Japan itineraries Archives - Gazing and Grazing

Visit Hiratsuka – Wash Some Cash, Have Sour Ramen and Catch a Keirin Race

May 24th, 2018

I spent a half day in Hiratsuka, which sits on the pacific coast of Japan between Tokyo and Mt Fuji. It is a modern Japanese city best known for its Keirin stadium, an unusual vinegar based ramen (which I enjoyed) and a decent art museum. Laundering money is illegal but washing it at Hiratsuka's Myoenji temple is meant to bring luck. So, my trip ended with me having some of my Japanese Yen washed in the hope of getting rich for the year - let's see what...

Tokyo: A Walk Around Asakusa

September 30th, 2015

On a recent business trip to Tokyo, I had a couple of free hours and decided to drop in on Asakusa, an old part of the city with a historic temple. The thing about Tokyo is that for historical cultural landmarks, it just can't compare to Kyoto. Some of this is because a number of temples and shrines and their surrounding areas have been rebuilt. This is certainly true of Asakusa. The place was also incredibly crowded - full of tourists as well as locals going to make their Sunday...

Kyoto – One Day in the Eastern Districts

June 4th, 2015

The main sites to visit in Kyoto’s eastern districts include the Shugakuin Imperial Villa, Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion) and Eikando Zenrin-ji. The Philosopher’s Walk, is an easy path to stroll down, linking Ginkaku-ji to Eikando Zenren-ji and another temple Nanzen-ji. This makes spending one day in this area a nicely contained itinerary.

If I had to rank the top sites to visit in this area, they would be Shugakuin, Eikando temple, and Ginkaku-ji. So if you’re short on time, make...

Kyoto: Soaking Up the Atmosphere of the Old City

May 28th, 2015

If in your mind’s eye of Japan, you see old wooden structures lining narrow lanes and paper lanterns then Kyoto is probably the best place to find this. And specifically, the Kawaramachi and Gion areas in central Kyoto are great places to soak up the atmosphere of old Kyoto. I think the evenings are the best time to walk around and especially in the summer when the restaurants along Pontocho-dori expand out over the river.

My first trip to Kyoto, I stayed south of Gion so I started...

Kyoto – From Gold to Zen, a Walk in the Northwestern Quadrant

May 27th, 2015

Three of Kyoto's major temples are located within a 40 minute walk of each other in the northwestern quadrant of the city. Of these Kinkaku-ji - also known as the Golden Pavilion - is probably the best known. And while all three are temples, they each have different characteristics which makes a morning or afternoon spent exploring this area, a nicely contained visit.

I started at Kinkaku-ji and although there are a gazillion photos on the net of this temple, I was still in awe even...