Blogs from Japan, Asia - page 7

Day started terribly at 2am, yup that was it, jet lag said 4 hours sleep is all you need. We’re also nursing dodgy stomachs so not the best day to start the 70km bike ride you’d think but the day turned around. We took it easy but oranges, delicious ramen, amazing bridges, brilliant bike paths, blossom, dome tents and waygu bbq. So tired now zzzz ... read more

So very delayed leaving LHR and a late night NRT arrival but we had an almost full night of sleep before dealing with public transport, so far we’ve only upset one tram driver by being idiot tourists. Staying awake on the Shinkansen was tough with those proper reclining seats and the sort of leg room the flight could have done with. Obligatory picture of Mount Fuji from Shinkansen achieved. But exploring Hiroshima is currently a bit like wading through treacle, brains not quite working and it’s really quite warm compared to London. We nearly ordered 56 gyoza by mistake 😳 Is 8:30pm to early to go to sleep? ... read more

My next destination after Vietnam was Japan, I landed in Tokyo at an odd hour and just crashed the first night. While end March is spring time in Japan, this year the winter has lasted longer and the cold, rain and the winds have lingered. The next day, I went out in search of Cherry Blossoms to Ueno Park, but due to the cold weather, only a few trees had bloomed. At Ueno Park, I was fortunate to see a Torii Gate without people though. Torii Gates are found at the entrance of Shinto Shrines as a mark of transition from the mundane to the sacred. As I explored more, scattered cherry blossoms trees appeared and I saw both the Yoshino cherry blossoms and the weeping cherry blossoms. Next day, I headed to Sumida Park in ... read more

In the annals of history, there are many moments which stand out, some for positive reasons, some for what can only be considered negative reasons. In Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the reasons are absolutely mixed. Two events, separated by a mere three days in August of 1945 changed the world forever as the world was thrust into the age of nuclear warfare, a point from which there is no return. Our visits to Hiroshima and Nagasaki provided us with yet another reminder of how fierce war can really be, and in this case how a moment in time can change the landscape forever, both locally and worldly. Dave has more than a passing interest in World War II history, so our trip to Japan had to include stops in two of the most memorable cities of the ... read more

The Japanese culture values hard work and social harmony. As modern as this country has become, they seem to continue to practice their traditional values and spiritual beliefs. It is refreshing to visit Japan because the people are polite and respect their elders. This was demonstrated a couple of times when younger people offered us a seat on the train. Yes, it made us feel older, but the kindness and respect were evident. There is also great reverence for the past and many Japanese value this greatly as evidenced by the shrines and embracing traditional clothing. All this is evidenced in our travels..... Nikko A short train ride from Tokyo is the town of Nikko with a population of 80,000. It was nice being out of the hustle and bustle of Tokyo even though we enjoyed ... read more

It is not unusual to hear from us that once again we are chasing a bucket list item. This particular one was generated as usual from those dang National Geographic magazines. This time, we were in search of those wonderfully photographed snow monkeys. Now technically, they are Japanese macaques, but since almost everyone calls the “snow monkeys,” that’s what we’re going with. We were eager to get to Nagano in early March to see the snow monkeys. We had read the best chance of seeing them in the snow was February, but we would not be able to get there until the 10thof March and yet we remained hopeful. Snowy snow monkeys here we come! A late morning flight from Okinawa to Tokyo and then a train ride had us arriving in Nagano late afternoon. We ... read more