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Left home
We left from Vancouver International Airport at about 1PM. We ended up getting a ride from Lance's dad. We didn't have to get to the airport too early because we didn't have any luggage to check and had already checked-in online. Yay for modern technology! -
Arrive in Osaka
We arrived at about 3PM the next day in Osaka. The flight had been uneventful. We wandered around a bit before getting our bearings and finding our hotel, the Hearton Hotel. -
Hiroshima and Shukkeien Garden
The next day we took a train down to Hiroshima and decided to stay at the Flex Hotel. It was closer to the train station than the Memorial Park, but that was ok. We spent the first afternoon in Shukkeien Garden. Then we just wandered downtown Hiroshima and found a restaurant that served Okonomiyaki - delicious! -
Castles, Peace Memorials, and Miyajima Island
The next day we went to Hiroshima Castle in the morning and then the Peace Memorial Park. We had enough time to go to Miyajima Island and check out the famous vermillion O-Torii and the cheeky deer. Saw some really cool back alleys in the non-tourist spots. -
Iwakuni
In the morning we went to Iwakuni to see the famous bridge. Had a fabulous time visiting the local castle, park, and graveyard for the Iwakuni lords. Passed on the local fish cuisine (caught using cormorants). -
Kurashiki
After Iwakuni we went to Kurashiki to stay in our first Ryokan. It was in a lovely heritage district of the town, right on the canal. All the staff at Tsurugata Ryokan were helpful and friendly. We didn't get there in time for dinner but we did get a traditional breakfast the next morning. -
Takarazuka
One of the smaller sights we wanted to see and one of the few museums on our list was the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum (bijutskan). It was pretty easy to find and was filled with wonderful drawings of the founding father of modern anime. His playful spirit radiated out from his creations and made me curious to see more of his work. Afterwards, we went back to Osaka, our travel base. -
Osaka Aquarium (Kaiyukan)
Osaka is home to quite the famous aquarium. It's a huge building that houses an amazing assortment of marine life. Their centrepiece (literally and figuratively) is the giant Whale Shark tank in the centre of the building. The aquarium is also by a harbour village mall that is charming and has a neat array of shops to check out. -
Nara
You could spend a lot of time in Nara taking in all the temples and sights of the city and park. We went through to check out the famously brave deer and the largest Buddha statue in the world. We saw lots of adorable children, tried some senbei (rice crackers) and spent the afternoon just wandering the town. -
Himeji
Himeji is one of the most impressive castles in Japan. It is quite large and involves quite a bit of walking. The information set up is also quite impressive and there was a lot of explanatory signs for the different areas. Unfortunately, the day was a bit of a downer - my camera batteries died, we got rained on, and ended up exhausted at the end of the day. -
Arriving in Kyoto
We weren't quite prepared for how busy it would be due to the Aoi Matsuri festival the next day. We were quite happy to find a very reasonably priced ryokan that was located close to the Gion district. After settling in, we rented a couple of bikes and wandered around, finding a lovely temple in the midst of being restored. -
Aoi Matsuri
We arrived early and were expecting crowds like we'd see back home, but everything was much more orderly and polite. A very quiet and somber procession ensued. The crowds afterwards were also very polite. In the afternoon we hit up Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) and Ryoan-ji (dry rock garden) temples. -
Johnnie Hillwalker Tour
We did the Johnnie Hillwalker tour of Kyoto and it was fabulous. He is an excellent tour guide and I'd highly recommend it to anyone visiting Kyoto. We visited an actual Buddhist temple and saw the modern portion as well as the ancient. We went to a fan shop and were told about the process of Japanese cottage industries. We also got to see some pottery and eat fresh sushi and sweets. It was great! -
Kiyomizu dera
After Johnnie's tour we walked up the big hill to the shrine through the hordes of tourists. Lots of shops with crafts, souvenirs, Kyoto handicraft items, etc. Beautiful temple at the top. We came back again before leaving to stock up on souvenirs. -
Toei Eagamura
There's an actual movie studio in west Kyoto that we decided to check out. It's sort of like Universal Studios but in Japan. No rides around the park, but they do have a few cheesy special effects shows and costumed employees walking around. They also do actual filming there. Lots of old style Japanese houses and they had a whole special Power Rangers exhibit too. -
Gion Corner
I was expecting to fall in love with the courtly dancing but I was totally surprised by what resonated most with me. The Kyogen (humourous play) was great. It reminded me of some Jackie Chan stuff. But the Bunraku (puppet play) was absolutelly amazing! When we go back, I'm definitely going to be looking more into Bunraku sights (museums and shows, if possible). -
Glowing Drinks @ Tokyo Tapas
We went to Tokyo and were underwhelmed by the bustling downtown. I guess if you like crowds and long waits at every restaurant, you might like it. We found a tapas bar with a computer menu all in Japanese and played ordering roulette. We wound up with lots of drinks that glowed. -
Sumo Tournament
We originally planned to spend the afternoon at the Studio Ghibli museum. But, tickets each day are limited and specify entrance times. We didn't think to buy tickets in advance and they were sold out all until the day we left Japan. But, we thoroughly enjoyed spending all day at sumo, enjoying the awesome bento, cheering racously (for Japan), and drinking sake. -
Ito Onsen Ryokan
We were spending a lot less on accomodation than expected so we splurged at an onsen ryoken (hot springs hotel). The hotel was very luxurious with a bunch of different baths. We tried each one. The town was very small with a very limited restaurant selection. We ended up eating at CoCo's and getting Hambaaga. -
Hakutsuru Sake Museum
We hopped on the train and headed out to Kobe to check out this sake museum. We ran into a Japanese student in the station and chatted a bit. The map we had wasn't too great, so we wandered around a lot before asking an older man who was working in his garden. He walked us almost all the way there! The museum was fabulous. They had video explanations for each step of the process in English. They also had an awesome gift shop and a free tasting of unpasteurized sake - yum! -
Okayama Korakuen
This park is one of the most famous in Japan. It's very large and provides a lovely green space for walking. Lots of interesting park features. We had a nice conversation with a well travelled Japanese man in the park. -
Kyoto Souvenir Shopping
We had committed to an extra bag when we bought sake so we figured we'd go back and buy some things we'd seen and drooled over. -
Leaving Japan
We tried to find some decadent waffles for breakfast but settled for pastries. Then we ate at a sushi bar for lunch before heading back to the airport. Rude tourists annoyed us in the airport lounge and left a huge mess on the plane. The Canadian buses were a huge shock to our system after several weeks of Japanese order, precision, manners, and cleanliness.
