After following a beautiful path from Moto-Hakone village, lined with traditional Japanese lanterns and surrounded by a tall cedar tress, visitors to Hakone Shrine reach the water purification pavilion and gate leading up to the ...
While out and about in Japan, even just in my every day life (i.e. not traveling) I always have a camera with me. So one day when I was out for a bike ride in ...
This bullet train was designed with one purpose in mind: to get from Tokyo to Osaka as quickly as possible – well of course there is the spotless safety record and awesome comfort – but ...
As an English teacher working in Japan, I’m often invited to enkai 「宴会」 work parties. One school I worked at had a particular taste for, very regular, high class izakaya (Japanese bar/restaurant) parties. Each party ...
Although Kiyomizu-dera isn’t actually open at night, you can get pretty close to the entrance for some great night photography. This UNESCO World Heritage site in Kyoto is a very popular place to visit during ...
Quick travel tip: Just like in the western world, where free tea and coffee is usually provided at hotels, in Japanese hotels green tea is almost always included as part of your room.
Recently I posted a photo of the Tokyo Metro Goverment Building and its free observation towers in Shinjuku. While browsing more photos of Shinjuku today, I discovered this amazing photo which captures Tokyo perfectly… Real-life user ...
The Japanese honourific kun 「くん」 is often added to younger male names by a more senior or older person. When working in a Japanese junior high school, I always heard teachers adding this to the ...
Shinjuku is the central business district of Tokyo. Standing tall among the high rises buildings is a place that every budget-minded traveler should know about. At the top of the two towers of this building ...
Traveler’s of Japan will most likely bypass the pharmacy. But inside the Japanese drug store you’ll find much more than just medicine, toiletries and cosmetics. These stores also stock snacks, drinks and often alcohol, at ...
This sacred Shinto music and dance hall is used to offer prayers in the form of kagura 「sacred music and dance, 神楽」 to Inari 「God of rice, 稲荷」 at Fushimi Inari Taisha, a World Heritage ...
This small structure is a sub-shrine of the World Heritage Kamigamo Shrine in Kyoto. Many shrine complexes contain multiple shrines, often dedicated to deities who have a connection to the area. Another example is the ...
Boku wa shinkansen otaku da… “I am a bullet train nerd”. After first visiting Japan in 2009 and riding shinkansen trains for 3 weeks on a JR Pass, I’ve been hooked. So I was excited ...
Kansai International Airport is a major gateway to Japan for international tourists. It’s typically my choice of destination when flying to Japan from Australia. The airport is located in Osaka Bay just south of the ...
Stepping through Kamigamo-jinja‘s second torii is like stepping through a time portal. Together with Shimogamo-jinja, Kamigamo-jinja’s sister shrine, the two sites are called Kamo-jinja and are the oldest shrines in Kyoto. Torii indicate that you ...
Winner of a gold medal at the 2009 World Beer Championships, Asahi The Master is a refreshing pilsner in the Japanese market, which is dominated by crisp lagers. Reviews on the internet are mixed, but ...
Nestled near the foot of Mt Hakone, on the premises of Hakone Shrine, is a shrine dedicated to a very interesting legend. That legend tells the tale of a Shinto Buddhist monk using his mystical ...
View this location – Map coordinates: 35.057804,135.752255.
Reason #928 why Japan is convenient: convenience coffee. This is by far my favourite Japanese canned coffee, actually forming part of a full breakfast from a Japanese convenience store in Osaka. Kirin’s Fire Coffee This ...
My cigarette smoking friends in Australia are always amazed when I tell them how much a packet of smokes is in Japan. Generally prices are about ¥410, approximately $4. Prices in Australia are 5 times that, ...
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