It has become a standard practice for us to book daytrips on travel apps since we began making our own travel itineraries. This time we went with KKDay for a tour around certain spots in Yamanashi, like the Lake Kawaguchiko and the Oshino Hakkai. When my brother and I were discussing about where to plot this tour in our itinerary, I was desperately hoping that the day we picked would allow us to maximize this trip sightseeing-wise. I didn’t want clouds or rains, just clear skies and a not too sunny day.
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{Japan Travel Diary 2015} A day of running around in Tokyo
Tokyo is not a hard city to love. It’s filled with people without being too stifling; eclectic without going overboard; modern without sacrificing the rich history that makes its culture one-of-a-kind. (Okay, maybe that last bit applies to the whole of Japan.) It’s a city bursting at the seams with life that’s both unique and electric, and to not breathe it all in would be a big mistake. I can only try to capture it bit by bit through my Tokyo snapshots. You wake up in the morning and start your day with a stroll in the park, and your typical companion would be those of the older generation doing…
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Japan Travel Blog April 2015: Shirakawa-go
Nestled along the Shogawa River Valley between Gifu and Toyama is a village that has the most curious set of houses. I remember being asleep when our tour bus rolled to a stop here at Shirakawa-go, and even at my groggy state it’s hard not to notice the houses with their large and steeply-slanted thatched roofing. It’s hard to ignore as well how much they give the area such a charming small-town provincial feel. Apparently this style of housing is called Gassho-zukuri architecture, with the roofs looking like hands pressed in prayer. Gassho (合掌) literally translates to ‘hands together’. Some people describe it as a book standing open, but whatever…
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Japan Travel Blog April 2015: Takayama Old Town
Oh sakura season, why’d you have to end so soon? When my Dad and I arrived in Japan, it was already the tail-end of sakura season. In some parts of Japan the season was already over, but here in Takayama we were able to see a little bit of the magic that seems able to stop people on their tracks. It must be because it almost looks like the flowers are actually glowing in the sunlight. And just like I keep mentioning, this is my first time seeing cherry blossoms, so regardless of the fact that I couldn’t see cherry blossom season in its full glory I’ll take what I…
