I’m sure some of you have heard of Mount Koya, but did you know that it’s connected to the “Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Trails”? In 2004 these routes were registered as UNESCO World Heritage and they’re definitely something you don’t want to miss. Here’s why:

The sacred Pilgrimage Trails of Kumano Kodo

Kodo (古道, koudou) means “old roads”.  Kumano Kodo (熊野古道) refers to an ancient network of pilgrimage trails spread throughout the Kii Peninsula, the largest peninsula in Japan. The sacred routes can be found in several places of southern Kansai including Wakayama, Mie and Nara Prefectures.

They are the only pilgrimage trails in Japan that are designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

For more than 1000 years these routes have been and still are used by pilgrims. Besides praying and other religious rituals, purification plays a big role during the pilgrimage. Some of the trails go through mountainous terrain, thus they are not easy and sometimes even dangerous. However, overcoming hardships like that is part of the religious background of the pilgrimage.

The mountain trails are still intact nowadays, but most of the coastal routes have disappeared. The major pilgrim trails that people still can access are called “Kumano Sankeimichi” (熊野参詣道):

Nakahechi Trail:

Map of the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Trails
© Wakayama World Heritage Center

The most popular pilgrim route was and still is the Nakahechi (中辺路) one. Since the early 10th century many pilgrims from Kyoto used this route. It’s a comparably easy trail and you can enjoy some small isolated villages and beautiful forest landscapes on the way. It connects Tanabe in the west with the Kumano Grand Shrines in the east. From the start point “Takijiri-oji” in Tanabe to the end point Hongu Taisha it’s about 30-40km – a distance that can easily be managed in 2 days. In Chikatsuya Oji there are a few accommodations where you can stay overnight.

Kohechi Trail:

The sacred Mount Koya is connected to the Kumano Grand Shrines by the ~70km long Kohechi Trail (小辺路). It runs through the center of the Kii Peninsula from north to south. Compared to Nakahechi it’s not an easy route as it consists of steep slopes. If you try to take this trail, please prepare accordingly. There are almost no accommodations or villages on the way, so you shouldn’t go alone!

While the more popular Nakahechi trail was used by pilgrims from all social ranks departing from Kyoto, the Kohechi trail was mainly used by Mount Koya’s Buddhist monks.

Ohechi Trail:

The Ohechi Trail (大辺路) used to be the most scenic one as it was mainly running along the coastal area of the Kii Peninsula. A major part of the original route has disappeared as modern roads were built instead.  It connects Tanabe with the Fudarakusanji Temple (補陀洛山寺) which is close to Nachi Taisha, one of the Kumano Grand Shrines.

Iseji Trail:

The Iseji Trail (伊勢路) leads from the famous Ise Shrine in Mie Prefecture to the Kumano Grand Shrines in Wakayama. The route offers picturesque sights such as terraced rice paddies, bamboo forests and beaches along the coast of the Kii Peninsula. In order to prevent erosion the trails have mainly been covered by paved roads just like the Ohechi trail.

Omine Okugakemichi:

Maybe less important nowadays, but yet another major pilgrimage trail is the connection between the Kumano Grand Shrines and Mount Yoshino in Nara Prefecture. Omine Okugakemichi is a very difficult and dangerous route, so it’s only recommended for experienced hikers.

Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Trails Maps:

If you’re interested in trying any of the introduced trails, I highly recommend that you prepare accordingly. Luckily there are a lot of good maps and websites that will help you do so. Here’s a really good pamphlet for starters, providing some general information in English.

You should also check out the following websites:

• Wakayama World Heritage Center
• Tanabe City Kumano Tourism Bureau
• KUMADOCO.NET – “Iseji Route”

Kumano Grand Shrines (Kumano Sanzan)

The major destination of pilgrims using the Kumano Kodo are the three Grand Shrines of Kumano also known as Kumano Sanzan (熊野三山). They are connected to each other through the Nakahechi Pilgrimage Trail. The distance between the shrines is about 20-40km.

The shrines are all located in the Kumano region of Wakayama Prefecture (map) which shouldn’t be confused with Kumano City in Mie Prefecture. If you have a car, you can probably visit all three shrines in one day, but it’s safer to calculate 2 days so you can really enjoy the ancient atmosphere and walk along (a part of) the Kumano Kodo.

Actually more than 3000 Kumano shrines exist in Japan nowadays. However, all of these originated from the head shrines, the Kumano Sanzan. Each of those shrines has received their kami (god) from another shrine. Predating all modern religions in Japan, the religious cult originating from the three Kumano shrines has a very long history. While each shrine once worshiped its own distinctive form of nature, they were later worshiped together as the three deities of Kumano under the influence of the Shinto-Buddhism fusion.

More detailed blog posts about each of the three shrines will be published soon. Here’s a short introduction of the Kumano Sanzan:

Kumano Hayatama Taisha

Kumano Hayatama Taisha (熊野速玉大社) is located in Shingu City (Wakayama Prefecture) near the Kumanogawa River. Some of the shrine buildings have been rebuilt, but the location has not changed since at least the 12th century.

Every year on February 6th a traditional fire festival called “Kumano Otomatsuri” is held.

Kumano Nachi Taisha

Kumano Nachi Taisha (熊野那智大社) is located in the Higashimuro District of the Kii Peninsula (Wakayama Prefecture). It’s about 350m above sea level which is halfway up Mount Nachi.

The nearby waterfall, Nachi no Otaki (那智の大滝, lit.: the big waterfall of Nachi), has been worshiped since ancient times and is the religious origin of the shrine. In the past the shrine was located at the foot of the waterfall.

Annually on July 14th the fire festival “Nachi no Himatsuri” (那智の火祭り) is held to celebrate that the god is coming back to his original place, the waterfall.

Nachi no Otaki: One of the best-known waterfalls (133m) in Japan is near the Nachi Taisha.

Besides the three Kumano Grand Shrines there are two temples, Seigantoji Temple and Fudarakusanji Temple. Located near Nachi Taisha the temples have been connected with the shrine since the Sinto-Buddhism fusion. Seigantoji and Nachi are even seen as one religious institution.

Kumano Hongu Taisha

Kumano Hongu Taisha (熊野本宮大社) was originally located next to the Kumanogawa River (Oyunohara). The area was hit by several typhoons and a flooding of the river in 1889 destroyed parts of the shrine buildings. The remains were moved to the present location. In September 2011 another strong typhoon hit the area.

The world’s largest shrine gate (33m) marks the location where the shrine was originally located.

Luckily the main buildings of the shrine survived the flooding in 1889 as well as the typhoon in 2011.

Travel Tips for Kumano Kodo:

Do you feel like visiting now? Great!

I understand that not everybody has the time to walk along all the pilgrimage trails. You can still get a feeling for how the pilgrims must have felt and experience it a little bit yourself.

I recommend visiting the Kumano Sanzan. You should have time to visit all three, but if you don’t, then my first choice would be Kumano Nachi Taisha. It’s by far the most interesting and scenic! It’s also the one that gives you the quickest and best “pilgrimage trail” experience. I highly recommend accessing the shrine via the “Daimonzaka Trail” which is part of Kumano Kodo.

The post The Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Trails appeared first on Zooming Japan.

Visited: September 22nd 2012

Naoshima’s Cat Café “Nyaoshima”

I was surprised to see a cat café on such a small island.

Cat cafés are quite popular in Japan, especially in big cities where apartments are tiny and pets often aren’t allowed. They offer some quality time with cute cats for cat lovers who would like to have one, but can’t. I will write a more detailed post about cat cafés in the future.

The name of the cat café I want to introduce today is very cute. As it is located on Naoshima Island, they just added the letter “y”.

“Nya” or “nyan” is the sound a cat makes in Japanese. It’s equal to “meow”. I thought it was a simple , but also very creative idea.

Cat cafés can be very expensive. The one on Naoshima Island has moderate prices.

In order to spend 30 minutes with the cats, you have to pay 500 yen.

You also had to order food before you could spend time with the cats.

This is the first cat café I’ve been to where you had to do that. I guess that they don’t get so many customers and by doing so they want to make sure they’ll make enough money. Though I don’t know if that’s the reason.

For me it was just perfect as it was noon and I was very hungry.

After eating lunch it was finally time to play with the cats. The cats were in a separate room, so you could eat in peace.

However, the room with the cats is separated from the main room by a huge window, so you can sit down and eat while observing the cats.

Before you enter the room, you get a tag that tells you until when you can stay. You also have to read the rules (e. g. the dos and don’ts when playing with the cats).

It was a very cute and clean room.

While being the smallest cat café I’ve been to, it was one of the cutest concerning decoration.

There were 5 cats when I visited, no kittens at that time.

Most of them were long hair breeds.

While there were so many tourists on Naoshima Island when I visited that day, I was the only one in the cat café.

I’m not sure if it’s because most people don’t know about this cat café or because they’re all only interested in the art. I really enjoyed being the only customer. I had free choice as all the cats were bored anyways.

In most cat cafés you have to share a cat with other people or wait until a cat is “available”.

I guess that’s also why the cats there seemed pretty healthy (mentally). I’ve seen pretty depressing things in other cat cafés and felt sorry for the cats there. Not so here!

The cat on the left kept fighting with the others all the time. I think it wanted my attention as it always interfered when I was playing with other cats.

This cat was by far the smallest and thus the cutest. I think it had a cold. I could hear it had a stuffed nose when breathing.

You can also hear it a little in this short video I took:

They had a few toys one could use to play with the cats.

As you can see in the video, one cat prefered to play with my backpack instead!

The cats all seemed to be happy and I could see that the owner takes good care of them.

The room was not too small for them and they had each other and a bunch of toys, so they don’t get bored. And sometimes customers like me drop by to entertain them.

Haaa~ the joy of a cat’s life!

This cat was sitting in front of the cat café. I ran into a few more on the island later that day.

It was time for me to leave and explore Naoshima some more. I stayed with the cats for 30 minutes. There’s really no need to stay longer and pay more money, especially if you’re the only visitor and have all the cats for yourself.

Naoshima Island has so much more to offer, you don’t want to waste all of your time in the cat café.
If you like cats or if you want to experience a cat café and have a few extra minutes, I recommend visiting!

Extra Travel Tip:

As most museums as well as the cat café are closed on Mondays,
I wouldn’t recommend visiting Naoshima on a Monday!

The post Cat Café Nyaoshima appeared first on Zooming Japan.

Visited: September 22nd 2012

Hot to get to Naoshima

Naoshima is a small island in the Seto Inland Sea between Okayama and Kagawa Prefectures. Officially it belongs to Kagawa Prefecture on Shikoku (map).

The only way to access the small island is by ferry. You can either approach the island from Okayama (JR Uno Station) or from Takamatsu on Shikoku.

Setouchi Triennale 2013 also on Naoshima

The Setouchi International Art Festival is held every 3 years on various small islands in the Seto Inland Sea. The first festival was held in 2010, so it’s still relatively new.

Setouchi Triennale 2013 dates:

Over 150 artworks are displayed on 12 islands including Naoshima, Shodoshima, Inujima and Teshima. One reason for holding the triennale is the fact that more and more people leave the small islands to live in bigger cities. Only the elderly stay which causes a lot of problems.

With the Setouchi Triennale there’s hope that more tourists will be attracted and the islands will become more popular among younger people.

If you’re interested in art and island-hopping, then I recommend the Triennale Passport in order to save money.

Apart from the art you get to enjoy the beautiful Seto Inland Sea with all the small islands and the laid-back rural lifestyle of the islanders there.

Even if you can’t make it to the International Art Festival, it’s worth going. I also visited when there was no special art festival held.

This is the ferry you will probably ride if you visit Naoshima. It leaves in Uno stops in Naoshima and then goes all the way to Takamatsu and vice versa.

The ferry ride is rather short. From Uno (Okayama) it takes only about 20 mins and from Takamatsu (Kagawa) about 50-60 mins.

Most people will access the Miyanoura Port which is closer to the Chichu Museum. There’s another port called “Honmura” which is closer to the “Art House Project”.

Here’s some more information about how all the small islands are connected by ferry with each other.

If you access via Miyanoura Port like I did, you’ll run right into a small tourist information building where you can also drink coffee, rest, buy souvenirs or get a rental bicycle. Personally I’d recommend it. The island is really small, but you’ll get very tired and won’t have enough time if you decide to walk everywhere. A car is absolutely not necessary! There are buses, but I hate waiting, so a bicycle is the most flexible option.

If you decide to visit during the weekends, holidays or during one of the triennale sessions, make sure to come very early or else there won’t be any rental bicycles available anymore.

Also, you should go straight to the Chichu Museum as only a limited number of people can access at the same time and if you go too late, waiting time could be insanely long!

Maybe a word of warning, if you’re heading to Chichu Museum first, there’s a steep slope you have to overcome first, but once you’re up there the view makes up for it!

Chichu Art Museum

The Chichu Art Museum (地中美術館) was designed by the famous architect Ando Tadao who also designed many of the other buildings on the island. The artwork is mostly located underground and uses sunlight to illuminate the exhibits.

Tickets cost 2000 yen (1000 yen during the Art Triennale) and can be purchased at the ticket office which is on the opposite side a few minutes walk away from the actual museum.

Photos inside were not allowed that’s why this is the only photo I can show you.
Like I mentioned earlier only a limited number of people is allowed to admire the few artworks inside at a time.
I have to admit I’m really not much into art, but it was a VERY interesting experience. I really liked it. Words cannot describe what I saw and I also don’t want to spoil the fun.
If you can’t afford visiting all the museums on Naoshima (after all they’re quite expensive), then go to this one!

After I left the Chichu Art Museum I was on my rental bicycle again. I discovered a lot of “interesting” artworks on the way. There’s so much to see! Sometimes you don’t even notice them. It’s a lot of fun when you recognize them, though.

Does that count as art as well? Either way it’s extremely cute.

Pikachu says: “Welcome to Naoshima!” (by Fuu-chan)

Art House Project

Next I arrived near Honmura Port where you can find the “Art House Project“.

Scattered throughout the small town there are a few abandoned houses as well as a shrine. All of them feature some kind of art or have been changed into a piece of art. From the outside the houses look like typical Japanese houses, but inside artists from all over the world let their artistic imagination run wild.

Here’s a list of all that belongs to the “Art House Project”.  Entrance fee for each house (apart from Kinza) is 400 yen, but you can also get a pass for all of them for 1000 yen.

Go’oh Shrine:

What you see in the photo above is a typical shrine, but the glass stairs are artwork and a pretty awesome one if you ask me.

This was my personal highlight! There’s a secret and very narrow entrance that will lead you underneath the shrine so you can admire the glass stairs from below as well.

When I visited, there was a volunteer guide who gave me a flashlight and provided some background information.

The art installation by Hiroshi Sugimoto is called “Appropriate Proportion” (try to say that quickly three times in a row .. )

Takahara Castle Ruins:

It is said that there used to be a castle on the hilltop near Go’oh Shrine during the Sengoku period. What you see above marks the remains of said castle and is now an observation platform.

Haisha:

Haisha is another house that belongs to the “Art House Project”.

Haisha (歯医者) actually means dentist and that’s very fitting as it used to be the office of a dentist once. Not only outside, but also inside you’ll find various art installations by Shinro Otake. There’s even a huge fake “Statue of Liberty” inside.

I was on the way again, but stopped several times to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Can you see why I love exploring small islands?

And there were just so many things to discover in each and every corner.

Benesse Corporation’s Art Facilities

Finally I accessed the southern coast of Naoshima where the Benesse Corporation’s art facilities are located. Those include the Benesse House Museum, a beach, a park and “The Oval” which is one of the guest room buildings of Benesse House. All was designed by Tadao Ando who also built the “Chichu Museum”.

The area around the southern beach cannot be accessed by your own means of transportation. I had to leave my bicycle behind. Cars are also not allowed. The only way is to either walk or take a free shuttle bus that stops at all three major museums. While it’s possible to walk all the way to the Benesse House, you might get exhausted, so if possible use the bus!

The Benesse House Museum (ベネッセハウス) features a superb fusion of nature, art and architecture.

You can stay overnight in one of the guest rooms and then you’ll have 24h access to all the art. However, it’s quite expensive with 25,000 yen+ per night.

Besides all the internal artwork, it also has some items on display outside from where you have an awesome view over the southern coast of Naoshima.

Back down and walking along the coast I ran into a lot of “artworks” that – at first sight – were hard to make out as “art” – like these interesting stone formations.

I really like the mix of nature and art! This way it won’t get boring.

Especially for somebody like me who isn’t so much into art, it’s great to enjoy the beautiful nature of Naoshima as well.

And there’s really a lot to discover. Not sure if all of that is interesting. I don’t even get why those people took a photo there, but to each their own, right?

What I enjoyed more where these cute and colorful art sculptures. I especially liked the cat one!

There were a few of them. Because of the bright colors they really stood out.

If all that walking and art made you tired, then you can sit down next to this guy and relax.

The dotted pumpkin of Naoshima

And here it is – the symbol of Naoshima: THE pumpkin! *drumroll*

I’m sure that you have seen it somewhere even if you’ve never heard of Naoshima before.

It was designed by the famous Yayoi Kusama who became really famous abroad. It’s surely also thanks to her that Naoshima gained popularity in recent years.

Oh, and how popular that pumpkin is! Long waiting lines in order to take a single photo!

Lee Ufan Museum

The Lee Ufan Museum (李禹煥美術館) is not too far from the Benesse House. You can either walk (~ 5-10 mins) or take a free shuttle bus (~ 2 mins) depending on your schedule.

The building was once again designed by architect Ando Tadao. Displayed are huge stone artworks by the Korean artist Lee Ufan.

To be honest I found this museum extremely boring and didn’t think it was worth the 1000 yen entrance fee. Of course it just might be because I’m not into art and no expert, but if you’re short on time, I would focus on the other two big museums instead!

007 Museum

Hey, what? James Bond is art as well, isn’t it? Ok, maybe that’s arguable, but there’s a legal reason why they have a 007 Museum on Naoshima!

There’s a James Bond novel “The Man with the Red Tattoo“ by Raymond Benson that takes place in Japan and partly on Naoshima, but has never been made into a movie.

The people of Naoshima want to get attention and hope that one day that movie will be realized on their small island, possibly attracting even more tourists.

No admission fee is required. It’s a small museum, so it won’t take too much time. It’s quite hilarious, so if you have a few extra minutes to spare you really should visit. You also should bite your tongue and try to watch the bad, baaad self-made James Bond short movie based on the novel they have there (scroll down and watch the video for more information).

The museum is just a short walk from the Miyanoura Ferry Terminal. When I went there I was the only visitor.

Unlike all the “real” art museums this doesn’t seem to be popular at all. That’s why I recommend to go there last. For other spots you might have to wait in line for some time, so the earlier you go, the better!

 Other sights of interest

There’s also a public bath paired with art installations called “I love Yu“. Yu (湯) means hot water, but also hot spring.

The Ando Museum dedicated to the architect who designed a lot of the buildings on Naoshima opened in March 2013, so it didn’t exist yet when I visited.

And as if all of that isn’t enough already, there’s also a cat café called “Nyaoshima“! As I thought that this deserve its own blog post, you’ll have to wait a few more days! *g*

If my blog post and the photos still didn’t convince you to visit Naoshima, then you should watch this video. I think it’s not a secret that I’m a huge fan of the way Koichi from Tofugu presents his unique encounters in Japan.

Although I took a short video while I was there, my video equipment is not very good, so I’d rather have you watch Tofugu’s video instead. Enjoy!~

The post Naoshima – The Small Art Island appeared first on Zooming Japan.

Visited: July 28th 2011

The Super Station Master Tama is a cat!

In Japan even cats can become a station master it seems! Don’t worry! This is not very common. In fact, you’ll only find the fluffy staff member at JR Kishi Station, Kinokawa in Wakayama Prefecture (map).

How a cat became a station master:

Japan has a prefecture popularity list and a few years ago Wakayama was pretty much at the bottom of the list. This is something I can’t really understand. I’ve been to all 47 Japanese prefectures and I like Wakayama Prefecture. Apart from Shirahama and Kumano Kodo it also has the great Mt. Koya to offer! You should definitely visit!

The area around Kishi Station didn’t get any visitors. The trains on the Kishigawa Line were often empty. In 2004 the station was almost shut down because of the lack of customers.

Mr. Toshiko Koyama who managed the station as an inofficial station master is the owner of a grocery store next to Kishi Station. He took care of Tama. In 2007 it was decided on a whim to introduce Tama as the station master.

Tama attracted a lot of attention. More and more people came to see her. She’s the only cat, but also the only female in such a position within the Japan Railway Company!

After being featured in the media her popularity quickly grew more and more. In a very short time Tama rescued not only the station, but has also contributed a few billion yen to the local economy.

Tama is a true Maneki Neko as she is attracting customers. In 2010 she was promoted to be an “operating officer“. She has an assistant called “Chibi” which is – of course – also a cat!

Here’s another video in Japanese in case you can’t get enough of Tama.

How to get to the Station Master Tama

From JR Wakayama Station (~ 90min. from Osaka) it’s very easy to get to the train that will bring you to JR Kishi Station. Just follow Tama’s footpawsteps!

Tama is a calico cat (mikeneko, 三毛猫). Among all the cats, mikeneko is considered to bring you the best of luck in Japan.

So, it’s no wonder that Tama is so popular. There’s also a lot of cute cartoons and merchandising of Tama. You can’t deny that Super Station Master Tama (スーパー駅長たま, supa ekichou tama) is extremely cute.

The train ride from JR Wakayama Station to Kishi Station using Wakayama Electric Railway takes about half an hour.

Right after getting off the train a big banner will greet you: “We love TAMA”

Even the clock has a cute cartoon version of Tama.

As you can see I visited in the afternoon as I spent the morning in Wakayama City to see Wakayama Castle. I’ll write about that another time.

In the small station building there are a LOT of photos of Tama. Even the train schedule is surrounded by cute photos of her.

As a cat lover I couldn’t get enough of her. She looks so cute with her official conductor hat!

When I visited she wasn’t on duty. Or maybe she was, but she fell asleep in her office!

“Hey, don’t sleep during working hours!!”, I wanted to scream. But the sleeping Tama is cute as well, so I left her alone.

Next to the small station building is a “souvenir shop” where you can buy a lot of Tama merchandising!
In the photo above you see what I bought. I just couldn’t resist! My biggest treasure is the photo book of Tama and her assistant.

I asked the people working there about Tama and they told me that Tama wears her uniform only for “official” photo shoots, e.g. when the media comes.

I was a bit disappointed, but also glad to hear that. I bet it’s a lot of stress for Tama to have those “official press conferences”. It’s good to see that most of the time she can live just like a normal cat. After all she’s so precious that they will do everything to keep her healthy.

JR Kishi Station is very small and shaped like a cat’s face! After Tama became so popular and attracted tourists they had enough money to rebuild the station in August 2010.

Isn’t this the cutest train station you’ve ever seen?

Don’t get confused by the name. The station itself is the actual museum. You don’t have to pay an entrance fee or anything. And apart from Tama and all the cute photos, the clock and a few other items, there’s nothing else to see. But that’s more than enough for me and for other cat lovers!

As I still had some time left, I decided to stroll around and see what else there was to see. I ran yet into another cat!

There’s not that much to see, but the area is really beautiful and if you come in spring (February – May) you can go strawberry picking!

The region is known for its delicious strawberries. That’s also why ….

… there’s a strawberry train!!! Strawberries are printed not only outside, but also inside the train. It’s such a cute and unique train!

As strawberry season was over, all I could get was some super delicious strawberry ice cream. Of course the cup featured another cute cartoon Tama.

Besides the strawberry train there’s also the “Omocha Train” (toy train) and of course the “Tama Train” (たま電車). If you’re lucky you can ride either of them when traveling between JR Wakayama and JR Kishi Stations.

Here’s a detailed pamphlet (pdf) in English with more information about all three trains, timetables, local sightseeing spots and of course about Tama. For even more information you can also check out the official Japanese website of Wakayama Electric Railway.

What do you think? Is it worth a visit?

I’d say it’s definitely worth a visit if you’re a cat lover or if you’re nearby anyways. It’s also one of these “only in Japan” experiences, so you shouldn’t miss it!

Have you met Tama yet? If not, would you like to?

The post Station Master Tama The Cat appeared first on Zooming Japan.

Actually, this question is hard to answer because each month and season has something great to offer! It depends solely on your personal interests!
Instead of suggesting a “best time” or a “best season”, I thought it might be more helpful to list what you might be able to see in each season – and then you can decide yourself when’s the best time to travel to Japan!

Is Spring the best time to travel to Japan?

Spring in Japan is very popular and well-known for its beautiful cherry blossoms.
Cherry blossoms are without a doubt one of the best things to see in Japan. They do not bloom everywhere at the same time, so plan your trip accordingly!
There are many websites that will show you the current “sakura front” of each year.
In Okinawa you can enjoy sakura in January while the rest of Japan gets them from late March until May, roughly speaking going from Kyushu all the way down to Chubu, Tohoku and then Hokkaido.

The good thing about it is that you can enjoy the cherry blossoms in Tohoku in early May (like I did) if you missed them in Tokyo or Kyoto in April!

However, spring in Japan has so much more to offer!
Cherry blossoms are beautiful for sure, but let’s check out what else you can see in spring:

Plum blossoms in March

Before the cherry blossoms come out, Japan is already tainted in white and shades of pink. On top of that there’s an incredibly sweet smell everywhere thanks to the plum blossoms.

Plum blossoms look very similar to cherry blossoms, but they smell better.
From late March to early April you’ll sometimes be able to see both of them in bloom. It can be hard to tell them apart then.

There are also many spring festivals. One of the weirdest festivals you’ll ever experience takes place in early April, the “Phallus Festival in Kawasaki“.

Azaleas, wisteria and shiba-zakura in May

Once the cherry blossoms are gone, there’s no reason to be sad.
Japan becomes even more colorful after that. The cherry blossom trees turn from a soft pink into a fresh and vivid green and other flowers start to bloom.

Among my favorites are azaleas (躑躅, tsutsuji).
In the photo above you see the “Tsutsuji Festival” at Nezu Shrine in Tokyo (April / May 2013).

You’ll also find wild wisteria in the mountains and some parks, temples and shrines have very old wisteria trees on their grounds.

Wisteria is called “fuji” (藤) in Japanese.

What I was able to enjoy for the first time this year is called shiba-zakura (芝桜). It has nothing to do with “sakura” – the cherry blossoms.

It’s moss pink in various colors. Whole parks are “paved” with it. I visited Hitsujiyama Park in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, which you see in the photo above.

My highlight was the “Shiba-zakura Festival” in Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, featuring Mt. Fuji in the background.

Avoid Golden Week:

While spring sounds like a great time to come to Japan, please try to avoid Golden Week.
Golden Week is an accumulation of national holidays from the end of April to early May (usually from April 29th to May 6th).

It’s the high season for traveling in Japan. Everything including accommodation and transportation will cost more than usually. Hotels will be booked out far in advance.
It will be crowded almost everywhere in Japan. You’ll need longer than planned, because buses are so full that you’ll have to wait for the next one.

There are traffic jams and long waiting lines. You won’t be able to take good photos, because there are too many people in the way. It’s a lot harder to enjoy the sights and it’s more stressful in general.

I always see so many foreign tourists here during Golden Week and I simply don’t understand why they come during that time of the year!
If you have the choice, do yourself a favor and DON’T COME during Golden Week!

Is summer the best time to travel to Japan?

Summer starts with the rainy season – usually in early June – and ends in mid-July.
After that it’ll get extremely hot and humid. If you’re not used to temperatures over 30°C and a humidity level of 90%+, summer in Japan might be very tough. On top of that there are many creepy and some dangerous insects.

Yet there are awesome things in summer you don’t want to miss:

What to see in June

During rainy season you’ll find hydrangeas (アジサイ, ajisai) everywhere. They come in various colors and are cute and beautiful (see the photo above).
It’s not as hot as in August yet, so if you want to escape the heat, it’s not a bad time to come. And just because it’s called rainy season, it doesn’t mean that it’ll rain every single day!

At the same time as the hydrangeas there are also irises (菖蒲, shoubu).

Climbing Mt. Fuji in July or August

I admit that I’m really not a fan of the Japanese summer, but there are certain things you can only do then! One of them is climbing Mt. Fuji. The official climbing season is from July to August, so you wouldn’t want to miss that chance.

When I climbed it in August 2010 there was still some snow on the top and it was freezing cold!
I’ll write a separate entry about my experience there and how to prepare accordingly, so definitely stay tuned for that.

Summer festivals with fireworks in August

The best thing about summer in Japan is that there are all these great festivals!
Each and every city has their own, so it’s hard to miss them – no matter where in Japan you are. The main season for festivals is “obon” (お盆), the time around August 13th-15th. Please note that this is also another busy travel time as it’s summer vacation for students and most adults have days off during “obon”.

You’ll be able to see traditional dance performances, taiko performances, girls wearing yukata and hanabi (fireworks).

There’s also “Bon-Odori” (traditional dance) all over Japan, but the best one ever takes place in Gujo-Hachiman, Gifu Prefecture. In mid-August the local people dance from evening till morning and anybody can join! I did last year and it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had! I can’t wait to share it with you in a future blog post!

Firework festival in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture (August 2012).

There’s also the great “Earth Celebration” on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture – that I unfortunately missed by just a few days last year.

Don’t worry if you can’t come in August. There are some great festivals in June and July as well!
To name just one of them: the famous “Gion Matsuri” in Kyoto takes place in July.

If you want to visit Japan in summer, but are not sure if you can take the heat, then you can escape to Hokkaido where it’s less humid and a bit cooler!

Typhoon season in September

September doesn’t really have to offer anything special in my eyes. Usually it’s still very hot and humid, but it’s also known as the typhoon season.
In recent years typhoons have hit all year round, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
In fact, there are no long public holidays in September. It’s no “high season”. For that reason it’s a good time to come. There will be fewer people, things will be cheaper – and usually the weather is good.

Is autumn the best time to travel to Japan?

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons in Japan! The heat of summer is finally gone. Normally the weather is great for travelling (especially in October and November) and the beautiful autumn colors are something you shouldn’t miss!
Just like with the cherry blossoms, there’s a “momiji front” in Japan which simply means that the leaves won’t change colors everywhere at the same time. Again there are many websites that let you check where you need to go if you want to catch the “color peak”.

Usually the leaves turn red first in colder regions like Hokkaido and Tohoku, then go down to Chubu and will finally reach southern Japan. While you’ll find cherry blossoms on Okinawa, there aren’t any autumn colors like in the rest of Japan there.
The peak for popular destinations like Tokyo, Kyoto or Hiroshima is usually in late November.

I would say that the bright autumn colors are the highlight of autumn, but there are other things you might be interested in:

Cosmoses, red spider lilies and killer hornets

Cosmoses are very beautiful and are a common sight in autumn, especially in October and early November.

Higanbana (彼岸花), the red spider lily, is seen as weed, but I’m fascinated by those flowers. You’ll run into them very often as they just grow everywhere.

One thing I don’t like about autumn is that it’s the time when the killer hornets (known as “suzumebachi”) are most active.
Please be careful, especially if you go to rural areas or hiking into the mountains!

No high season in autumn, but:

While there are no long vacations in autumn, popular spots can get very crowded on the weekends during the autumn color peak!
Especially Kyoto can be crazy, so try to avoid the weekends during that time!

Is winter the best time to travel to Japan?

Compared to the other seasons winter can be rather boring. Especially in regions with no snow. Japanese gardens are not very beautiful during that time. Most trees have lost their leaves, so landscapes are quite monotone.
However, in regions with a lot of snow you can enjoy a beautiful snow scenery!

Shirakawa-go in Gifu Prefecture in January 2011.

Another problem with winter is that most tourist facilities close earlier and the sunset is around 5pm! Nevertheless there are some reasons why you might want to visit Japan in winter:

Illuminations in December and January

Around Christmas time many cities will put up breathtaking illuminations. One of the most famous illuminations can be seen in Kobe, the Luminarie.

 Illumination at JR Hakata Station in Fukuoka (December 2012).

Snow Monkeys of Nagano

One thing you can only fully enjoy in winter are the snow monkeys in the mountains of Nagano who love bathing in the hot springs while tourists have to freeze. It was certainly one of my highlights and I recommend you go there during winter time!

Hot springs – Onsen

Onsen are great at any time, but especially in the cold winter months they’re a great way to warm up.

 One of the “hells” of Beppu in Oita Prefecture, Kyushu, in December 2009.

Mt. Fuji

While you can’t climb Mt. Fuji in winter, it might be the best time to take great shots of the holy mountain. Winter days are very cold, but clear, so chances are high that the shy mountain won’t hide behind clouds!
I recommend the area around Lake Kawaguchi (Kawaguchiko) in Yamanashi Prefecture. There are also a few onsen there.

Yuki Matsuri in Sapporo in February

Another highlight (although I’ve not been there myself yet) is the snow festival in Hokkaido that takes place in the second week of February.
Awesome and huge snow sculptures can be observed. There are other snow festivals as well in winter. Or you could try to visit the “snow monsters” in Yamagata Prefecture.

Enjoy a warm winter in Okinawa

If you don’t like cold weather, then Okinawa is a good alternative.
It will be too cold for swimming or snorkeling, but you won’t need a winter coat.
Just don’t make the same mistake that I did. Don’t go during late December / early January. The weather was horrible almost every single day!
Going in early December or late January seems to be a better idea.

Cape Manzamo on Okinawa’s main island in December 2012.

Avoid “Nenmatsu”:

From around December 29th to January 4th it’s not the best time to travel. Most Japanese people have days off and try to go home to visit their families. It’s another “high season“. Accommodation and transportation will cost more and you should book well in advance!
Also, a lot of institutions (museums, castles etc.) will have closed during that time – so please plan accordingly!
On the other hand it’s a great chance to observe “hatsumode” – the first shrine visit of the year – or to celebrate “omisoka” (New Year’s Eve) and “shogatsu” (New Year’s Day) with the Japanese.

What do you think is the best time to travel to Japan?

What’s your favorite season in Japan and why?
Was there any time when you had a bad experience in Japan and wouldn’t recommend others to come to visit?
Please share your experience with us!

The post When’s the best time to travel to Japan? appeared first on Zooming Japan.

Visited: April 5th 2012

Shizuoka Sengen Shrine (静岡浅間神社) is not too far from Sunpu Castle or the JR Shizuoka Station – all located in Shizuoka Prefecture (map).

In the photo above you see the entrance to the shrine. It’s the outer shrine gate, but you’ll have to walk along the small shopping street for a while to actually reach your destination.

Welcome to Shizuoka Sengen Shrine

You can’t miss it as you’ll walk right into another huge shrine gate.

The shrine grounds are quite spacious. The largest building you see in the map above is also the most important.

At the time of my visit cherry blossoms were in full bloom and there was also a spring festival going on.

You could smell the delicious food from everywhere! It’s always hard to resist.

There were a lot of people, but enough time to say your prayers.

As it was not only a spring festival, but also the main festival of the shrine (which is held every year on April 5th), there was  a special traditional performance in front of the main building when I arrived.

Young boys were performing a traditional dance.

After their performance all the people involved were taking a group photo. It was a great chance for me to get a few nice shots as well.

And that’s how the final group photo looks – the main building of Shizuoka Sengen Shrine in the background.

The Shizuoka Sengen Shrine actually consists of three individual shrines: Kanbe Shrine (神部神社), Sengen Shrine (浅間神社),  Otoshimioya Shrine (大歳御祖神社).

You can read more about the shrine’s history on Wikipedia.

Interesting is that shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu sponsored the rebuilding of the shrines after his retirement at nearby Sunpu Castle.

Apart from the three bigger shrines mentioned earlier, you’ll also find a few smaller shrine buildings

Additionally there’s a museum that contains a huge collection of items that belonged to the Tokugawa Shogunate (not pictured).

There’s also a huge pond and a nice park on the shrine grounds. So much to discover if you have enough time!

I was really lucky to be there just when they celebrated their annual festival, but I’m sure the shrine is worth a visit at any time of the year!

The post Shizuoka Sengen Shrine appeared first on Zooming Japan.

However, be warned: If you want to read about bragging stories of all those Western guys who get laid a hundred times per day, then you came to the wrong place.
There are tons of blog posts like that out there. You certainly won’t find that here – and not from a foreign girl like me!

Before we start talking about “Dating in Japan” one thing should be crystal clear:

1. Dating is not the same for foreign women and men!

If you’ve ever been to Japan you might have noticed that there’s a tremendous number of (often not so handsome) foreign guys walking hand-in-hand with Japanese women. And at the same time there’s only a very tiny number of foreign (read: non-Asian) women with Japanese men next to them.

You might ask yourself why is that?
Maybe that’s a secret we’ll never quite get, but there are many theories!

A lot of Japanese women want a guy that tells them several times a day how much he loves them. For some reason (maybe through the consumption of too many Hollywood movies) Japanese women think that foreign men are like that! They’re not afraid of showing their feelings in public or telling their girls flat out how they feel about them.

Of course, having a foreign boyfriend is also “cool” and “exotic“. Some just use those poor guys as cute little “accessories“.
The extreme version of this is known as “gaijin hunter” and some will do everything for the sake of having one of those adorable “half”-kids (half Western, half Japanese) just to toss their foreign guy later on.

For foreign women it’s a completely different story.
Japanese men seem to expect certain things from a woman. Things that they fear a foreign woman would not agree to do (e.g. stay home, take care of the kids, always pour new alcohol into his empty glass etc.).
Maybe they also think that a foreign woman might expect from their man that he’s telling his feelings straight out several times a day, something a shy Japanese man just won’t do.

Another problem is that many of the Japanese men seem to be afraid of their English ability and thus fail to approach a foreign woman.
Most foreign men on the other hand, have no issues approaching a Japanese woman in English – or even in broken Japanese.

These are just a few theories by friends, co-workers and myself. I’m sure you have your own and there’s much more behind all this, but that’s it for starters, I guess.

2. Dating in Japan as a foreign man:

As a result, dating in Japan is usually quite easy for men.
At least getting one woman after another into your bed, is really easy, even if you’re quite ugly!
For some reason Japanese women seem to find even ugly foreign guys attractive …..

It might be a bit more difficult if you’re looking for a serious relationship as there are those women I mentioned earlier who either want you as “exotic accessory” or just want your DNA to create a cute “half-child”.

All in all, it is comparably easy for a Western foreign man to find a Japanese woman or to have a nice relationship here in Japan.
For some guys it really gets to their heads and they start bragging about it like crazy as part of the superstar syndrome.

3. Dating in Japan as a foreign woman:

The complete opposite is the case for (Western) foreign women in Japan.
Japanese guys are often too shy, scared or whatever and the majority of Western men is only interested in Japanese / Asian women.
As a result it is extremely tough to find a date as a foreign woman here in Japan.

It is by far not impossible and I know quite a few girls who don’t only have a Japanese boyfriend, but are also married to a Japanese man, but it is still the BIG exception!

Some of us will go through a hard time here in Japan.
You’ll start to feel completely unattractive and ignored at times.
Of course, you get a lot of attention and there’s all this staring, but it’s not because anybody is flirting with you … or at least you don’t know the difference anymore.

It might be a different story in bigger cities such as Tokyo and Osaka with a more international community, but in smaller cities and in the countryside with more traditional ideals it can be very difficult for foreign women.

4. Differences in relationships:

I personally know a few couples where either the man or the woman is foreign and I noticed quite a lot of differences in the kind of relationship they have.

Please note that the following is based on my personal experience and that not everybody out there is like that.

Foreign man, Japanese woman:

In relationships where the man is foreign I noticed that they mostly speak his native language. Although they live in Japan and sometimes even have children together who also speak Japanese, the foreign guys don’t / can’t speak Japanese.

I also experienced that they’re unable to do anything on their own. When I ask them about how they got their cellphone or credit card they just answer they don’t know because their wife did it for them.
Consequently they don’t see the need to study Japanese, because their wives will take care of it all.

One big problem seems to be the fact that in Japan the man earns the money, but the woman takes care of it! The man only gets a small allowance every week or month and needs to ask his wife for permission if he wants to spend any more of his own hard-earned money! Foreign guys often seem to struggle with this system.

Because of  all that I’ve seen couples who got divorced, even when there were kids involved. I noticed that those kind of relationships seem to work out better if they live in his home country and not in Japan.

Foreign woman, Japanese man:

For the opposite constellation you’ll see that in most(!) cases the woman speaks Japanese. She has studied Japanese properly or puts in a lot of effort to improve her Japanese ability even if the Japanese man can speak her native tongue.

They know how to survive in Japan even without the help of their husband / boyfriend who is at work most of the time anyways.

The man seems to accept that she wants to keep working even after marriage. Most of the time those kind of Japanese men who get into a relationship with a foreign woman are more open-minded and have some experience with foreign culture because either they’ve lived or studied abroad for a while. And even those who haven’t seem to accept that there are cultural differences and they don’t expect the same they would from a Japanese woman.

All the couples I know of have a relatively harmonic relationship. Of course, there are enough reasons for disputes, but all in all they seem to manage better than couples where the man is foreign.

5. Conclusion: Dating in Japan

There’s so much more that could be said about this topic and I’d love to discuss it with you some more.
I’m sure everyone has their own opinion and experience with this!

All I want you to keep in mind is that as a guy you should not let it get to your head because suddenly you get all this attention from beautiful women.
And as a foreign girl you should keep in mind that your time in Japan – at least in terms of romantic relationships – could be quite lonely at times.

The post The Shocking Truth About Dating in Japan as a Foreigner appeared first on Zooming Japan.

Visited: April 5th 2012

Nihondaira and Kunozan Toshogu Shrine

As probably everybody is doing the two sights, Nihondaira and Kunozan Toshogu Shrine, together, I decided to also write about them in one blog post.

You can access from either side and start with either sight. I started with Nihondaira that day.

Access to Nihondaira:

Nihondaira (日本平) is located in Shizuoka Prefecture (map) and can be accessed by Shizutetsu Bus in 40 mins from Shizuoka Station or 15 mins from Higashi Shizuoka Station. From there you can walk around to enjoy the various views.

Enjoying a beautiful view of Mt. Fuji:

From the summit observatory you can see Suruga Bay and the Izu Peninsula. On a clear day you can also see Mt. Fuji.
Although I went on a clear day, I couldn’t see Mt. Fuji at all.

If you have a very close look at the photo above, you might be able to make it out. Below one of the clouds you can see Mt. Fuji’s snow-covered top. I was really disappointed because I came all the way and the weather was good, too! Yet I wasn’t allowed to enjoy the beauty of Mt. Fuji.
Apart from the observatory platform there’s also a golf course and a few restaurants.

After enjoying the view of Mt. Fuji – or not – most people move on to visit the National Treasure “Kunozan Toshogu Shrine“.

It can be easily accessed by a short 5 mins ropeway ride that connects the summits of Mt. Nihondaira and Mt. Kuno. A round-trip for an adult will cost 1000yen, one-way 550yen.

Kunozan Toshogu Shrine – A national treasure

Toshogu Shrine on Mt. Kuno (久能山東照宮) is a very important national treasure as the body of the famous Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) is entombed there.

It was built and maintained under the command of the second shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, Ieyasu’s son Hidetada, 19 years before the Great Nikko Toshogu Shrine was built. It’s the oldest Toshogu shrine in Japan!

When entering via the “Romon Gate” you’ll see warrior statues that protect the gate.

Ieyasu Tokugawa overcame all kinds of difficulties in his life which is why he’s respected as a deity for safety for the family, protection against danger, health and longevity as well as academic success. Thus people come here to pray for any of those.

While the spirit of Tokugawa Ieyasu is considered to be the primary deity, called Tosho-Daigongen (東照大権現), there are also secondary ones: the spirits of the famous lords Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) and Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) who were enshrined there after the start of the Meiji period.

Cherry blossoms were at full bloom at the shrine.

There are a few smaller halls and buildings, but the main attraction and the most important one is the “Honden“, the main hall as you can see in the photo below.

The buildings were constructed in the style of Gongen architecture (Gongen-zukuri, 権現造) where the worship hall (Haiden) and the main hall (Honden) form the shape of an “H”.

Using techniques of the Momoyama Era, the buildings were decorated with extravagant wood carvings, gold leaf and colorful Japanese lacquer.

Here you can see a close-up of the wonderful wood carvings.

About 50m behind the main hall, you’ll find the “Shinbyo” that contains his body.

Ieyasu’s grave was relocated to the Nikko Toshogu Shrine by the third shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, Iemitsu. However, a portion of Ieyasu’s deified spirit is considered to still reside on Mt. Kuno.

Here you see the ema (wooden wishing plaque) of the Toshogu Shrine.

Huge barrels of sake, most of them displaying Mt. Fuji.

Not pictured is the “Kunozan Toshogu Shrine Museum” that features about 2000 items, some of them are national treasures such as Ieyasu’s favorite glasses and a Spanish clock. Unfortunately photos weren’t allowed inside the museum.

When you’re done sightseeing, the easiest and most scenic way back is to hike down to the foot of Mt. Kuno from where you can take a bus back to JR Shizuoka Station.

Some people access the sights from here, but as you can see there are a lot of stairs and it’s a steep way up, so I recommend to start at Nihondaira instead and use this route for descending only!

Back down it can be a bit tricky to find the bus stop, so you might want to ask at the shrine before you leave the mountain!

The post Nihondaira and Kunozan Toshogu Shrine appeared first on Zooming Japan.

I hope that some of you can find inspiration for their own Japan vacation.
People also often asked me if it’s crowded during Golden Week. Here you’ll find the answers!

Golden Week 2013 – A short review

As I’ve just achieved my goal of visiting all 47 prefectures and because I’ve been to pretty much everywhere in Japan by now, I decided to go to Tokyo this time!

I haven’t really been in Tokyo ever since 2008 as I’ve explored a lot in my early years here already.

On my first day in Tokyo I visited different flower festivals at shrines. At first I went to the “Fuji Matsuri” (wisteria festival) at Kameido Shrine and later to the “Tsutsuji Matsuri” (azalea festival) at Nezu Shrine which you can see in the photo above.

Tokyo has some really nice spots off the beaten path, you just need to know where to go!

I still had some time in the evening, so I went to the Imperial Palace near Tokyo Station.

You might be surprised to hear that a castle explorer like me has not been there until now!

Photo: Miyakejima as seen from Mikurajima.

I only spent one day in Tokyo. At night I was already in a ferry and on my way to a small island called “Mikurajima“.

It’s a night ferry that will take about 8-9h from Tokyo. I arrived on Mikura Island around 6am in the morning. It’s a long ride and certainly nothing for people who get easily seasick like me!

But there was a reason why I wanted to visit this very small island that belongs to the Izu Islands and is part of Tokyo:

I wanted to swim with dolphins!

Nowhere else in Japan you’ll find so many wild dolphins in one spot, not even on Okinawa or the Ogasawara Islands.

There are around 120 wild Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins around the island.  A dolphin-swimming tour will cost around 7000yen and takes about 2h.

If you need to rent any equipment (e.g. a wetsuit), then it gets more expensive.

My personal experience:

I joined a boat tour with around 6 other people. For all of them it was not the first time and some of them seemed really professional, but for me it was the first time even snorkeling in the ocean. They all gave me a lot of good advice and took care of me. On top of that I was the only foreigner.

The boat would stop whenever we spotted dolphins and then all of us jumped into the water. The first two rounds were quite disappointing for me because I was always too slow and by the time I got there the dolphins were gone.

I took some time to get used to it, but finally I saw them from close-up as well! You’re not allowed to touch them and there are other rules you have to obey, but nevertheless it was a great experience.

I rented an underwater camera, but most of the dolphin photos I will post here in the future were probably taken by the more professional members of my group, so please keep that in mind!

The season is from mid-March to mid-November. The water was around 19°C, so it was ok.

However, getting out of the ocean and sitting in the boat with the cool wind around you, made you shiver quite a bit!

The real adventure actually began on the next day:

In order to get from or to Mikurajima you need to take a ferry. There’s no airport!

There’s only one ferry per day and we were woken up very early in the morning by our minshuku lady, telling us the ferry wouldn’t come today because of strong waves and wind. Quite the shock!

In the end we (= a group of 5-6 people) could take a small charter boat to the next island, Miyakejima.
The island has two ports, so it was more likely that the ferry could get access there.
The trip in the small fishing boat was quite the adventure. The waves were so high that the boat was thrown around like a little toy. Yet we all made it safely to the other island!

You might have heard of Miyake Island. It has an active volcano that just erupted around 20 years ago. Just recently the people returned to the island. And only a few weeks before there were some stronger earthquakes around Miyake Island.
Not the “safest” place to be, I guess.

On Miyake Island a van was waiting for us and brought us to a minshuku where we could stay until the ferry (hopefully) would come in the afternoon. After a small breakfast I decided to explore the island a little bit. After all I was sure that I wouldn’t get another chance to do so!
The other “stranded” people all agreed to join me and so we walked around the island. We found a huge pond (see the photo above) among other things.

My highlight, however, was the “pile of cats” I found right in front of our minshuku.
Aren’t they adorable? Maybe I just found another “Cat Island” without knowing it.

Luckily the ferry came in the afternoon and brought us all back to Tokyo where I crashed into my hotel bed.

Please keep in mind that the ferry often can’t come to Mikurajima in case you’re planning to go there!

On my second day in Tokyo I decided to visit Gotokuji, a cat temple that is said to be the origin of Maneki Neko. It’s a MUST for cat lovers! As you can see there were MILLIONS of Maneki Neko figures.

My next stop was a cat shrine in Asakusa: Imado Shrine.

As I was already in Asakusa I thought I could re-visit a few sights, so I went to the famous Sensoji Temple.

I’m sure most of you have either heard of it or been there already. I can’t remember well, but I think my last visit was in 2007!

I enjoyed the garden there the most – something I haven’t visited before!

Also in Asakusa there’s a really nice “Taiko Shop and Drum Museum“. As I love taiko drums I had to go there!

The best thing about it was that you could play most of the drums there. As I was the ONLY one there (it seems not many people know about this place?), I had a great time trying out all the different drums. I went all out with the huge taiko drum you see in the background!

Finally, I went to Kappabashi. It’s also in Asakusa and famous for its plastic food. I remember going there in 2007.

Let me tell you one thing: the plastic food in Gujo-Hachiman (Gifu Prefecture) is just as good, but much cheaper! I was really shocked to see how expensive everything was compared to 2007!

As the weather wasn’t so good the next day I spontaneously decided to re-visit Hakone.

I hadn’t been there in a long time and still had an old digital camera back then. It was a good chance to take some high quality photos this time!

I also ate some black eggs. Something you’ll only find in Hakone.
They get their black color from the sulfur of the hot springs there and have quite a unique, but good taste. It is said that eating one egg will prolong your life by 7 years. I ate 3 eggs.

I hate the fact that they only sell packs of 5 eggs. What are singles like me gonna do with all of them?

One of my absolute highlights was the Shiba-Zakura Festival in Kawaguchiko! Something I always wanted to see with my own eyes!

From late April to early June you can enjoy those colorful flowers known as shiba-zakura (芝桜) with Mt. Fuji in the background!

It was so beautiful that I couldn’t believe it! The pink was so bright that it almost hurt my eyes!

From JR Kawaguchiko Station there’s a shuttle bus that leaves around every 30 minutes and brings you to the location in about 40 minutes.

It is definitely possible to do a day trip from Tokyo, so if you happen to be in Tokyo from late April to early June, I highly recommend this!

And because I still had some time, I decided to re-visit my beloved Chureito Pagoda in Yoshida, near Kawaguchiko in Yamanashi Prefecture.

You might know this scenery because I have a similar photo in my homepage’s slider selection.

On another day I went to Kawagoe where I have actually never been before!

I tried to find a statue that resembles myself among the 500+ Rakan statues of Kitain Temple.

Kawagoe was packed with people that day. All the popular spots were crowded.

I had to wait a long time to take a photo without too many people in it! Thus I couldn’t enjoy Kawagoe as much as I wanted to.

On the next day I went to Saitama Prefecture yet again (Kawagoe is also in this prefecture). This time my destination was Chichibu where they have another great shiba-zakura park. It’s not as great as the one in Yamanashi, simply because Mt. Fuji is missing, but still very beautiful and closer to travel to if you’re in Tokyo!

Chichibu has more to offer than just that and so I explored the “Festival Hall”, Chichibu Shrine and several smaller temples and shrines. Definitely worth a visit!

On my last day I had to satisfy the castle explorer in me and visited 2 castles in Saitama Prefecture. Both of them aren’t very famous and so I could escape the crowds!

At first I visited Oshi Castle (left photo) in Gyoda City and then Kisai Castle (right photo). Both castles are close to each other, so they can easily be done together.

By coincidence I found out that there was another “Fuji Matsuri” (wisteria festival) near Kisai Castle and so I had a look. I’m glad I went because it was the most beautiful wisteria I’ve ever seen!

And that was my Golden Week vacation this year. You can look forward to detailed posts about each destination in the near future. Make sure to subscribe to my Newsletter, so you won’t miss any future posts!

Travel to Japan during Golden Week: Yes or No?

I was surprised to see so many foreign tourists in and around Tokyo during Golden Week. To be honest I would NEVER deliberately travel to Japan during Golden Week if I had a choice! Accommodation and transportation are more expensive than usual and most interesting spots are PACKED with people so that it’s sometimes hard to fully enjoy them.

This time as well trains were completely full and they had to get out extra buses because not all the people did fit in. That’s how crazy Golden Week can get!

The only reason why I travel during Golden Week is that it’s the time when I have vacation – just like everybody else here in Japan. It’s not something I would recommend.

What’s your personal experience with Golden Week in Japan?
Would you consider coming during that time?
When’s the best time to travel to Japan?

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