mfedley

This post will cover some of the temples that I did not include in my first post on the "Best of Japan" series. This will also be the last post for Japan Guide. read all

This post will cover some of traditional residences found in Japan which was not covered in my first post... read all

This post will cover some of the many areas of natural beauty found in Japan... read all

This post will cover some of the slightly less popular historical sites found around Japan... read all

This post will cover some of the shrines which were not covered in my first post... read all

This post will cover some of the many less visited gardens found in Japan... read all

This post will cover what I have found to be some of the best art locations and events that Japan has to offer... read all

This post will cover what I have found to be some of the best museums and historical locations that Japan has to offer... read all

This post will cover what I have found to be some of the best residences that Japan has to offer... read all

This post will cover what I have found to be some of the best views that Japan has to offer... read all

This post will cover what I have found to be some of the best locations to view animals in Japan... read all

This post will cover what I have found to be some of the best shrines that Japan has to offer... read all

This post will cover what I have found to be some of the best nature spots that Japan has to offer... read all

For my last series for Japan Guide after visiting all 47 prefectures, I will be showcasing my favorite locations in Japan... read all

This post will cover what I have found to be some of the best castles that Japan has to offer... read all

This post will cover what I have found to be some of the best gardens that Japan has to offer... read all

Japan is a land of contrasts and I have been lucky enough to travel around this country more than most... read all

Japan is a land of contrasts and I have been lucky enough to travel around this country more than most... read all

For my last location post in Japan ever - I'll be based around Iizuka which can be described as central Fukuoka prefecture read all

For my last full day in Japan, I was based around Tosu and wanted to view some sites I've been wanting to see for my last couple of trips to Kyushu... read all

For my second last day in Japan, I was in Iriki and needed to drop my car off near Kagoshima station... read all

Some people say that good food in Japan can cost a lot of money. This is true but if you visit less seen places then you can taste nice food at reasonable prices... read all

For my third last full day in Japan - I decided to drive from Ibusuki and up the Western Coast of the Satsuma Peninsula to Iriki... read all

For today I drove between Jigenji to Ibusuki which is on the Satsuma Peninsula. Even though the distance traveled today was not great... read all

After having one of my best days in Japan for a long time yesterday on my drive from Tarumizu to Jigenji, I drove to Ibusuki today via Chiran... read all

After spending the night in Tarumizu on the West Coast of Kagoshima, I decided to drive to Kanoya and then drive past Kagoshima to Jigenji... read all

After spending two days in Kagoshima City, I picked up a car for 5 days to explore the two most southern peninsulas in Japan found in Kagoshima Prefecture... read all

After visiting the Shiroyama area of Kagoshima City in the morning, I made my way by bus to the Sengan-en Garden area... read all

For my 17th day in Japan, I was based on Kagoshima City so decided to view some of the sites around Shiroyama in the morning... read all

After spending 4 nights on Yakushima, I took a morning flight to Kagoshima to see what this city has to offer... read all

For my third and last day on Yakushima, I decided to circumnavigate the main road around the entire island... read all

After visiting Shiratani Unsui for my first day on Yakushima, I decided to head towards Ando to visit Yakisugi Land... read all

or my first day of the new decade, I am based on Yakushima Island which is known for it's large cedar trees and mossy forests... read all

For my fifth and last day in Kyoto - I decided to visit some minor temples around Tofukuki due to the fact that most museums are closed... read all

fter spending the morning in the Todaiji area of Nara - I decided to visit Kasuga Taisha and then come back to Kintetsu Nara station in the afternoon... read all

For my fourth day in Kyoto - I decided to once again leave the city and escape with the crowds to Nara... read all

After spending the morning around Takao in the North West of Kyoto, I decided to spend some time around the Kodaiji Temple area of Kyoto... read all

My my third morning in Kyoto, I decided to catch a bus to the Western foothills of Kyoto to visit Takao - where some mountain temples can be found... read all

For my second day in Kyoto - I decided to pick up a car and drive to Amanohashidate to view one of the three great views of Japan... read all

For my second day in Kyoto, I decided to pick up a car and drive out of the city to see what is outside of the Old Imperial Capital... read all

For my seventh day in Japan, I finally made it to one of the old imperial capitals on Japan - Kyoto... read all

For my last post in Shiga, I've included some of the sites which were visited over several days in Southern Shiga... read all

For my sixth day in Japan, I spent the morning in Iga Ueno to see what this little town has to offer... read all

For the afternoon of my fifth day in Japan, I made my was to Omi Hachiman which is known as one of the few canal towns in Japan... read all

For the morning of my fifth day in Japan, I decided to visit Higashi Omi which is located a few kilometers from Goshako Station on the Omiji Line... read all

After visiting Chikubu Island on Lake Biwa in the morning, I came back by boat to see what Nagahama had to offer... read all

For my fourth day in Japan, I decided to visit Chikubu Island which is found in the North of Lake Biwa... read all

For my third day in Japan, I jumped on a Shinkansen from Shin-Kobe station and made my way to Otsu - the gateway to Lake Biwa... read all

After visiting Kobe earlier in the day, I decided to visit Arima Onsen in the afternoon due to the pull of finally soaking in good onsen water after 12 months... read all

For my second post in Kobe, I visited some of the touristy sites on the slight outskirts of the city. Note that Kobe has good public transport, but... read all

After a night flight into Osaka Kansai airport, I decided to make my way to Kobe via the ferry which takes a 5 minute bus ride and a 30 minute ferry... read all

For my last day in Japan, I decided to re-visit two towns of Kashima and Dazaifu so I can see some of the sites I missed the first time round... read all

For the afternoon of my 12th day in Japan, I decided to visit Arita which is somewhere I have been avoiding due to my dislike of pottery and the like... read all

For my 12th day in Japan after staying the night in Ureshino, I decided to revisit Takeo after briefly visiting a couple of years ago... read all

For my 11th day in Japan, I travelled from Kurokawa in Kumamoto Prefecture to Ureshino in Saga Prefecture which is quite a drive... read all

For my 10th day in Japan, I decided to travel from Aso to Kurokawa Onsen through mainly back roads... read all

or my ninth day in Japan, I drove around some of the most beautiful scenery found in Kyushu - that being Mt Aso... read all

Yamaga is a small town in North Eastern Kumamoto which has one of the prettier traditional streets in Kyushu... read all

After spending a reasonably soggy night in Minamata, I travelled North back into Kumamoto Prefecture to see some of the sites found on the outskirts of the capital... read all

For the afternoon of my sixth day in Japan, I visited the small town of Minamata which unfortunately is known after a disease caused by Mercury poisoning which is named after the town... read all

For my sixth day in Japan, I made my way from Hitoyoshi to the Northern tip of Kagoshima prefecture to visit Izumi... read all

Originally for my fifth day in Japan, I was planning on visiting the main sites around Hitoyoshi in Kumamoto Prefecture but managed to see most of them yesterday... read all

After visiting Yatsushiro in the morning, I decided to travel to inland Kumamoto and see Hitoyoshi which is locally known for it's castle and Aoiaso Shrine... read all

For my fourth day in Kyushu, I drove around around one hour from Amakusa to Yatsushiro - a reasonably sleepy town found south of Kumamoto city... read all

For my eighth day in Japan, I decided to explore some of the sites found in central Kumamoto City which is also highly geared up for western tourists... read all

For my third day in Japan, I decided to drive around the Amasuka Islands in Kumamoto to see what these islands had to offer... read all

For my second day in Japan, I travelled from Munakata in Fukuoka Prefecture down to Kami-Amasuka in Kumomoto Prefecture... read all

For my first day in Japan, I travelled around 40 kilometers to Hetsu-Miya Shrine in Munakata... read all

For my last post in the series of Hidden Honshu, I will be covering Fukuyama which is located in Hiroshima Prefecture... read all

After visiting Iwakuni in the morning, I drove a few hundred kilometers on the Expressway to Tomonoura... read all

For today, I made my way to Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture which is known for the Kintai-kyo Bride... read all

Tsuwano is a small castle town located in the interior of Shimane Prefecture on the main island of Japan... read all

Hagi is close to the only location in Japan where I have seen a town so classically broken up into four sections which can be seen through their residences... read all

As I spent two days in Hagi, I have split my posts for the town over three individual posts... read all

Hagi is the castle town on the Sea of Japan which contains one of the best preserved (if not best preserved) historical centres in the country... read all

Iwami Ginzan is located in Shimane Prefecture and is home to a Silver Mine which at one stage produced around 1/3 of the world silver... read all

Izumo is home to one of Japan's most important Shrines - Izumo Taisha... read all

For this afternoons post, I visited the old castle town of Yonago on the west coast of Tottori Prefecture... read all

For my first day in the Chugoku region of Honshu, I picked up a car in Fukuyama and drove around 200-300 kilometers to view some gardens in the general Matsue area... read all

For my thirteenth day in Japan, I made my way to Mikuni which used to be an important shipping port between the 1500's to 1880's... read all

For today, I made my way to Fukui district to visit the last of the 12 original keep castles that I have not visited yet... read all

For my last day in Kanazawa, I decided to visit some of the museums found in this prefectural capital... read all

For my second post on Kanazawa, I will be focussing on the Nagamichi Samurai district which is located on the South Western corner of Kanazawa castle... read all

For my tenth day in Japan, I made my way to Ishikawa Prefecture to revisit Kanazawa after originally visiting in 2012... read all

Located down the South West Tip of Sado Island, Shukunegi is a pretty fishing village which has plenty to see and can basically be called a microcosm of Sado Island read all

For my ninth day in Japan, I visited some of the major sites to be found in Southern Sado Island of Niigata Prefecture... read all

For my eighth day in Japan, I decided to visit some of the main temples on Sado Island followed by a scenic drive along the North Coast... read all

After spending most of my first week in Tohoku, I made my way down to Sado Island which is found in Niigata Prefecture for my seventh day in Japan... read all

For my sixth day in Japan, I travelled south from Akita to the small town of Sakata in Yamagata Prefecture... read all

For my fifth day in Japan, I decided to visit Akita which is mainly known for the Akita Kanto Matsuri which occurs in early August... read all

For my fourth day in Japan I moved from the acidic waters of Tamagawa Onsen (1.2 pH!) to the famous samurai and hanami town of Kakunodate... read all

For my third day in Japan, I decided to travel North from Nyuto Onsen to Tamagawa Onsen which is famous for having the most acidic onsen water in the country... read all

For my second day in Japan, I picked up a car at Morioka Station and drove to Nyuto Onsen... read all

My first town visited is my only location not on Honshu for this trip - Matsumae. This small and slightly difficult to reach town is located in Southern Hokkaido... read all

For my last post in the Southern Odyssey Series, I visited the traditional Island of Taketomi in the Yaeyama Islands... read all

For my second last day in Okinawa, I decided to see what Ishigaki City had to offer. For those who do not know, Ishigaki City is the most southern major city in Japan... read all

For my second last day in Japan, I decided to hire a car and drive around Ishigaki to see what the island had to offer... read all

After catching the Nakama River Cruise earlier in the day, I decided to drive around the rest of Iriomote in the Yaeyama Islands... read all

For today, I am traveling from Okinawa to Iriomote in the Yaeyama Islands which requires quite a bit of travel... read all

For my last day in Okinawa, I visited some of the main sites in south which are based around the American invasion in 1945... read all

For my last two days on Okinawa, I decided to visit some of the major and minor attractions found in Southern Okinawa... read all

For my fourth day in Okinawa, I decided to visit most of the main sites around the capital of Naha... read all

For my third day on Okinawa Main Island I decided to go up North and complete quite a few walks... read all

For the afternoon on my second full day on Okinawa, I decided to visit Ocean Expo Park which is considered the main attraction on the island... read all

Ie Island is located around a 25 minute ferry ride from Motobu Port in the North West Coast of Okinawa's main island and feels as though it's a world away... read all

When I decided to visit Okinawa in the middle of winter - the last thing I expected to find was one of the most unique Hanami spots in the whole of Japan... read all

The history of Okinawa is quite interesting and is not as black and white as that of the mainland... read all

For my last day on Amami Oshima, I visited a couple of beaches, made my way to Okinawa and went to a couple of attractions located close to my hotel... read all

For my third day on Amami Oshima, I decided to drive along the sparsely populated West Coast. The roads are windy and narrow but often offer spectacular views... read all

For my second day in Amami Oshima, I drove from Naze to Setouchi and visited many of the major attractions found around the island... read all

After catching a 2 hour plane from Osaka Itami Airport, I picked up my car (the best way to get around the island) and visited the following locations... read all

For my last full day in Japan for this trip, I made my way from Shikotsu Lake to Noboribetsu via Lake Toyako... read all

For my second last full day in Japan, I drove between Otaru and Skikotsu Lake which is located south of Sapporo... read all

After visiting Yoichi earlier in the morning, I finally made my way to the touristy port town of Otaru... read all

After staying at Sapporo last night, I decided to take a side trip to Yoichi on my way to Otaru read all

For today, I drove from Biei to Sapporo via Furano, which is also known for it's flower fields... read all

After a good soak (onsen) and good feed (kaiseki) last night, my job for the day was to make my way to Biei... read all

After completing a lot of driving yesterday, I was traveling a much shorter distance between Shibetsu to Sounkyu Gorge/Onsen in the Daisetsuzan National Park... read all

Early this morning, I caught a 2 hour ferry from Rebun Island to Wakkanai. I then picked up my car a little before lunch... read all

For my last day on Rebun Island, I decided to take an easy walk around Lake Kushu along with visiting some small sites found in Kafuka... read all

After two drizzly days in Hokkaido, it was great to see the weather clear up as I made my way to Rebun Island... read all

After spending a few days sweltering in the Kansai Region, I was a little shocked to get off the plane at Rishiri Island to find that the temperature at 2PM in Summer was a chilly 11 C... read all

For my last day in Nara prefecture, I decided to visit Imaicho before hopping on a plane to Hokkaido... read all

For today's post, I visited some of the local attractions which can be found around Asuka and Sakurai. As this location is known as the cradle of Japanese civilization... read all

Since Nara Prefecture is known for being the cradle of Japanese civilization, it should come as no surprise that it's also home to some of the oldest temples found in Japan... read all

After spending my last day in Osaka Prefecture, I picked up my car from Kansai Airport and drive 90 km's to Yoshino which is based in Nara Prefecture... read all

When most people visit Osaka Prefecture, they visit Osaka City but do not visit any of the rural or secondary cities... read all

When many Japanese think of Osaka, they often remember the Glico Running Man which can be found in Dotonbori... read all

For my second day in Japan, I decided to visit some of the western attractions found around Osaka City... read all

Over the next three days, I will be exploring the general Osaka and Sakai area. The main areas visited today were based around the Osaka Castle Area and the Tennoji Area... read all

For my last day in Kyushu, I drove from to Kurume City which is located rather close to Fukuoka City... read all

For my last full day in Miyazaki, I made by way from Miyazaki city to the gateway city of Kobayashi which is not really known for anything in particular... read all

Obi Castle Town is a highly impressive preserved samurai district located roughly 1 hours drive from downtown Miyazaki City... read all

For my third full day in Miyazaki, I made my way down south along the Nichinan Coast... read all

After an early breakfast in Takachiho, I decided to drive the 130 km to Miyazaki City to see what this laid back city has to offer... read all

For my first day in Miyazaki, I decided to visit Takachiho which is known for a famous story where the sun goddess hid in a cave... read all

For my last day in Oita, I visited the main sites in Usuki City along with a few sites a little outside of the city centre... read all

As I had a free day today, I decided to take a drive to Hita which is located roughly 50 km's from Yufuin... read all

After visiting Beppu in the morning, I made my way to Yufuin which is known for both it's onsens and spectacular scenery... read all

As Beppu Town is not as picturesque as many other onsen towns due to sheer over development, I decided to focus on the main reason why the onsen water is in this town... read all

For my second post today, I quickly visited the main sites that the capital of Oita Prefecture had to offer... read all

Kitsuki Castle Town is a large and high quality traditional town which is roughly 30 kilometers from Oita City... read all

Hiji is located around a 15 minute drive from Beppu and is known as the little brother to the more impressive and larger Kitsuki... read all

After a good soak in an onsen at the aptly named Yamaga Onsen, I decided to spend my second full day in Oita... read all

For the second half of my first day, I continued to drive East towards the base of the Kunisaki Peninsula... read all

Over 12 nights in chilly January and February 2017, I will be driving through Oita, Miyazaki and Fukuoka prefectures to see what these slightly less visited locations have to offer... read all

After two enjoyable but hot weeks in North Western Kyushu my last post will cover the large and sprawling Ohori Park found in Fukuoka City... read all

For my second last day in Japan after travelling all the way from Mt Unzen in Nagasaki Prefecture was a temple and shrine cluster found near Gion Station in Fukuoka... read all

For my second last night in Japan - I decided to head out to Unzen Onsen along the Shimabara Peninsula in Nagasaki Prefecture... read all

Shimabara is a sleepy town located in the South East of Nagasaki prefecture and is known for the historically important Shimabara rebellion... read all

For my second day in Nagasaki, I visited quite a few temples along with a few of the main sites found in the northern section of the city... read all

At present, I have travelled to many parts of Japan but Nagasaki is probably close to my favourite major city in Japan... read all

Hashima Island or Gunkanjima is a small but previously heavily populated island located around 50 minutes from Nagasaki by fast speed boat.... read all

For my second day at Huis Ten Bosch - I decided to visit the remaining attractions I did not visit last night... read all

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For today, I decided to visit Hirado which is a rather rural island found off the North Western coast of Nagasaski prefecture... read all

Takeo is a easily accessible onsen town with good transport links to both Nagasaki and Fukuoka... read all

Yutoku Inari Shrine is located roughly 50 minutes by bus from Ureshima (920 yen one way) or 10 minutes from Kashima Bus Station... read all

Ureshino is a small onsen town in Saga prefecture located around 40 minutes by bus from Takeo Onsen which has it's own train station... read all

Yoshinogari Park is an impressive archaeological site which looks at the Yayoi Period (around time of Christ)... read all

When you normally visit the prefectural capital it's normally a hive of commerce and activity... read all

Huis Ten Bosch is a rather unique theme park based on European Canal towns located around 18 minutes by train from Sasebo... read all

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For my first day in Saga, I decided to visit the quiet seaside castle town of Karatsu which is also known for it's pottery. The town can be reached from Hakata (Fukuoka)... read all

Mojiko is a pretty little town located near Kokura (Kitakyushu) and is known for it's proximity to Honshu... read all

After visiting some of the sites located around Fukuoka city - I decided to jump on the Shinkansen for 16 minutes in Hakata and travel to Kokura... read all

For my third day in NW Kyushu, I decided to visit the shrine town of Dazaifu which is located relatively close to Fukuoka city... read all

For my second full day in Fukuoka City, I decided to visit Nokonoshima Island which is located relatively close to the city centre... read all

As I visited on a Sunday in summer, there were quite a few people on the train who had also purchased the same ticket as I did... read all

For my last post of this series, I've decided to put together my personal Best of Shikoku List... read all

After spending a highly enjoyable 2 weeks travelling around Shikoku, I decided to make a quick stop over in Okayama city... read all

For my last full day in Shikoku, I decided to drive from Matsuyama to Marugame and Kotohira in Kagawa Prefecture. After around 125 km's and 25 tunnels, I finally made my way back to almost where I started - that being 30 km's from Takamatsu read all

After travelling by car or public transport to get to most of my locations visited, it was a nice breath of fresh air to wake up... read all

After visiting Ozu earlier in the day, I decided to also stop by Uchiko on my way to Matsuyama... read all

For this morning, I decided to continue my visit around the old castle town of Ozu. This town has good English signage and is relatively compact... read all

After visiting Uwajima earlier in the day than expected, I noticed that I was around 20 minutes from a little town called Seiyo... read all

For today, I was driving more than half the length of Kochi prefecture from Kochi to Otuski which is much slower and further than it looks... read all

After a very wet Saturday, I explored the main sites in Kochi city under much better weather which was refreshing... read all

As I started the day in Otsuki and finished in Ozu, I have decided to post two user reports for today... read all

or the past 500 or so years on the 3rd Saturday in February, the Saidaiji Temple near Okayama city has celebrated the Hadaka Matsuri... read all

On a very rainy Saturday - I drove from Toyo to Yase which is located relatively close to Kochi... read all

For today, I started the day in Naruto which is known mainly for it's whirlpools caused by deep water and high water inflow through the Seto sea... read all

After visiting Yashima-ji and Shikoku Mura earlier in the day - I started my first large drive in Shikoku today by driving between Takamatsu and Naruto... read all

Takamatsu is one of the largest cities in Shikoku and is also the capital of Kagawa prefecture... read all

fter exploring most of the major sites on Naoshima yesterday, I decided to walk from my accommodation near the Benesse House... read all

Two decades ago, Naoshima along with many of the Seto Islands seemed to be dying a slow death... read all

My name is Mathew Fedley and I teach Science & Math in Suzhou, China. Apart from teaching/tormenting Grade 7 students in my spare time, I also have a passion for travel... read all

If there is one thing Japan has in abundance - it's different types of accommodation. There are minshuku's, ryokan's, business hotels, love hotels, normal hotels, shukubo's and even pensions just to name a few... read all

For most people who have travelled Japan, they know that the food can be amazing if you know where to look... read all

For my last full day of touring in Japan before I made my way back to Narita, I decided to drive 60 minutes from Shingu to the last of the three main Kumuno shrines... read all

For today I travelled a whole 15 minutes by train from Kii-Katsuura to my next location of Shingu which is mainly known for the Hayatama Taishia Grand Shrine... read all

For today, I continued my trip along the Kunamo Kodo in Wakayama prefecture by visiting Nachi Taisha which is one of the three main shrines along the Kumano pilgrimage route... read all

After spending two nights in Wakayama city I made the 70 minute train journey to the gateway of the Kumano Kodo... read all

Wakayama is a sprawling city which is only 1 hour from Shin-Osaka station by aptly hourly express trains... read all

Tottori city is easily over 6 hours from Tokyo via express train and Shinkansen and life is much slower here than the major cities in Kanto and Kansai... read all

When I was in Kinosaki Onsen, I went on a small half day trip to the old castle town of Izushi... read all

After spending a night at Yamanaka Onsen, I'm making my way down to Kinosaki Onsen in Hyogo Prefecture... read all

For today, I visited Yamanaka Onsen which is one of the four onsen towns based around Kaga Station... read all

After driving around the east coast of the Noto Peninsula yesterday, I decided to check out what Wajima had to offer along with travelling down to Wakura Onsen... read all

Well after a drizzly day, I was happy to see that the weather had improved... read all

For my travels today, I first took the Shinkansen from Itoigawa to Kanazawa (little under an hour) and then drove from Kanazawa to the sleepy fishing village of Wajima... read all

Yesterday I travelled along the ocean to see what Itoigawa had to offer and today I headed inland along the old Salt Road to Matsumoto... read all

Itoigawa is located in the Southern tip of Niigata prefecture and can be reached by the new Hokuriku Shinkansen in around 2 hours... read all

For today, I left the sleepy town of Iiyama for the Kurobe Dam Railway in Toyama. The one stark difference I have noticed is that there are now lots of tourists -albeit of the Japanese variety... read all

For my last post, I showed you some of the more rural sites of Iiyama. However, I decided to spend most of today in Iiyama town along with visiting Madarao Kogen... read all

Iiyama is roughly 2 hours from Tokyo on the new Hokuriku Shinkansen and is home to beautiful scenery which Nagano prefecture is famous for... read all

Manza Onsen is a rural onsen town in Gunma Prefecture which is famous for it's highly acidic waters along with large chain hotels... read all

Kusatsu onsen in Gunma Prefecture is widely known as one of the best places in the Kanto region for high quality hot springs... read all

Dewa Sanzan consists of three shrines found at the top of three different mountains (Haguro-san, Gas-san & Yudono-san)... read all

or today, I hired a car to travel around the general Tsuruoka area which saves a lot of time compared to catching sparse public transport... read all

Tsuruoka is located in the South West of Yamagata prefecture and is known as the main gateway town for the Dewa Sanzan shrines... read all

When most people visit Gunma, they head straight to the onsens of Kusatsu and Manza... read all

My name is Mathew Fedley and I am an international math/science teacher who will be exploring... read all

For me, Koyo is probably the most amazing time to travel around Japan. There can be large crowds but most of the time you can be absolutely blessed in viewing... read all

Three years ago, I moved to Japan for a job having visiting little of my previous host country (Taiwan). As such, I decided to travel Japan as extensively as possible with the time... read all

Yahiko is located a little over 60 minutes from Niigata via the Echigo and Yahiko line(760 yen) with a change at Yoshida... read all

Ajiro Onsen is located around 80-90 minutes from Tokyo via the Odoriko Express train. This small town is located quite close to Atami on the Izu Peninsula... read all

Gifu city is located a little over 2 hours from Tokyo via Shinkansen and JR train from Nagoya. It’s mainly known for it’s Cormorant fishing... read all

Gifu City is one of the locations in Japan where you can view the 1300 year old tradition of Cormorant fishing... read all

Getting to the temple is reasonably easy, albeit there are not as many connections via public transport as I would like... read all

Gunma Flower Park is located near Maebashi in a rural setting close to Mt Akagi... read all

Obuse is a pretty little town around 35 minutes from Nagano Station via the train on the Nagaden line... read all

Togakushi is around 65 minutes from Nagano station and is known for the 3 Tohakushi Shrines. It costs 1350 Yen to travel by bus to the Upper Shrine... read all

Today, I visited Toyokawa & Toyohashi which are a little bit off the Western tourist trail. Toyokawa is around 90 minutes from Tokyo via Hikari Shinkansen... read all

Futagawa is around 6 minutes by train from Toyohashi on the Toyoko Line. It's not well known in Japan, but is quite well known locally for being home to the huge Nonhoi Park... read all

Ono is a small town located in Fukui prefecture which is located roughly 50 minutes from the prefectural capital... read all

Up in the North West corner of Chubu is the prefecture of Fukui. Apart from being home to a large number of Nuclear Power stations... read all

The Boso peninsula is not too far from Tokyo, but feels a world away as it's not very densely populated... read all

Izumo Taisha is known as the second most important shrine in Japan after Ise in Mie Prefecture... read all

Matsue is around 4 hours by local train from Hagi and is home to one of Japan's largest original castles... read all

Hagi is around 80 minutes by bus from Shin-Yamaguchi Station (4 hours by Shinkansen from Tokyo) and is one of the most enjoyable places I have been in Japan... read all

Yamaguchi is a little over 4 hours via Shinkansen to Shin-Yamaguchi station, where it is another 23 minutes to Yamaguchi town by local train... read all

Akiyoshido Caves is around 40 minutes from Shin-Yamaguchi station by bus and is one of Japan's premier cave systems... read all

Miyajima is one of the most visited locations in the Chugoku region and this is for good reason... read all

Hiroshima is roughly 4 hours by Shinkansen from Tokyo and is mainly known as the detonation site for the first nuclear explosion on a residential area on earth... read all

Onomichi is located around 60 minutes from Kurashiki via local train and is known as a point where you can ride your bike to Shikoku... read all

Kurashiki is located a little under 20 minutes from Okayama via local train. Once you come out of the train station, it feels very similar to many towns... read all

Bitchu-Takahashi is a beautiful little town that can be reached from Kurashiki by train in 25 minutes (1300) on an express train of 40 minutes by local train... read all

The Kibi Plain is an area near Okayama which is quite nice to ride a bike for a couple of hours. Bikes can be hired from Bizen Ichinomiya Station for 1000 Yen... read all

Inujima Art Park is located roughly 90-120 minutes from Okayama and requires you to catch a train, bus and ferry... read all

Okayama is 90KM's, 21 tunnels or 20 minutes from Himeji via the Nozomi (Express) Shinkansen. The town itself is mainly known Korakuen Gardens... read all

Himeji is around 180 minutes from Tokyo via the Nozomi (Express) Shinkansen and is often seen as an obligatory stop due to Himeji Castle... read all

Engyogi Temple has a history of over 1000 years, but is more known as one of the sets from The Last Samurai... read all

Both Tsumago and Magome are old postal towns in the Kiso valley that followed the Nakasendo Road between Kyoto and Tokyo... read all

Ito is around 2 hours from Tokyo via Odoriko Express train and can be described as being a world away from central Tokyo. As I can easily reach here within 90 minutes from Yokohama, I've visited this small but amazing town almost countless read all

As I was staying opposite the Imperial Palace and got back late to my hotel on Saturday night, I decided to complete a smaller walk on Sunday... read all

Yesterday, I posted the first section of my walk through Arashiyama which is 17 minutes from Kyoto station on the San-In line... read all

Arashiyama is in the North Western mountains of Kyoto and is well known for it's autumn colours. It's 17 minutes between Kyoto Station and Saga-Arashiyama station on the San-In line... read all

After a very busy day visiting Arashiyama earlier in the day, I decided to visit Tofukuji, Choin-in & Shoren-in temple in the late afternoon and evening... read all

Showa Memorial Park is located a little over 30 minutes by train from Shinjuku station. As the park is so large - there are a number of stations to choose from... read all

Kofu is around 90 minutes from Shinjuku station in Tokyo and is the capital of Yamanashi prefecture. It seems as though this town is off the grid for Western tourists... read all

Shosenkyo Gorge is located around 30-50 minutes by bus from Kofu City (570-870 Yen) and is often labelled as the most beautiful gorge in Japan. After viewing this gorge close to the peak of Autumn leaf season, I now see why... read all

Hirosaki is located around 40 minutes from Aomori. As mentioned in my previous post - Hirosaki is known for it's castle and apples... read all

Hirosaki is located around 40 minutes by train from Aomori. Apart from apples, Hirosaki is known as being a previous castle... read all

Oirase Stream is located in Aomori prefecture and is known as one of the most famous Koyo or Autumn color locations in all of Japan. Altogether, you can walk 13.5 KM along the stream from Nenokuchi to Yakeyama... read all

Lake Towada is located in Aomori Prefecture and is a little tricky to get to. First, you need to catch a Shinkansen to either Shin-Aomori or Hachinohe and then catch a bus which takes between 120 to 150 minutes... read all

Tono is located in Iwate Prefecture. You can reach Tono by catching a Shinkansen to Shin-Hanamaki (3hrs 20 mins) and then catch another train to Tono... read all

Tono is one beautiful town - specifically the countryside. As such - I've broken today into two posts. One of country Tono (next post) and the Shrine Cluster shown below... read all

Tono is found in Iwate prefecture and is known as the folklore capital of Japan. To reach Tono, you need to catch a Shinkansen to Shin-Hanamaki from Tokyo (3 hours). Then - you need to catch another trail to Tono... read all

Urabandai is known in Japan for being one of the better areas to view Koyo (autumn leaves) in the Tohoku Region... read all

Kamikouchi is a highly beautiful and very popular national park found in Nagano Prefecture. Even though it is a beautiful place to travel to, it is quite annoying to get there... read all

Mito is roughly 70 minutes by express train from Ueno Station in Tokyo. The town is famous for Kairakuen Gardens which is home to 3000 or so Plum/Apricot trees... read all

After living in Japan for over two years, I am now at a stage where I have exhausted most guidebooks along with JG for weekends away from Tokyo... read all

Atami is around 50 minutes from Tokyo via Shinkansen or 2 hours via the Toyoko Line. Apart from being the gateway for the Izu Peninsula, Atami is also known as a heavily developed Onsen resort... read all

Noboribetsu is around 70-80 by train from Sapporo and has what I see as the best onsen water in all of Japan... read all

Mt Asahidate is roughly 90 minutes by bus from Asahikawa (1320 yen one way) or 60 minutes by car. There are 3 buses a day in the summer months... read all

Asahiyama Zoo in Hokkaido is known as being one of the best zoos in the country. It's mainly known for it's arctic animals along with unusual ways to view the animals... read all

It's sometimes strange how you end up at a specific destination. For me - I was meant to be in Abashiri but ended up in Sapporo because of a cancelled train yesterday... read all

Lake Toya is what I would call a normal Ryokan town experience in Hokkaido. Most people stay at a hotel or Ryokan which includes an onsen, kaiseki dinner and there is a nice view... read all

The Aomori Nebuta Matsuri is one of three main Tohoku festivals. It occurs between August 2nd - 7th with a large firework display occurring on the last night... read all

The Shimokita Peninsula is quite remote for Japan. It's roughly 2 hours to Shimokita station from Aomori if the trains connect... read all

Tohoku is famous for three festivals or Matsuri's. Today, I visted the Akita Kanto Matsuri which is located a little over 4 hours from Tokyo via Shinkansen... read all

Yumoto Onsen is found in the Nikko National Park and can be reached by Tobu bus in around 80 minutes from JR Nikko... read all

Daigo-ji is roughly 30 minutes from Kyoto station travelleving via the Karasuma Subway (6 minutes) and Tozai Subway Line (24 minutes)... read all

Mt Hieizan (aka - Enryakuji Temple) is found in the Northern foothills of Kyoto. You can reach here via bus from Kyoto station - or the easiest way is to catch the the Karasuma Subway line... read all

Ohara can be found in the Northern mountains and can reaches by either bus directly from Kyoto Station (1 hour) or train to Kokusaikaikan Station and bus to Ohara... read all

Today, I visited 4 times in the Koryuji area of Kyoto. All of these temples can be described as being a little bit off the beaten track (Koryuji Temple, Hongkongo-ji Temple, Myoshin-ji Temple & Ninnai-ji Temple) along with not always being read all

Uji is located between Nara and Kyoto and can be reaching via train on the Nara line in between 15-25 minutes. The town itself has quite a few noticeable temples and shrines (including two which are world heritage listed) along with other a read all

There are four castles in Japan which are considered national treasures - which are found in Matsumoto, Inuyama, Himeji and Hikone... read all

Over the next few day's I'll be making some reports from the Kansai region. As I'm based in Kyoto... read all

Today, I visited Kyu Shiba Garden, Hama-Rikyu Garden and Shiba Park near Hamamatsucho Station. All are within a 20 minute walk of the other... read all

Tokyo is famous for it's hustle and bustle, but scratch the surface and there are many different parks and gardens to explore and relax in... read all

Ouchijuku is an old postal town around 30 KM from Aizu Wakamatsu. The main way to get there is by catch the train from Aizu Wakamatsu to Yunokami Onsen... read all

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Geibi-kei gorge is 35 minutes from Ichinoseki via train. There are some attractions in the area, but it is mainly known for it's 90 minute boat rides which involves floating down a river whilst a man or women steers the boat with a stick... read all

Hiraizumi is a small town in Tohuku that has some big attractions. It takes roughly 140 minutes to reach Ichinoseki, then another 10 minutes on another line to get to Hiraizumi... read all

Like many places in Japan, Matsusaka used to be a castle town. Today, it is mainly known for it's high quality beef and as a transport hub for Mie Prefecture... read all

On Sunday, I visited two different areas in Nara. This is the second half day trip that can be taken in the South West... read all

Most people who come to Nara visit Nara park and then leave. Today, I visited the South West part of Nara and will make 2 posts of two different areas... read all

Golden Week is known for a couple of things - large crowds, long waits and booked out accommodation... read all

Even though Kamakura is not as large as Kyoto, it still can take a couple of days to visit all of the major sites... read all

Yamadera (or Mountain Temple in Japanese) is located 20 minutes by Train from Yamagata or 60 minutes by train from Sendai... read all

Yamagata is around 170 minutes from Tokyo via Shinkansen. There are numerous places in the city to view cherry blossoms - but Kajo Park is the main place... read all

Yonezawa is around 40 minutes from Yamagata via Shinkansen and is mainly famous for it's beef and it's Matsuri that occurs during the first weekend in May... read all

Nikko is mainly famous for its temples, but there is plenty to do here apart from visiting the temples... read all

If there is one place near Tokyo that sends shivers down the spine of Japanese tourists during Golden Week - it is the possible crowds before Golden Week at Nikko... read all

The Meiji Era in my opinion is what makes Japan different from all other Asian countries. Japan was the only country in Asia that industrialized... read all

Inuyama is around 40 minutes by local train from Nagoya on the Mitetsu line. It is also home to one of four Japanese castles which has been registered as a treasure of Japan... read all

I've been to many places in Japan, but Koyasan seems to be one of my favorite. I'm also not a religious person, but this area does feel spiritual... read all

Koyasan is often described as the heart of Buddhism in Japan. On Thursday, I went for a short bike ride that covered most of the major sites... read all

Nara Park is situated around 20 minutes walk from Nara Station or 5 minutes from Kintensu Nara station... read all

The Philosopher's trail area can be quite busy - but has plenty to see and do in the general area... read all

Sakura season in Kyoto can be interesting. One area has the petals starting to fall, while another area just up the road is no-where near it's peak... read all

Well, it's Sakura season and I can promise you that there are big crowds out at the big temples... read all

Furukawa is roughly 15-20 minutes north of Takayama by train. Just like Takayama, it is famous for its traditional buildings and carpenters... read all

For many people who have limited time in Tokyo they may complete a day trip to Nikko or spend a night in Hakone... read all

Odawara is a small town near the Izu Peninsula on the Tokaido Shinkansen (40 minutes) or Tokaido line (90 minutes) from central Tokyo... read all

Today I visited Sankeien Gardens & Honmoku Sancho Park. Both are located a 5-10 bike ride from where I live which sometimes have me questioning why I try and get away as many weekends as possible... read all

Just like a smaller version of Kyoto - spending one day in Kamakura does not do justice to how much there is to see in this small town... read all

Kawazu is located roughly 20 minutes by train from Shimoda and is mainly known for it's Sakura Matsuri along with the Kawazu falls... read all

Even though Shimoda is only around 150 km's from central Tokyo, the town has a much different feel to many other coastal towns in the general vicinity... read all

This weekend, I made my way down to the Izu Peninsula for the Kawazu & Minami-Izu Cherry Blossom Festivals... read all

This weekend, I visited Kamakura on my way to the Izu Peninsula. This individual travel report covers the general area around Hase... read all

This weekend, I went to Fuji Five Lakes and visited some places both on and a little bit off the tourist trail... read all

For today, I visited the Kawasaki Daishi temple, Daishi-koken Chinese Garden, Nihon Minkaen Open Air Museum & the Kawasaki Forest Park... read all

On Sunday, I was on my way back to Tokyo when I noticed that the city I was staying at had some attractions within walking distance of the train station... read all

On the same day as Sean, I went to Yamadera & Zao Onsen. Both can be easily covered in the same day dependent on weather conditions... read all

On a wet winter afternoon, I decided to just on the Sendai Loople bus and visited the following... read all

Matsushima is roughly 30 minutes by train from Sendai. It's famous for it's 200 or so islets along with temples... read all

When I remember looking in travel brouchures of Japan before moving here a couple of years ago, it always used to include the Snow Monkeys of Yamanouchi... read all

Shizuoka is roughly 90 minutes via Shinkansen from Tokyo heading towards Nagoya. The picture above entrance to the Kunozan Toshugu Shrine... read all