Making the Most of your JR East Pass
For those who have been, or even planned to visit Japan I’m sure you’ve heard of the Japan Rail Pass. For those of you who are thinking of visiting Japan but haven’t yet heard of this cost-effective, money-saving travel tool, this post is for you. We’ve just returned from Japan, and wanted to share our experience […]
Don’t Skip: Nagasaki, Japan
Intro to Nagasaki Fishing village to busy port Modern visitors to Nagasaki may not realize there’s a lot more to the city’s history than its sad title as one of the places an atomic bomb was dropped in 1945. Nagasaki was once a sleepy fishing village. When the Portuguese arrived in the 16th century, they […]
Weekly Photo Challenge: Up
This image was taken in the Sagano bamboo forest in Arashiyama, west of Kyoto, Japan. The whole area has been known for its beautiful, natural setting since as early as the Heian period (794-1185), when nobles sought a place of clam and quiet outside the ancient capital. Lying between the Nonomiya-jinja shrine and Tenryu-ji temple, […]
Weekly Photo Challenge: Change
When thinking of the word “change,” (the cue for this week’s Weekly Photo Challenge) the thought of something old next to something new came to mind. Japan is a country of ancient culture and tradition right alongside the cutting edge of modern society and technology. This image was captured at Higashi Honganji Temple (dating back […]
Quite An Honor
We are SO excited that a photo we took on our most recent visit to Japan was chosen by the folks at Frommers to serve as back cover art for their newest Japan guide book. We originally submit the photo for a contest they were running. It caught the eye of one of the editors […]
Travel Budget Japan
In the case of Japan, the rumors are true: it can be VERY expensive. If you’ve got hotel reward points or friends/family to crash with, this is the place to use them! In our month in Japan we used some cost-saving methods to make our trip more economical. See below for details.
Reflection: Japan
Some of our favorite shots from our time in Japan, May 2011.
2011 Photo Roundup
South Korea Knowing less about South Korea than either Japan or China made for some wonderful surprises. A rich, colorful culture and curious, helpful people made our visit here one of true discovery. China Size and numbers, that’s China. Too big to possibly ever know then whole country and more people than imaginable. With thousands […]
Not the Last Goodbye
I’m posting from Seoul, and Japan seems a world away. Our last few days were a whirlwind of goodbyes and last-minute plans. We walked Yokohama in the mist, soaking in the ramen museum at Shin-Yokohama (regional ramen dishes in a 1958 recreated old-time setting) and spending the night in Kannai. A final visit with the […]
Put Down Your Rod and Reel
After leaving the mountains of Takayama, we made our last stop in Gifu before heading back to the Tokyo area. Our friend Miwa is from Gifu and just happened to be home visiting her family! We were met at the train station, and to our pleasant surprise our itinerary for the day had been completely […]