Tag Archives: Japan

Nagasaki to Yufuin

Posted on by

This morning we left Nagasaki and went on to Yufuin, a travel destination, domestically known for its hot springs.

To get to Yufuin we used the Yufuin No Mori Express, a special tourist train.

No mention of Yufuin is complete without an attempt to an introduction to Onsen:
Onsens are traditional, public Baths in Japan. They are part of many ryokans and usually follow the same approach. When one gets in, one gets rid of all clothes, these are put into a basket. Equipped only with a small (modesty) towel one enters the actual bath room (shared), takes a small chair and starts washing oneself. Once one feels clean, one can move over to the actual bath (which ideally is fed by a hot spring), the water may be very hot. After some soaking (duration really depends on the water temperature) one moves out, maybe takes a quick shower and finally dries oneself and changes into a yukata … and enjoys this clean, relaxed feeling.

Himeji

Posted on by

Today we left Kyoto – bound for Nagasaki – after about two hours journey on the shin-kansen we had a stop in Himeji – to visit Himeji castle and the attached gardens. Luggage was left in lockers at the station.

We continued to Nagasaki on a later train – and finally made it there in the late afternoon (after a crazy taxi ride, including a trip through a one-way street in the wrong direction). For dinner we went to do laundry, food was Korean, on the other side of the street from the laundry place and well timed to the wash and drying cycles. Afterward we went to what became the only drinking on this whole trip. We ended up in a bar with live music and had plenty of drinks and fun – essentially celebrating our freshly cleaned clothing 😉

Kyoto

Gallery

Posted on by

This gallery contains 16 photos.

Today we left Takayama; the next destination being the cultural highlight of Kyoto In the afternoon we made it to the Fushima Inari Shrine; it took time to explore the shrine. After which we returned back to the center of … Continue reading →

Shinkansen Impressions

Posted on by

Shin-kansen, the legendary Japanese high-speed train – known as bullet train in the US, standard speed of 300 km/h – and one of our main means of transport – below some impressions.

Also worth a mention: bento boxes … probably one of the quickest, cheapest and best ways to learn about local specialties in Japan. Bento boxes are virtually sold in all bigger train stations in Japan; they usually contain some local specialties, are conveniently packaged and comparably cheap (usually 800 to 1300 Yen or 5 to 8 Euros) – the perfect meal for a train trip. I had plenty of them … which finally gave me the nickname Bento Boy.

Takayama

Gallery

Posted on by

This gallery contains 4 photos.

Today we left Tokyo behind and proceeded into the Japanese Alps and the traditional town of Takayama and our first ryokan and onsen experience. The experience also included a traditional dinner: hida beef, grilled on a Magnolia leaf.

Asakusa

Posted on by

I made it into Tokyo on rainy morning after a total of 14 hours in the air (and some time at LHR airport).

As usual (I guess, I may use ‘as usual’ meanwhile) I checked in to the hotel, took a shower and then started discovering the surrounding area – in this case the Asakusa area of Tokyo, including the Senso-Ji temple.

In the evening the group came together for an initial group meeting. Luke – our tour leader gave the usual plus some Japan specific pieces of information, afterward he took us to a very Japanese restaurant … one, where the main interaction was through vending machine.