TOKYO, JAPAN

First of all, I’ld like to apologies for the lack of posts. I thought I was going to be able to post a photo a day but I quickly realised it wasn’t going to be possible. With early mornings, late nights, days full with travel and visits, the only time I had was on the long train rides between cities but I used that to catch up on some sleep. I didn’t think our days were going to be so long and full. Anyway…

The second train we caught on our first day in Japan was a bullet train to Kyoto from Shinagawa Station. Two high speed trains past our platform before ours arrived. The first one took us by surprise with a gust of wind pushing us off balance. I captured the second train with a slow shutter to show motion but fast enough to freeze the people waiting on the platform. They weren’t moving much. We don’t have trains in New Caledonia so this is a photo I’ve been waiting to capture for a while. Glad I got the Japanese characters on the board too.

All station notices are in Japanese and English so it’s was fairly easy to get around if you understand English. You just need to take your time to find the right signs. We also used two apps to get around by trains, Google Maps and Hyperdia. The latter is free to use for two (2) weeks then you need to pay for a month or a yearly subscription. The free offer was perfect for us. Oh and I highly recommend getting the JR Pass if you intend on traveling around Japan in high speed trains and/or a rechargeable IC Card for inner city trains. We didn’t use the IC Card as our JR Pass could be used on the inner city trains we used. You need to buy the JR Pass in advance though, before you head to Japan. You’ll received a ticket that you’ll exchange for the actual pass once in Japan. The airport is probably the easiest place to do that. It’s a little more difficult to find a place outside the airport. By our calculations, we saved around 40% by purchasing the pass. Up to you to do your research.

So I’m back home now but I’ve got a lot of photos of Japan I’d like to share with you. See you on the next post. Oyasuminasai.

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 KANAZAWA, JAPAN

photo of the day

Kasumiga-Ike Pond is situated in the middle of one of three perfect gardens in Japan, Kenroku-En garden. It’s designed to be beautiful during every season. I was hoping to get a shot of the small bridge, Kotoji Stone Lantern in the foreground and the tea house in the background, devoid of tourists. But when I saw these two walk into my composition in their traditional clothing and pose in such a way, they balanced my composition just perfectly. Plenty of photo opportunities in Kenroku-En garden and well worth the visit. 

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ARASHIYAMA, JAPAN 

photo of the day

I was a little apprehensive of the Iwatayama Monkey Park, thinking I may see some of them in poorly maintained cages and even mistreated but nothing could’ve been further from the truth. I knew there were monkeys running freely in the open but pleasantly surprised to see all them free to roam. The only cage was the resting place, shop and feeding area all in one. And that’s for the humans. It’s to protect us from the monkeys potentially snatching or worst attacking for food. I overheard someone say it was the first time he’d seen an animal looking at humans in a cage. A minute later I snapped this photo.

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KYOTO, JAPAN 

The beautiful Shinto shrine, Fushimi Inari Taisha, dedicated to the Inari God of rice, sake and prosperity. It’s quite impressive to walk through the thousands of Torii, large and gigantic, snaking up the mountain. The main shrines and smaller ones are just as beautiful with details decorated in gold. It makes you wonder how it was possible to build these shrines and torii over a thousand years ago. 

We arrive just before sunset in hopes to avoid the crowds but, though many people were leaving, there was still a lot there. With a bit chance and a lot of patience, we managed to capture a few photos devoid of people. Here, I asked Géraldine to stand behind the lantern so as to cast some light on her face for the shot. Love the mood of this photo.

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YAMAZAKI, JAPAN

bonus photo

We visited the Yamazaki Distillery in hopes for a tour but we were unfortunately too late. We were able to visit the museum though and they had a tasting area. It’s a pay per tasting glass of the whisky of your choice. I chose to taste three of the most expensive whiskies they have. The 25 year old aged Yamazaki Single Malt, the 25 year old aged Hakushu Single Malt and the 30 year old aged Hibiki Suntory Whisky. I’ll never be able to afford them so it was the chance to taste them. I think two out of the three are out of stock but don’t quote me on that. And talking about not getting what you want, you can not buy whiskey at the Distillery. What?! Yep, they don’t even sell their own products here. A little disappointing, to tell you the truth. Apart from that, it’s well worth the visit and the tasting.

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 KOBE, JAPAN

photo of the day

The view from our room at the Meriken Park Oriental Hotel. A gorgeous hotel that kind of resembles a ship. We arrived just in time for blue hour and to capture this photo and a few others. The best view out of the hotel, in my opinion. The Meriken Park has everything you need in terms of food, drink and relaxation. The Mosaic just around the corner offers more food and drink options with views of the hotel and the city. All in all, a bit of luxury well worth the price.

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Miyajima / Itsukushima Island, Japan 

photo of the day

Sorry for the last couple of posts but we’ve had some very long days and I’ve been too tired to edit a photo and write a blog post. On the train right now so hopefully I can get a couple of posts written out.

So this photo is of one of only five pagodas of this style in Japan, the Gojunoto Pagoda. It’s quite impressive up close and gorgeous. Situated on Itsukushima Island, also known as Miyajima. It’s where the Great Torii Gate, the entrance to the Itsukushima Shrine, can be found as well. This is a beautiful island and we wish we could’ve stayed, at least, an extra night. Lots to visit and explore. I’m going to leave this one on my bucket list to come back to.

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HIROSHIMA, JAPAN

photo of the day

Okonomiyaki is a dish Hiroshima is famous for. A thin batter topped with lot of cabbage and other ingrediences such as squid, prawns, scallops, cheese, pork, egg and so on. Lathered with their special sauce and all cooked over a hot plate. Delicious! Quite large serving but you don’t feel blotted afterwards. Goes down well with a Japanese beer. The workers were fantastic, which made for a great atmosphere. I’m not sure of the name of the restaurant as it wasn’t obvious and in Japanese but it may of been Goemon. You can find though on the second level of the ASSE building in Hiroshima Station. Highly recommend it.

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KYOTO, JAPAN

photo of the day

The stunning, ancient, intricate details of the Higashi Honganji Temple next to the simplified, modern architecture of the Kyoto Tower. We got to visit the temple, which is just mind blowing, but didn’t get to visit the tower because of a bomb threat. Yeah, go figure, a bomb threat in Japan. We come back to Kyoto in a few days so, fingers crossed, it’ll be ok to visit then.

I’ll try and post a photo every day while in Japan. But don’t hold me to that.

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