http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Wakayama/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , Japan , Wakayama en-us Sat, 12 Dec 09 09:32:16 +0000 Sat, 12 Dec 09 09:32:16 +0000 Shukubo experiences at Mount Koya or K333yasan 396403732623665 have been described in this forum more often but I enjoyed my stay so much that I feel obliged to describe my own experience. The Okunoin Cemetery Kongobuji Temple with the Banryutei rock garden and the area around the Konpon Dait333 which make up the main sites in Mt Koya all are fabulous and have all well deserv http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Wakayama/Koyasan/blog-449415.html NaraTwo nights and one rainy day in Nara final inspection of the wounds by a doctor. Wounds were getting much better he says. A Japanese backpacker tells me about some very very old shrines some 20 30 kilomters away from Nara. Heartland... No tourists here but spirits of ancient times. WakayamaAfter this daytrip tour I felt well enough to cycle again bigger tours. I decided to skip Ise 1xx k http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Wakayama/blog-441460.html We woke up early and got ready for our first move. Traveling in a large group can prove difficult if everyone doesn't stick to the plan. We had a great group though and I wasn't too worried. We met in the lobby to check out and make our way to the train station. I loved Axel our group leader for one reason...he was as addicted to coffee as I am so every morning move included a coffee shop stop http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Wakayama/Koyasan/blog-431409.html We get the shinkansen at 815 from Hiroshima to Osaka we buy some little pastries and ice coffee for the journey very civilised. I love these trains.In Osaka we store our big bags in a locker and take the city loop train around to a station south of the city where we buy a combined train cable car and bus ticket to get to Koyasan. It's very humid and we're glad not to be carrying our big bags http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Wakayama/Koyasan/blog-417172.html Me again. Apologies for the profusion of words and pictures. I hope you'll agree though the photos at least are worth the time...Wersquore slowly ticking off lsquomustseersquo places in Japan. This one ishellipKoyasan an area of some beauty relevance and reverence on the top of a mountain in Wakayama Prefecture. It was established in 816 by Kobadaishi a Japanese fellow who studied B http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Wakayama/Koyasan/blog-397203.html KonichiwaThe second half of our trip was just as fun and exciting as the last. We headed off to Koyasan by train. Heading into this beautiful country was finally what I wanted. I realized that Tokyo and Osaka were nice but very built up and urbanized. I was looking for more green and places that have the traditional Japanese looking roof tops. Koyasan provided just that. It's located up i http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Wakayama/Koyasan/blog-358045.html freitag 03.10.08am montag bereits am morgen im bett hre ich den regen draussen sch.... denn genau an diesem montag fahre ich mit dem zug nach koyasan gemss schriftlichem und mndlichem reisefhrer eine superschne strecke im regen. na ja so schlimm war es gar nicht vor allem der letzte teil von hashimoto ber gokurakubashi nach koyasan ist wirklich wundervoll zuerst ein schmalspurb http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Wakayama/Koyasan/blog-330738.html A farewell party of the best kind A piano concert jetcoasters BBQ and a great family to enjoy it all with http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Wakayama/blog-310713.html Japanese vocabundokai Japanese sports day held at all schools once a yearoyako parent and childrengambatte do your best you can do it Kocho sensei the Principalgenki energetic livelymecha very very verykakkoii cooloshare fashionable stylish trendy On Sunday May 18 after the Hanshin Tigers game I got up at 730am to drag myself up the hill no less to my Junior High School Nag http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Wakayama/blog-283254.html Japanese vocabensoku school field tripshuugakuryokou school excursionkofun Ancient Japanese burial moundsSo in Japanese public schools they have two types of school trips ensoku and shuugakuryokou. Every grade from elementary to high school does ensoku which is usually a day trip to a somewhat local place. The youngest of the bunch maybe 14 graders visit someplace local within their own t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Wakayama/blog-282367.html Japanese Vocabularyfujii wisteriaOn the first day of Golden Week Zach Christine and I went to a nearby temple to see the Fujii. Christine found out about the place from the taxi driver that takes her to her mountain school on Wednesday. Since late April to early May is their peak season here we decided to check it out and it was a good thing we didThe wisteria was beautiful I've mostly seen http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Wakayama/blog-282180.html An amazing day of culture and tradition in beautiful Japan. This festival is one of the most popular in the area. A parade type of event where each 'team' is different. Today there was sumo samuri geishas and dancing. Our team was dressed as scary demons. Our job was to scare the children give them candy to win their hearts back and in the long run they become stronger. Woah huh Highlights http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Wakayama/blog-277497.html Japanese VocabGW Golden Weekshuriken ninja starsnihonichi number one in Japanyasumi break vacation holidayonsen public bath househot spring with communal showers and large communal bathsSo in California I remember that up until high school we had this little week long break outside of winter break in February always around my birthday and President's Day that was usually called Ski http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Wakayama/Koyasan/blog-275077.html Late March to early April in Japan is cherry blossom season symbolic of the brevity but intense beauty of life. The fragile blossoms only last about a week or two long before falling.Japanese Vocabmankai full bloomsakura cherry blossoms symbol of springtime in Japansakusaiteru to bloomare in bloomjo added to the end of a name meaning Castle wakayamajo wakayama castleteradera suf http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Wakayama/blog-267019.html Japanese Vocabularywadaiko Japanese taiko drummingajisai hydrangeakakkoii coolfushigi mysterioushageskesketsurutsuru all wordsonomatopoeia for bald or smoothOn Saturday March 15 Lara and I performed with our wadaiko group at a big concert in the nearby town in Ajisai Hall. The theatre seated about 700800 people and it was pretty much a full house It was mostly local people who attend http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Wakayama/blog-267004.html VERY LATE I know...as always The pics are actually from March 2 Japanese VocabularyHina Matsuri the Doll Festivalningyo dollsMatsuoka Sensei one of my JTE Japanese Teacher of English invited some of us to her place for a Hina Matsuri lunch. The Doll Festival or Girlrsquos Day is on March 3 33 every year. Families well actually mothers put out big ningyo displays for their daugh http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Wakayama/blog-267001.html March 23April 7 http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Wakayama/blog-261434.html My trip to the secluded Buddhist community on top of Koyasan was a welcome treat after spending a very hot and hectic summer in central Osaka. I had traveled there on a whim one weekday morning while waiting for a train to take me into Umeda Station in northern Osaka. I couldnrsquot bear the thought of facing the fervid heat and congested stations that typify the city. Instead I crossed the ove http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Wakayama/Koyasan/blog-250238.html Japanese VocabularyHaru springsakura cherry tree blossoms for the Japanese their short blooming period I think is supposed to be symbolic of life delicate and brief but unforgettably beautiful while it lasts.hanami Flower viewing when the Japanese people flock in hordes to go see the cherry trees bloom. ume Japanese plumyuzu a citrus fruit thatr http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Wakayama/blog-249910.html Japanese Vocabularykyuushoku125393210239135 School lunchkujira1253939912 Whaletabechatta12539391351240912385124191238712383 oops I regretfully ate it39135124091238512419123871238365281 Well not Willy but a relative of his the minke whale. It was a cultural experience I had toOn Wednesday January 30th the kyuushoku menu reveal http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Wakayama/blog-241265.html