Category Archives: Travel

Traveling Japan: Kyoto’s Heian Shrine

The Heian Shrine is one of those major stops in Kyoto. It’s one of the main shinto shrines in the country, and its torii is one of the largest in all of Japan. It’s a symbol of revival for Kyoto … Continue reading

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Traveling Japan: Arashiyama’s Okochi-Sanso Villa

The Okochi-Sanso Villa in Arashiyama used to be the home of a famous actor named Denjiro Okochi. As I was researching the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest destination, I saw mention of this, read a little about it, saw some beautiful pictures … Continue reading

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Traveling Japan: Arashiyama’s Tenryu-ji Temple

We had come to this area primarily for the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, but we found so much more than we had expected. One of the things about the city of Kyoto is that there’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site around … Continue reading

Posted in Religion, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Traveling Japan: Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

The Arashiyama area is a “touristy” location, which makes it sound like one of those ugly tourist traps flooded with souvenir shops vomiting cheap goods onto sidewalks. Not so. It does have souvenir tourist shops, but a lot of the … Continue reading

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Traveling Japan: Miyajima

The island of Itsukushima and the Itsukushima Shrine on the island are popularly known as Miyajima. I had no idea this place existed until one of my traveling companions requested to go there on one of our day trips. Staying … Continue reading

Posted in Environment, Food & Drink, Travel | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Traveling Japan: August 6th, 70th Anniversary of Hiroshima Bombing

I thought it appropriate to post about my trip to Hiroshima, Japan on the actual 70th year anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima by the United States in World War II, August 6, 1945. Taking a day trip down … Continue reading

Posted in Discrimination, History, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Traveling Japan: Fushimi Inari Shrine

The Fushimi Inari shrine is meant for grain, wine, rice, and general prosperity. It’s most recognizable for its thousands of torii of all sizes, purchased by individuals, organizations, or companies for luck. The amazing result of such a tradition is … Continue reading

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Traveling Japan: Kaiseki

I’ve got no patience for food preparation. For me, when it comes to cooking, the simpler, the better. I’m not a picky eater either, and though I enjoy delicious food, I wouldn’t really call myself a foodie. So when I … Continue reading

Posted in Food, Travel | Leave a comment

Traveling Japan: Kyoto Train Station

I have been waiting to get to this part of my trip for a long time because I really enjoyed visiting the city of Kyoto for a lot of different reasons. But first, let’s start with Kyoto Train Station, which … Continue reading

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Traveling Japan: Ice Lava Cave

After our tromp through the Aokigahara suicide forest (and avoiding any dead bodies), we arrived at our destination–a lava ice cave near the base of Mt. Fuji. Apparently, there are quite a few of these all over the place around … Continue reading

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Traveling Japan: Aokigahara Suicide Forest

It wasn’t until I got to the base of the Mt. Fuji and was getting ready for our tromp through the forest to the ice cave that I found out from my companions that our tromp would be through the … Continue reading

Posted in Travel | Leave a comment

Traveling Japan: Mt. Fuji

When we mapped out getting to Fuji on our own, we realized we would spend a lot of precious time trying to transfer from train to bus to bus etc. just to get to where we wanted and would have … Continue reading

Posted in Travel | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment