We โฅ๏ธ Japan. It was an incredible 3 weeks on our around the world journey that we’ll never forget and cherish forever. It is such a unique place and there is a lot to love about the country, it’s people and their culture. We’ve come up with, in no particular order, 10 things we love… … More 10 Reasons to Love Japan, but 1 Reason Not to Live There
Takayama, the last stop on our Japanese adventure, was our chance to get away from the big city hustle of the Japanese mega cities and enjoy some quiet small-town living in the Japanese Alps. Or so we thought. Even though this picturesque mountain town has a population under 100,000, centuries old wooden merchant huts and … More Takayama, Japan: Big City, Little City, Sake Box
Gero is considered to be one of the three major hot spring hot spots in Japan and as it is well connected with Kyoto we thought we’d take up the opportunity to stay a few nights and try out a traditional Japanese Onsen. An Onsen is the Japanese version of a public hot spring with bathing facilities. … More Gero: A Naked Englishman Walks into a Japanese Onsen…
Kyoto, the Imperial Capital city of Japan whose name even translates to “Capital City”, may have lost its Capital status to the effervescent Tokyo but it still retains a lot of history and beauty which make it a worthy stop on any tour of Japan. After arriving late at night from our visit to the ever so … More Quintessential Kyoto, Japan
We found out dreams can come true the day we discovered there is an Island near Hiroshima which is dominated by rabbits! Not just the standard hares you usually see in the wild but ones of various colours and cuteness. The name of the Island is ลkunoshima but is more commonly known as Usaga Jima … More Rabbit Islandย
Miyajima island is home of the infamous floating Itsukushima shrine that is used on pretty much every Japanese tourist brochure. The shrine doesn’t actually float; it is freestanding weighed down by rocks, but look at it from the right angle and with the right weather and with one eye slightly closed whilst standing on one … More Miyajima: The Island of God and the Big Floating Shrine
It was August 6th 1945 when Hiroshima suffered from the devastating effects of the first atomic bomb used in war. The unwitting sacrifice of Hiroshima (and Nagasaki) brought an end to World War II. These events have had a huge impact on the culture, governance, attitude and outlook of today’s Japan and therefore I think … More Hiroshima, Japan: The City of Peace
Himeji Castle is regarded as the finest example of Japanese castle architecture in existence today so on our way from Osaka to Hiroshima we took the opportunity to break up our train journey with a visit. Getting there was easy thanks to the infamous Japanese Shinkansen bullet trains and the castle is just a short … More Himeji Castle, Japan for a Day Trip
Here’s the vid of our time in Osaka covering the main sights (including Nara which we know isn’t Osaka but was a cool day trip away), food and the “cultural exchange”. You can read the blogs that compliment this video here: Osaka, Japan: The Hyper-Mega-Epic-Super City Osaka, Japan: Couch Surfing, Osaka Food and Geishas with Giggle … More Osaka Video Highlights
The best things in life are free. And when the free thing is beer the old adage becomes doubly true. In a country which is incredibly expensive by backpackers’ standards it is essential to know how to make your money go further and this little gem will help those desparate to blow the froth off … More How to Score Free Beer in Japan
