Tag: Holiday in 2013
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, ...
Japan is home to some massive buildings. Tokyo Tower, 333m high; Skytree, 634m high; JR Nagoya Station, 245m high. JR Kyoto Station isn’t all that high, only about 70m tall. But it’s still the second ...
After the defeat of Japan in World War II, the country clung (and/or was forced) to the idea of peace. Memorials are found all over Japan, especially in places like Hiroshima. The red torii gate, ...
Hakone Shrine is a popular day trip for Tokyoites, and it’s easy to see why. Just a couple of hours from Japan’s capital, Hakone has a lot to offer… a natural setting and national parks, ...
This was the hotel I first stayed in for my October 2013 Japan travels. The hotel is placed next to a major transit hub, where buses and trains to and from Kansai International Airport are ...
The Japan Rail smoking signs. I always keep my eye out for them. In a very obscure way, these signs are trying to tell people to be considerate smokers… Funny Japanese smoking sign in Kyoto ...
In flights meals. They have a bit of a reputation. I usually try and stay away from them. In preparation for the 9.5 hours without a decent meal, I usually have a big meal before ...
The route I most often take to and from Japan is Gold Coast (Australia) to Kansai International Airport at Osaka. Flight time is a little over 9 hours, which for an international flight, isn’t very ...
Many Japanese “fast-food” restaurants speed up the process of ordering by using a “dumb-waiter”. Pictured here is a a vending machine, where you pay the machine money, and a human serves up your food… If ...
While buying a beer from the “cans shop”, a conveniently placed vending machine on the same floor as your hotel room, is certainly convenient, it’s not your cheapest option. Japanese beer vending machine The cost ...
The most convenient way to get around Kyoto is by bus. The city bus network takes you most of the major sites, including most of Kyoto’s World Heritage sites. From JR Kyoto Station, bus number ...
I‘m usually a very healthy person. Most of my meals are organic. But when I’m traveling Japan, I only really get a decent meal in at dinner time. While I love Japanese food, I want ...
Hakone Shrine is a popular day trip from Tokyo. This shrine was founded around 750AD, and its hillside location has deep esoteric Buddhism meaning. Around the time of the shrine’s founding, ancient beliefs said that ...
This is the typical Japanese bicycle. In the Japanese style of mixing and shortening English words, the word mamachari comes from mum and chariot. Although this style of bike is mostly used by Japanese mothers, ...
Even though I’ve lived in Japan, the feeling I get when flying back into the country for my annual trip always gives me a rush. If you’ve ever traveled overseas, you know the feeling. It’s ...
It’s estimated that there are well over 5 million vending machines in Japan. Vending machines in Japan have been around since the 1800s. While any traveler to Japan is familiar with the standard drink vending ...
There are 17 individual shrines, temples and one castle on the UNESCO list of world heritage sites in Kyoto. Collectively the sites are known as the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto. List of World Heritage ...
The JR train from Kansai International Airport to Shin-Osaka takes 50 minutes. If you missed the multiple convenience stores inside the airport and need some food, drink or a cheeky beer, the Kiosk on the ...
On visiting Kyoto, I rarely focus on or plan to do shopping. On one trip to Kyoto I needed some new t-shirts, and located a UniQlo in a building called Mina ミーナ「Miina」. Mina is in ...
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