Breakfast at our ryokan was good. There was a choice of Japanese or Western. Here’s an example of both: We walked to Nanzen-ji temple via Maruyama Park. I never tire of having another look at the cherry blossom trees there. Nanzen-ji temple, built in the 13th century, is another temple that was burnt. Unlike Chion-ji, … Continue reading / view photos Nanzen-ji temple
Tag: Japan
Shopping in Nakagyo Ward
Whilst in Kyoto, we went to a traditional Japanese clothes shop, Mimuro, to look for yukata. These robes are like kimonos but are usually made of cotton or linen instead of silk. They are lighter for wearing in summer. In the shop, we found out there was a hierarchy of buyers. The ground floor had the … Continue reading / view photos Shopping in Nakagyo Ward
Chion-ji temple
Although rain was forecast for much of our time in Kyoto, we had two spells — the first was a downpour, which we escaped in the lovely coffee shop and the second was drizzly, when we went to Chion-ji Buddhist temple. The cherry blossom was still in full swing. Even the intermittent drizzle couldn’t take … Continue reading / view photos Chion-ji temple
The streets of Kyoto
Kyoto is filled with traditional houses all within walkable distance. Many of them are in the Gion quarter, famous for the geishas who one inhabited the area. These are some typical buildings from Gion and the surrounding area: In Kyoto, we stayed in a ryokan. These are hotels with traditional Japanese rooms. They have tatami … Continue reading / view photos The streets of Kyoto
Sakura, sakura!
For our first full day in Kyoto, we headed first for the Gion district, historically famous for its geishas. Now it’s largely dominated by tourist shops, none of which existed fifteen years ago when I last came. There’s even a Hyatt Hotel in the middle of the district — although it has the merit of … Continue reading / view photos Sakura, sakura!
Hello Kyoto
It was time, for now, to say goodbye to Tokyo and head for Kyoto. With our JR Pass. We’d reserved seats on the Shinkansen. Earlier, we’d checked out which platform the train would leave from because the station is huge, serving about half-a-million people every day. When the Shinkansen arrived, it seemed to come from … Continue reading / view photos Hello Kyoto
Shinkansen, the metro and cars
The Shinkansen, known as the “bullet train” looks like it comes straight from the future. It travels at more than 200kmh and you barely notice the speed because the journey is so smooth. It’s everything that train travel should be. In the photos below, you’ll see the two interiors: one airline style and the other … Continue reading / view photos Shinkansen, the metro and cars
Ginza shopping
After visiting Senso-ji, we took the metro to the Ginza shopping district. Our first stop was to the huge Muji flagship store, not just to browse but to have lunch. This was a simple dish with freshly made tofu. Itoya is possibly the largest stationary shop in the world. It has eight floors and stocks … Continue reading / view photos Ginza shopping
Senso-ji temple
The most visited temple in Tokyo is Senso-ji. The temple was about a 30 minutes’ walk from our hotel. We took the long way round, walking along Sumida River. The sun was out and so were the office workers, having lunch. We left the river at Asakusa and headed to the Kaminarimon Gate, the most … Continue reading / view photos Senso-ji temple
Cherry blossom in Ueno Park
Travelling on the Shinkansen (“bullet train”) is expensive for foreigners. To soften the blow, you can buy a JR Pass voucher before you arrive in Japan. Once in Japan, you exchange the voucher for a pass, after which you can reserve seats on the inter-city trains. If you buy from the official website (not an … Continue reading / view photos Cherry blossom in Ueno Park