One of the biggest misconceptions about Japan we run into commonly is the idea that food in Japan is very expensive. While some things such as fruit are much more expensive (but usually much better), there are many things that are not. And there are many things you can do to save money dining out...Read More
Today was our free day in Kyoto. I have to be honest, I just came down with a nasty cold, so I spent most of the day relaxing in our room. However, in our itineraries, we provide lots of information of fun things you can do with your free time. Tonight, we had our sayonara...Read More
Today was also a busy, packed schedule of wonderful sites to see. First thing in the morning after breakfast, we all headed toward Fushimi to see the Inari Shrine. It was a very large place, with lots of color (mostly orange). There seemed to be noticeably more attendants at this particular shrine, as well as...Read More
Today was a very fun-filled and packed day! We started the day at the Ryoan-ji, which is known for their rock garden. In this particular garden, there are 15 rocks in raked sand. When sitting on the deck, only 14 rocks can be seen at one time. You can try to move and see the...Read More
This morning it was POURING rain! We got onto the ferry and crossed back over to the main land, and traveled to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and Park. It was a very humbling experience. We went at our own pace, with our audio guides, and learned about how Japan was before the USA dropped...Read More
I love this island. A fun fact: there are tons of small, wild deer that are completely tame. I actually saw some of them posing for pictures with big groups (I am sure the photographer had food or something to make them cooperate). Be weary of paper or clothing though, they tend to eat them...Read More
The word `castle` makes me light up inside. I am filled with thoughts of kings and queens, romance and war, fantasy and imagination, so I was really looking forward to seeing Osaka Castle today (you are hearing this from a 27 year old female who was raised on Disney). Let me tell you, though it...Read More
Bright and early at 6am, the temple has a prayer service. Guests are welcome to join and participate or observe this prayer time with the monks which involves chanting certain traditional phrases in a monotone pitch. I personally did not attend, but I could hear the prayers down the hall. At 7am, we had breakfast,...Read More
Today was a long day of traveling on subways, trains, busses, and cable cars. We arrived around 4pm at our ryokan, which was the Jokiin Buddhist Temple. Jokiin means always joyous. Koyasan is such a beautiful mountain town, though right now it was VERY cold. They had received some snow right before we arrived, and...Read More
