Hiroshima, Japan (Photography)

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adventure, art, Atomic Bomb Dome, Budget travel, Budget travel Japan, Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims, culture, grunge photography, Hiroshima, Hiroshima Castle, Japan, Peace Dome Hiroshima, photography, street photography, thoughts, Torri gate, travels, wanderlust

Hiroshima is the first city to experience a nuclear attack. It’s worth visiting to connect yourself with the city and their experiences. There is a free bus around the city so you can just hop on and off. Further read my post Budget Tips when travelling around Japan to get tips and tricks. One day is enough, you can go to Miyajima Island to see the famous Itsukushima shrine after.

Atomic Bomb Dome

This is one of the few buildings that remain standing after the 1945 bombing. The bomb was codenamed ‘Little Boy’.

Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims

The shape is to shield the victims from the rain. Directly behind it is a Peace Flame lit until the day that all nuclear weapons are destroyed (53 years and still going).

Hiroshima Castle

The castle was used as a war headquarter. It was also destroyed during the bombing  but a replica was built serving as a present museum of Hiroshima’s history.

Torii gate near Hiroshima Castle

Shinto shrines are gated with a Torii to symbolizes one’s step to sanctity.

The rightmost boy gave me a paper crane and I just found out that it is a popular gift to bestow a thousand years of happiness and prosperity.

As opposed to my unfriendly expectation, the people are actually nice (and helpful with directions).

Downtown Hiroshima

The Island Of Miyajima, Japan

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adventure, backpacking, Budget travel Japan, culture, grunge photography, Japan, JR express, Miyajima, Miyajima Island, Nikon, photography, rustic photography, street photography, The Island Of Miyajima, travel, travels, wanderlust

Here is the link to Budget Tips when travelling around Japan.

Kyoto – City of Solitude

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adventure, arashiyama, backpacking, Fushimi-Inari temple, Gion district, Hozu river, Japan, Kinkakuji Temple, kiyomizu-dera, Kyoto, shinto temples

Kyoto is Japan’s City of Solitude where old traditions heavily cling on to the unstoppable blocks of modernity. It gives you both the best of the past and present worlds, a testament that there is no need to sacrifice art and culture in order to embrace modern society. You’ll find that the past and present exist with ease and harmony.

Even with the thrive of technology and concentration of crowd, the city’s urban landscape has not abandon the beauty of and benefits from mother nature. Parks, gardens, clean waters and forests are in sync with the shrines, temples and old houses creating a beautiful façade for the city. These should be replicated to urban cities – to have green spaces while allowing arts and culture to flourish with modernity.

The combinations of these attractions make it one of the most photographed city in the world. It is cloaked with a sublime but not necessarily melancholic feeling. This is possible because the city is the emperor’s residence for more than 1,000 years. You can really feel the serenity and simplicity of their living.

Visit  Gion district to spot some geishas and hike all the way to Kiyomizu-dera temple. Be prepared to walk a lot to be immersed with their art, culture and way of living. The golden Kinkakuji temple is not to be missed. The entrance fee is worth it. Arashiyama bamboo grove is a little bit out of the way so make the most of it by visiting the Hozu river and the shrines surrounding the grove. One of my favorites is the Fushimi-Inari temple because it is a 2-hour hike from the base all the way to the top and back! We were fortunate to witness the sunset descending upon the whitish landscape of the city.

Budget Travel Tips (and Tricks) When Visiting Japan

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adventure, Asahikawa, backpacking, Chitose, culture, happiness, inspiration, Japan, JR pass, Kansai, Kansai thru' pass, Kobe, Lake Shikotsu, photography, thoughts, Tips and Tricks When Visiting Japan, Tokyo, Tokyo Tower, travels, wanderlust

Tokyo Tower

This Samurai Country of Contrasts offers endless sceneries, adventures and stories. We backpacked 13 cities from urban to remote areas – from snowy-frosty places to summer-feel prefectures. Autumn is beautiful and so is the fall of snow. October is definitely the best time to visit.

Chitose, Hokkaido

I’m an introvert but when it comes to travel, you’ll see me pushing for things / experiences bordering to being an extrovert. Yes to exhaustion until you no longer feel your legs. Yes to meeting strangers and chatting with them until dawn. Yes to both quantity and quality of fun travel escapades!

Summer-feel in Ginza, Kyoto

I don’t pay for travel just to sit on a fine restaurant or chill on a park. I pay to learn about myself, people around me and the places I’ve never been to. I can always sit, sleep and chill back home. I want everything when I travel and this is what I got in Japan… Everything.

Autumn in Lake Shikotsu

Here are few tips and tricks for those traveling for the first time.

• Japan is perceived as expensive but actually, costs are manageable.
• Eat in local places (i.e. Dotonbori market in Osaka) and convenience stores (Family mart and 7-11).
• Sleep in hostels or guesthouses (I recommend booking.com). We booked a 3-star hotel in Asahikawa for only $2 per person. Of course, if you know someone, free accommodation will always be the best! Thanks to Don for Kyoto and Eileen for Tokyo.
• Avail of JR pass. It lets you travel on trains and buses for unlimited time. This is very convenient and economical. Use this JR pass website link because it’s cheaper than the others.
• For Kansai areas (Kyoto, Himeji, Nara, Kobe, Osaka) use Kansai-thru pass. It has better coverages than the other passes.
• Stay on the left of the train when your travel route is from south of Japan to north. For example, from Kansai to Tokyo, sit on the left to view Mt. Fuji.
• No overnight sleeper trains from Hakodate to Sapporo! This is disappointing.
• Free wifi places are scarce. No public wifi in most areas. No wifi in bullet Shinkansen trains.
• Costs indicated in google map are precise. Directions are accurate.
• Ask people if you need help. Japanese are generally friendly and you’d be surprised how organized, helpful and prepared they are! When we were in Sapporo, we asked for the directions to Guesthouse Waya in the subway station and surprise!!! They had a ready print-out for it! Same thing happened in Asahikawa.
• Learn / ask about their culture. Be curious. Be observant. You’d be amazed how varied, unconventional and interesting their culture/history/stories are. I’m still amazed (lifetime employment, reserved/polite attitudes, eyebrows culture etc).

Hakone

Gion, Kyoto

Kobe Port

I wasn’t a fan of Japan before. I thought it was overrated but after spending more than 2 weeks from north to south, I can say, it’s worth visiting it. Next time, I’d love to go back to Totori and Nagasaki! And maybe, Wakkanai (can you really see Russia from here???) That would be another great travel to add in my list.

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This is a long overdue post. We visited Japan last October covering Hiroshima, Miyajima, Kobe, Himeji, Nara, Osaka, Kyoto, Hakone, Tokyo, Hakodate, Chitose, Sapporo, and Asahikawa).

Cyril Says Japan is Fun

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adventure, autumn, culture, Cyril Tablante, fun experience, Ginkakuji Temple, holidays, Japan, Kinkakuji Temple, Kyoto, Loreal, Mt. Naeba, nature, Niigata, summer, travels, wanderlust, winter

Kinkakuji Temple, Kyoto

Mt Naeba, Niigata

Tokyo skyscrapers

Caesar Cyril Tablante treats Japan like a 30-minute taxi ride. He was there again last December to spend winter holidays. He used the hashtag #JaFUN (witty!) and looks like he had really some fun.

This guy is horribly busy that I thought he’ll never find time to answer my question what makes Japan a fun experience. Here’s what he has to say:

Japan is a great country to immerse yourself in the unique cultural mix of Shintoism and Buddhism while unraveling yourself in the latest technological innovations of the 21st century.

 

All photos belong to Cyril. You can follow him or just browse for more photos on his instagram account largecaesarsalad. You can also leave a comment and ask him to chill! 🙂

I featured some of his Japan photos on another post last year – Cyril in Tokyo, Japan. Check it out.

 

What Makes Moscow a Fun Experience

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adventure, Architecture, cityscapes, Don Rodney Junio, friends, fun experience, fun travels, Good food, great culture, Japan, Kremlin, Kyoto, landscapes, moscow, nature, personal, photography, red square, Russia, street photography, travel, travels, USSR, wanderlust

Don Rodney Junio who currently lives in Kyoto, Japan travelled to Russia and brought home beautiful photos. Here is what he says when I ask him what makes Moscow a fun experience.

“It’s a city with many cultural and historical sights and over the top architecture being once a showcase city of the former USSR. Good food, great culture.”

  *All three photos belong to Don.

Cyril in Tokyo, Japan

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adventure, Asia, Cyril Tablante, friends, fun, happiness, inspiration, Japan, life, photography, Tokyo, travel, travels

This is Tokyo, Japan!

Tokyo is a place that will not just give you pretty photographs but unforgettable moments to live by. These photos from Cyril Tablante convinced me that it should be on everyone’s travel list! The colors are bursting to life and the compositions are glorious! From stunning waterfalls to scenic pathways, from shrines to high-rise skyscrapers, Japan makes a traveler excited to discover what more can it offer! Beautiful and diverse landscapes to choose from!

I overexposed this photo.

All photos belong to Cyril Tablante! ❤ Te extraño! Espero que estén disfrutando de sus vacaciones. Hasta pronto.  (I’m learning Spanish!!!)  🙂

I know now why Jeff loves Japan.