Old Town Pingyao The old part of Pingyao, within the walls, is a very well-preserved ancient city. The population is nearly half a million but to Chinese standards it’s tiny…

The city walls still stand around the heart of this city that was once the end of the Silk Road. It makes navigation that much easier: if you go too…

Located northwest of the center of town, the Summer Palace was a retreat for royalty trying to get away from Beijing’s stifling summer heat. It began as imperial gardens, and…

Gyeongju is less than a couple of hours from Busan, but its atmosphere feels much further removed. There is more of a small-town feel, not rural, but a laid-back sort…

Leaving the city of Kyoto and heading north into the Japanese Alps for the city of Takayama was a much needed break from the fast pace of city life. Takayama…

An early start helped us beat the crowds to a special spot called Fushimi Inari. The shrines were originally dedicated to the gods of rice and sake, and later expanded…

We had the pleasure of our first couchsurfing experience with the Higashi family in Sakurai, about an hour south of Nara. For those not familiar with couchsurfing, it’s a program…

Hiroshima City Hiroshima was built on a delta, so rivers and canals crisscross the city at various points. Our hotel, Reino Inn, was at the western end of one of…

Nagasaki Peace Memorial A morning train ride brought us up to the north part of Nagasaki. We first entered the Peace Memorial Hall for Atomic Bomb Victims, which has a…

Kamakura was the capital of Japan from 1185 to 1333. It was a time of great battles and feuds, but eventually a leader called Yoritomo set up his base at…