Page 5 of 6
The history of Japan as a united country with one capital started in what is today the Kansai region. With Kyoto as the long reigning capital of Japan its history is as rich as glorious. However, Kyoto has not been the first capital but instead it has been Nara which only lies half-an-hour train ride away from Kyoto which has been the first capital of Japan in 710 AD.
Continuing the walk in eastern Kyoto I walked to the Kodaji-ji Temple. It’s a more than 400 years old temple with a vast garden and bamboo forest attached to it. It’s crazy how big those bamboo trees grow in Japan compared to the ones I know from back in Germany.
If you are like me and want to see as much as possible without travelling from one sight to the other with lots of unworthy things in-between you’ll love eastern Kyoto. Starting with the north eastern Ginkakuji Temple you can follow the path of philosophy along the forest line all the way to the south eastern part of Kyoto …
So here is the deal, looking back at the 2 weeks I spent in Japan, Kyoto is probably the one place which conveys best what I had in mind when thinking of traditions and culture. If you want to see beautiful temples, shrines, gorgeous parks, lots of history and stories about ancient events and choose from a broad selection of different, delicious dishes and drinks…
From lake Ashi back to Hakone Yumoto where I had my accommodation it was possible to follow a partially reserved hiking path from the Edo period. With its copper stones and crisscrossing over small rivers and through bamboo forests it had its very own charm and was certainly the better option than taking the bus.
After 3 days of big city vibes in Tokyo it was time to see Japan, and by that I mean countryside and nature. As most countries, the capital…
One of the busiest holiday seasons in Japan is the Golden Week. Normally around the first week of May it combines 3 national holidays and is thus a common time to take the week off to travel with the family. Of course did I choose exactly this week for my stay in Tokyo which I was told resulted in even more people on the streets than usual.
The area containing the imperial palace (Kōkyo) and the surrounding green park environment is called Chiyoda. It’s calm peacefulness and scarce buildings on a vast area with nothing…
Leaving the modern grounds of Shinjuku I got some great recommendations about how to discover the eastern parts of Tokyo. So the plan was to start in the historic Asakusa quarter and then take a boat-ride south to the Hamarikyu Gardens from which I could easily discover the fish market and Ginza.
Shinjuku has it all: shops, nightlife, business, parks, charming back-alleys and of course Matsuya, the restaurant chain which provides typical Japanese breakfasts for little money.
Hungry as I was after arriving at the hostel, I decided to dive into the local cuisine immediately and thus asked the staff for a good local place around the corner. Generally, one of the best strategies I followed throughout my trip to discover real treasures. It always went like:
What’s the local thing here in this city and which restaurant can you recommend me for it?
The colourful, buzzing shopping and night-life district on the Western part of the Tokyo Yamanote loop line offers the perfect surrounding for a Tokyo base camp. From here you conveniently get to all other parts of the city .