Geo: 35.67, 139.77Coming back from Mt Fuji, I struggled to find the hotel where I was supposed to meet with Elfi, Tine and Andrea. I finally managed (after asking twice my direction to a policeman) but they had already gone. So I ended up going out with two guys I just met there. We went to Akihabara, the electronic town. It is the geek district per se. Near the subway station, there is a Gundam café. Everything in there as a link with the series. We all had a cocktail. Let's kick start the night. The main street is lined with building in which you find many floors of video games, crab games and other random games. You can see those arcades are mainly directed towards guys. Most of the figurines you can win represent anime ... read more

Geo: 35.67, 139.77We reached Shinjuku (Tokyo) at 6am on a Friday morning. We were on the overnight bus from Kyoto. We actually slept quite well, the seats are spacious, reclines well and we were a little tipsy when boarding the bus. That helps but also the driver drives so smoothly you kind of forget you are in a bus.Once in Tokyo, we had to find our way from the bus drop to the subway station. It wasn't far. At such an early hour, the subway was almost empty. We took the Shinjuku line to the other side of town. We had to meet Elfi's friend at 2pm, so we found a spot near the river to have breakfast (biscuit and coffee/tea from Family Mart). The great thing with Family Mart is that there is always a ... read more

Geo: 35.01, 135.75I met up with a friend I know from St Andrews. Hélène is french but have been living in Japan for few years and in Kyoto for few month. We met at Demachiyanagi. It's a park at the tip of the island formed by a division of the river. The island is linked to the side of the river by a turtle bridge which makes for a great playground. I was a bit early, and she was a bit late so I had plenty of time to enjoy people watching at the site.When she got here, we found a nice little café to have lunch. I ordered Omurice. It's a dish in which you can see some western influence. You get a thin omelette wrapping a generous amount of fried rice. Yummy. It's always ... read more

Geo: 35.01, 135.75Daitoku temple complex is a large enclosed area in northern Kyoto. The place is the head quarter of the Rinzai school, a branch of Japanese Zen Buddhism. The complex is composed by the main temple, Daitoku temple, and about 24 subtemples. According to many guides, it is one of the best place in Japan to experience Zen culture and architecture and to enjoy Zen gardens. Not all the temples are open to the public. And you have to pay a fee for each open temple you wish to visit. So I choose two of them a little bit randomly. Koto-in is probably the most famous temple in Daitoku-ji, especially known for its maple trees producing beautiful colours in autumn. The temple was established in 1601 by Hosokawa Tadaoki. Hosokawa was a successful warrior who ... read more

Geo: 34.68, 135.5I arrived in Osaka in the evening. I had booked my hotel very last minute so I had to take whatever what left at a reasonable price. My room just about 7m square with nothing but a futon, a TV set and a fan. Well I guess it is enough. The only bathroom was downstairs, near the lobby. It is a common facility, so when it's empty, you can go and turn the sign on 'Women' (or Men). And then only a person of that sex can go in. Once inside, you strip and put your clothe in a drawer. The next room has 4 showers on the wall and a big bath (only in use at specific time). I took my shower seating on a plastic stool. I went to visit Osaka castle ... read more