Koyasan is a UNESCO world heritage site and the centre of a Japanese Buddhist sect. It is a small town on a mountain with more than 100 temples to which the Japanese pilgrimage. Koyasan has the biggest graveyard in Japan, Okunouin, and more than a hundred temples; some provide accommodation. From Kyoto to Koyasan We…
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We got off the Koyasan bus and dragged our luggage to Fukuchi-In. It’s a Shukubo, the Japanese temple lodging in which we would be staying the night. Yes, we were staying overnight in a Buddhist temple, an actual temple with live-in monks. It is a lovely place with serene vibes. We stored our luggage…
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We took Shinkansen to reach Kyoto from Tokyo. We booked our seats a day earlier in the legendary Japanese bullet train and didn’t have to do anything as it’s covered by the Japan Rail Pass.…
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At the Nishiki market, you must order the matcha ice cream, take lots of pictures, buy yourself a Kami for good luck or to attract love, get into the photo booth with your friends and stock up on your souvenir here.…
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Geisha is a Japanese hostess trained to entertain patrons with conversation and performance. Chasing Geisha in Gion, Kyoto What I knew about Geisha then was limited, based only on Michelle Yeoh’s hit movie Memories of Geisha. I tried to read the book but couldn’t finish it. But a few hours earlier, a Japanese taxi…
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I first had Okonomiyaki, the savoury Japanese pancake, at a cozy little restaurant called Warai-Warai in Kyoto, Japan.…
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We explored the Gion area, the famous Geisha Geiko district (a taxi driver taught us: Geisha in Tokyo; Geiko in Kyoto).…
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At Hakone, we took the biggest cable car I have ever been in and flew to the highest heights I have ever been on. We could see Mount Fuji.…
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Seeing Mount Fuji was one of the most memorable moments during my first Japan trip. My knowledge about Mount Fuji came from studying brands at university years ago when our Marketing professor casually mentioned that Quicksilver uses it as its logo. Somehow that piece of information stuck with me, but that’s all I knew…
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The first time I visited Harajuku was during my first Japan trip. I went with my two best friends, Vi and Yin.…
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