If in Tokyo, make sure to spend a day in the town of Kamakura – once the capital of Japan. Walk along sandy beaches, see the big Buddha and also – take the buss up the hill and visit Hokoku-ji shrine and its neighboring bamboo forest. Like a miniature of the famous bamboo forest in […]
Outisde Tokyo
Jigokudani Monkey Park
The famous snow monkeys of Japan are said to be the only monkeys that like to take a bath – in their case, in the heated hot springs, onsen, to protect themselves from the cold up in the mountains of Nagano.
Minami-Koshigaya Awa Odori
Awa Odori is a traditional Japanese street festival – taking place in the summer to celebrate the harvest season. The festival has its orginal from around 1100, and is still set up at several places around Japan each year. When living in Minami-Koshigaya in Saitama-ken, about 20km North of Tokyo, we got to experience the […]
Oze National Park
A mix of photos from a weekend spent in the mountain areas around Oze National Park, around 4 hours by car north of Tokyo. We stayed in cabins at Karama2, exploring the nature, national park and onsen areas during the day. Barbecuing at night.
Hoeiso Ryokan in Hakone
Hoeiso is a ryokan, a Japanese traditional style inn, situated in the beautiful green mountains of Hakone, right by a river. Hoeiso is a family owned Ryokan, opened in 1956, with around 20 rooms that are big enough to fit a family. Enjoy indoor and outdoor onsen, and feast on traditional Japanese dishes served in […]
Dining out in Shin-Koshigaya
The best part of living out in the Tokyo suburb of Koshigaya (part of Saitama-ken) was to experience the local Japanese vibe up close – especially by night when the izakayas filled up. Still unable to read kanji, the game of every night was to point, smile and be happily surprised by what was served. […]
Oume festival in Ome-shi Plum Park
This weekend we caught a crowded train to go visit Ome-shi Plum Park, around 1h and 30min West of Tokyo. We got of at HinataWada Station on the Ome Line and made our way 20 minutes up towards the blooming plum park. Along the road freshly made street food could be purchased, as well as […]
China Town, Yokohama
This Sunday we took a day trip to Yokohama, the second largest city in Japan, just one hour south of Tokyo. We wanted to catch the last glimpses of the Chinese New Year celebration that took place last weekend. China Town in Yokohama was beautifully decorated with red lanterns. Our new friend Massa showed us […]