you spend the time planning where you’d like to go, you’ll find through your research many cheap and free things to do. For example, on a trip to Kyoto I discovered you could get a free, English guided tour of Kyoto Gosho (the old Imperial residence of the emperor in Kyoto).

Take these tips and test them out for yourself! Check out the ‘Why go to Japan?‘ post for more inspiration on what you can really do on a budget!

If you are looking for reasons to travel to Japan, then look no further then this highly refined article from a foreigner who has holidayed in Japan and now lives in Japan. When I first started this blog, the very first post was about reasons to visit Japan. Since then, I have discovered more of its hidden culture and surprises. A revision to the original list was needed, so here is the new Why go to Japan post.

The thing I have come to find most interesting about Japan, is how the country can be so ultra-modern technologically, while juxtaposed with tradition and culture. This is the thing Japan does best of all and tops this revised list of reasons in this Why go to Japan post.

Why go to Japan? Reason #1: Japanese culture

As a tourist, it’s all about Japanese culture. From the castles, temples and shrines, the authentic restaurants and festivals, experiencing Japanese culture is the number 1 reason for coming to Japan.

Sanjuusangendou temple in Kyoto, a view from the temple gardens.

• A visit to Kyoto is a must. If you don’t go to Kyoto, and for example, only visit Osaka then do check out Osaka Castle, or whatever the major castle of the area or city is.
• Temples and shrines are everywhere and are never far off the main tourist track.
• If you travel to Japan in their spring (around April) then you must see the cherry blossoms, or go to a cherry blossom festival. If you do not travel to Japan in spring, then find out what festivals are on and go see them, you will experience great local Japanese food and culture.

This is the famous (and huge!) Osaka Castle, surrounded by moat walls and cherry blossoms. Most cities and towns have a castle.

Why go to Japan? Reason #2: Technology

Along with a rich tradition, Japan is the birthplace of many technologies, from the Toyota Prius (check out the interactive 3D experience of the new Toyota Prius Alpha, just press the CLICK HERE button when you are on the site) to the famous electronic “washlet toilet“, to perhaps the even more famous bullet train (Shinkansen, the newest E5 Hayabusa started service in March 2011, the E6 Hayabusa bullet train is about 1-2 years away).

Japan also has, on average, the fastest internet speed in the world. I guess this is because it is geographically a small country, and the penetration of fiber optic is very high.

For the traveller, everyday you will experience this technology. It could be a ride on the bullet train, it could be the fancy touch screen pad or “dumb waiter” used to order your sushi (which arrives at your table on a mini-bullet train), the automatic bath (which fills itself and keeps warm) or any other number of hidden technologies that just make travelling so convenient!

Why go to Japan? Reason #3: Food and drink

Japan’s unique cuisine is world famous, especially sushi. Some of my favourite Japanese’s foods (which are extremely difficult to find outside the country) are Okonomiyaki (often referred to as Japanese pizza), Hiyashi Chuka (a cold noodle dish that is great summer) and Miso Ramen (Japan’s version of the famous chinese noodle).

To accompany your meal, try a Chu-Hai (fruit flavoured carbonated drink) or Umeshu (fruit liquer) or one of the good nama (draft) beers such as Asahi Super Dry or Yebisu Premium Gold.

This is one of the reasons that has been identified since living in Japan. I’m pretty sure that the concept of all you can drink would be illegal in Australia. Best experienced at either an Izakaya (traditional Japanese drinking establishment, which serves food and drink) or at a Yakiniku (which means grilled beef in Japanese). Here you can have all you can eat, called tabehodai (Kanji = 食べ放題, hiragana = たべほうだい, romaji = tabehōdai) and all you can drink, called nomihodai (Kanji = 飲み放題, hiragana = のみほうだい, romaji = nomihōdai).

You might get about 3-5 small pieces of meat per serving, so make sure you keep the orders coming...

After getting a table, order some nice beef. It will be served raw at your table, and it’s over to you to do the grilling. It isn’t just limited to beef though, there is some amazing chicken, pork, seafood and vegetables.

Yakiniku - a table full of beers and food, with beef grilling in process.

In no time at all you will have a table full of delicious food and drink. Make sure you keep the orders coming, as the servings are small.

The revised list of Why go to Japan wouldn’t be complete…

…without adding that Japan needs tourism now more than ever. In my opinion, some of the mainstream media has been overly sensationalist when reporting on the nuclear disaster. However the radiation risks are limited to a 20-30km radius around Fukushima in the north of Japan. A long way south of that is Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and many of the best places to visit.

So come visit Japan, and decide for yourself the best things about this wonderful country!