Japan
// photo gallery
Colourful, chaotic and Historic
Japan has been at the top of my to-do list for many years.
Japan is booming. After the Tokyo Olympics and the post-COVID travel boom, the country is proving very popular as a destination, especially for Australians.
Our trip was short hitting many of the main sites and cities in this beautiful country, flying into Tokyo before catching the bullet train to Osaka.
Osaka was bright and buzzing, especially at night.
Even early in the morning, the streets are busy with Japanese salarymen coming home from a big night out. But at the same time you can find Japanese women in traditional dress wandering the streets.
From Osaka we took a quick day trip on the bullet train to Hiroshima. This was just a few days before the G8 meeting was due to take place there so the city was teaming with media and security. The museum there is confronting and a reminder of the atrocities that took place there.
We also saw one of Japan’s most famous locations, the tori gate that (at the right time) looks like it’s floating in the water. Unfortunately the tide was out so it was only floating on the tourists who were walking through the mud and sand to get close.
On our final day in Osaka we visited the aquarium. Impressive? Yes. But also somewhat disappointing. I’ve always wanted to see a whale shark and it was sad to see two of them in captivity.
From Osaka we headed into the hills, to stay in a traditional ryokan at Koyasan.
This is a traditional stay. Sleeping on futons, eating tofu with the monks who run the accommodation, and having to share bathrooms (traditional Japanese style) with others.
Next stop was Kyoto – my favourite city we visited. It is beautiful and historic.
On our first day there we took in some of the tourist sights but they were packed. I returned early the next morning (very early in fact, thanks to sunrise being at around 4am) and the same streets were deserted.
Kyoto’s famous tori gates were worth the early rise in particular.
The final stop on our trip was back to Tokyo.
The bright lights, big crossings and craziness was hard to take in, in just a couple of days. I could have spent another week just wandering the streets at night marveling at the lights.
We managed to time our trip there at the same time as the country’s largest sumo wrestling tournament was on. It was a fun afternoon and the Japanese take their sumo to the next level. A packed stadium with fans waving flags for their favourite wrestlers or houses, it was even the first story on the news that night – showing this was the big time!
Another of the highlights was our dinner on our last night. I’ve always loved the movie Lost In Translation so we visit the hotel from the movie and the famous New York Grill for dinner. An amazing experience, high over the glittering lights that just seem to go for miles and miles.
Japan is kooky but beautiful. I could go back in a heartbeat.