Blogs from Wakayama, Japan, Asia - page 4

Golden Week is a collection of 4 national holidays in a seven day period, starting around the last week of April and ending on the first week of May. April 29 is the Showa emperor's birthday and May 3,4 and 5 are the other 3 national holidays. So for this year, there were 2 consecutive long weekends, 3 and 4 days respectively. Most Japanese people choose to travel this time of the year, us joining the pack too, sometimes to visit Rinka's folks down south, but this year we wanted a nearer destination. April is my golden month. It spring holiay, thus my work days are pretty scarce. But I still feel the urge to do something special and travel with the rest of country come Golden Week. Its just too hard to stay at home, ... read more

Five more days and I'll have finally arrived in Nagoya! I'll be able to move into my apartment and have some nice, wonderful, completely underappreciated ALONE time. Before this trip I didn't realize how much I took for granted having time and space to myself. I always thought it was a rule to take your time when drinking coffee (at least an hour), but that doesn't seem to be a universal understanding. People here can slurp it down in seconds while it's still boiling hot. I'm also excited to decorate but it's come to my attention that I have to buy a butt load of things. Hoping that JASSO covers it all! Still being fed WAYYY too much. I'm also super "benpi" (exit pipes aren't working), so I look at least three months pregnant. The horror ... read more

Just came back from Fukuoka, and headed straight to Koyasan the next day. Still on my New year holiday, and luckily kiddie daycare is already back and running. So we sent our kids to the daycare for the day, and finally made the journey to the famous Mt. Koya. The place is 860 meters above sea level and dotted with quite a number of World Heritage Sites pertaining to Esoteric practice of Shingo Buddhism, which has a large following all over Japan. I always thought of visiting this place, but always had a change of plans at the last minute. I was thinking that maybe I wouldn't experience its beauty at the same level as those who are practicing the faith. But, I was so wrong. The place is completely a world on its own. The ... read more

Nara Two 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. Wakayama After this daytrip tour, I felt well enough to cycle again bigger tours. I decided to skip Ise (1xx kilometres east of Nara) and take a route directly into the mountains. After a few hours cycling industrial areas and getting lost with inappropriate maps, I'm climbing mointains again with my bike. No traffic no more, but woods, bamboo grooves, a few palms here and there. A river winding in a stony bed below the narrow road, and the mountains climb steeply on both sides. ... read more

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! My kind of guy!! We dragged our bags to the station and onto a train heading toward the Wakayama prefecture, where we were to catch a cable car up to Koyasan. Mount Koya (Koyasan) is the center of Shingon Buddhism, a Buddhist sect that was introduced to Japan in 805 by Kobo Daishi, one of the most ... read more