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10 Awesome Cities for Kids and Families
Blog: My Little Nomads - 15 October 2011
The best international cities for kids from Asia, Europe, and North America. Continue reading →Read the entire article here: 10 Awesome Cities for Kids and Families Or go straight to TheTravel With Kids Blog
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Japanese Gardens Attractions, Yuishinzan Hill from Korakuen
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 14 October 2011
The Korakuen garden from Okayama, one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan, was inaugurated in 1700 by Ikeda Tsunamasa (lord of Okayama) and since then it was preserved in the original form, with just a few modifications. Actually, the most important change was made by Tsunamasa’s son, Ikeda Tsugumasa, who built the Yuishinzan Hill (in the photo).
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Photo Essay: Paper Lantern Sculptures in Kyoto
Blog: Never Ending Voyage - 13 October 2011
On our last night in Kyoto we remembered we’d seen some interesting looking construction going on at our local shrine Kamigamo Jinja, and decided to see if it was finished.
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Japanese Castle Interior, Hikone
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 13 October 2011
Many Japanese castles have been rebuilt after 1950, because of the World War II damages. The exterior was carefully restored to historical accuracy, but the interiors were generally converted to modern museums, with displays and elevators. It is true that a museum can give visitors more information about objects and history, but the charm of the original interior was lost. That’s why the twelve castles that survived with the original interior are extremely valuable.
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Can Travel Make the World a Better Place?
Blog: Todd's Wanderings - 12 October 2011
Is travel an inherently selfish indulgence or a vehicle to bring about world peace? The travel and tourism industry is huge, and in 2010 over 940 million people traveled outside their own country as tourists and generated $919 billion dollars in global revenue. That is a lot opportunity for both mischief and genuine interaction. So the question comes back to: is the opening of borders leading to greater understanding or a hardening of stereotypes? I’ve been on the road for the past 12 years, both teaching children and working in international development.
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Escape of the Week: The Japanese Toilet Controls
Blog: The Adventures of D - 12 October 2011
When I landed in Narita for my (surprisingly long, thank you United) stopover, the first thing I did was head to the bathroom. Nine-plus hours on a plane will do that to you. I wanted to take a look at myself in the mirror, see how haggard more than 12 hours of traveling had made [...]
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Templed Out in Kyoto: Alternative Attractions
Blog: Never Ending Voyage - 11 October 2011
With 2000 temples and shrines in Japan’s ancient capital Kyoto it’s quite possible that you’ll get templed out at some point in your stay. Luckily there are plenty of other interesting attractions in and around the city. These are our picks.
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Nagoya, Ultra-Short History and a Bird's-eye View
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 11 October 2011
The area of today’s Nagoya city was inhabited since ancient times. It is known that the construction of the Atsuta Shrine took place during the reign of Emperor Keiko (71-130) and that the construction of the first castle in Nagoya started in 1521.
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A photo tour of Japanese castles
Blog: 501 Places - 10 October 2011
Japanese castles don’t really conform to the the Europeans understanding of what a castle should be. Built at a time of relative stability, most of the castles were constructed as a show of wealth and power rather than as a fortification. The consequence of this is a series of buildings dotted around Japan that are [...]A photo tour of Japanese castles is a post from: 501 Places
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Osaka Castle's Mysterious Giant Stones
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 10 October 2011
One of the most interesting discoveries I made during my visit to Osaka Castle is the special interest of the constructors for giant stones. The wall surrounding the castle includes 5 colossal stones over 100 tons and 15 stones over 50 tons! And the method of construction, how these giant stones were assembled together, is still a mystery…
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Photo of the Week: Kyoto Train Station
Blog: Never Ending Voyage - 9 October 2011
Kyoto train station is one of the most impressive we’ve ever seen with a bold, modern design of steel, glass and huge open spaces. I loved the patterns, reflections and the escalators that just go up and up. Don’t miss out on the skywalk – a glass corridor with views of the city and hills [...]
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Dirt, Sweat & Cucumber Sandwiches – English Afternoon Tea
Blog: Inside the Travel Lab - 9 October 2011
A clock plods through its strict rhythm as the clink of china echoes through the drawing room. A Union Jack plays hide-and-seek at the window when the teapot isn’t watching and a platter of cucumber sandwiches make themselves comfy for afternoon tea.Dirt, Sweat & Cucumber Sandwiches – English Afternoon Tea first appeared on Inside the Travel Lab. Head over there for more juicy fresh travel goodness. Or, you know, something you might like to read...
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Japan Rail Pass: a good purchase that could be a lot better
Blog: 501 Places - 7 October 2011
At first glance the Japan Rail Pass looked very expensive. £444 for 21 days of unlimited rail travel (up to £476 now thanks to the ever-strengthening yen). Would we really travel enough to make the investment in the rail pass pay off? We had crossed Europe from Lisbon to London earlier this year for roughly [...]Japan Rail Pass: a good purchase that could be a lot better is a post from: 501 Places
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Exploring Kyoto’s 2000 Temples & Shrines
Blog: Never Ending Voyage - 6 October 2011
We didn’t make it to all 2000 but we gave it a good shot. Kyoto was Japan’s capital for over 1000 years and is the heart of traditional Japan.
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Old Japanese Stories, Momotaro, the Peach Boy
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 6 October 2011
Located in the Chūgoku region, Okayama city is best known for its white peaches and for… Peach Boy - Momotaro (momo means peach and taro is a common Japanese name), the main character of a well-known Japanese legend. It is said that the story has its origins right here in Okayama and the island described is Megijima. Here’s the story:
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Kyoto Museum for World Peace: Japan’s past laid bare
Blog: 501 Places - 3 October 2011
Japan has more than its fair share of difficult museums to visit. The Hiroshima Peace Museum and the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum tell the story of the atomic bombings on their cities in their own distinct ways. Both are sensitively put together and provide political and historical context along with personal testimonies given by survivors [...]Kyoto Museum for World Peace: Japan’s past laid bare is a post from: 501 Places
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Photo of the Week: Matsumoto Castle, Japan
Blog: Never Ending Voyage - 2 October 2011
We visited Matsumoto in the middle of a typhoon during our whirlwind tour of Japan, but luckily had a brief dry spell to explore the castle. While not as huge as their European counterparts Japanese castles do have a lovely multi-tiered design and beautiful gardens.
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Shopping in Kyoto, Higashiyama
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 2 October 2011
There are many interesting places to visit in Kyoto, especially the old shrines and temples, each with its specific beauty. But unlike the other big cities, the “modern” part of Kyoto is quite bland and few places caught my attention…
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September Update: Temples, Trains and Typhoons
Blog: Never Ending Voyage - 29 September 2011
Travel It’s good to be back in Asia: the food, the temples, the sun, the constant state of confusion. We arrived in Bangkok, Thailand late last night after spending most of September in Japan.
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Zen Garden of the... Christian Cross
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 29 September 2011
Some of the most beautiful things I have seen during my travels in Japan are the karesansui gardens, the Japanese Zen Buddhist gardens. Made of rocks, sand and sometimes moss, the karesansui Zen gardens abstractly represents miniature islands, oceans, beaches or even bridges. The water is represented with sand carefully raked to suggest the streams, the islands are illustrated with rocks and the moss evokes the woods. More than this, the Zen gardens are also allegories for Zen teachings…
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Japan travel costs: a breakdown of our spending
Blog: 501 Places - 28 September 2011
Too often I read about other people’s travels and wonder about the costs involved in their trip. It’s one thing to inspire someone to visit a new country and experience its many attractions, but the information isn’t always available to tell me whether it’s something I have the money to do at a particular time. [...]Japan travel costs: a breakdown of our spending is a post from: 501 Places
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Senjokaku, the Hall of One Thousand Tatami Mats
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 28 September 2011
Very close to the Itsukushima Shrine you can visit another landmark of Miyajima, the Senjokaku. Built in 1587 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Senjokaku was intended to be a Buddhist library and a place for chanting Buddhist sutras. However, because Hideyoshi died, it seems that the building was never finished and that’s why it wasn’t painted, there is no ceiling and it doesn’t have an outer gate.
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Enjoying Home Comforts in Tokyo
Blog: Never Ending Voyage - 27 September 2011
We spent the last week on a whirlwind tour of Japan staying in five places in six nights including cramped business hotels, noisy hostels, and atmospheric but not exactly comfortable tatami mat rooms in temples and ryokan (traditional inns), all in the midst of a typhoon. By the time we arrived in Tokyo we were [...]
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Things I won’t miss about Japan
Blog: 501 Places - 26 September 2011
Writing this at the end of a month long trip to Japan, it’s fair to say that this has been one of our favourite trips of all time. There is a lot to like about Japan (much of which I listed in the previous post). No trip is perfect however and it would be remiss [...]Things I won’t miss about Japan is a post from: 501 Places
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Spectacular Pinetree at Shibamata Taishakuten
Blog: Muza-chan's Gate to Japan - 26 September 2011
At Shibamata Taishakuten, a Buddhist temple from Katsushika, Tokyo, I discovered a spectacular example of Japanese ornamental tree. I’ve seen many trees like this before, but never one with such a large canopy. All the green visible here in front of the temple is actually a single pinetree, with two branches outstretched to the sides, each over a distance of 6 or 7 meters… It’s been explained to me that this pinetree was shaped in a way similar to the bonsai - by wiring the branches until, after many years, this spectacular shape was achieved:
