9/15/2017 0 Comments Hello again!
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10/10/2016 0 Comments A weekend in Hakone
7/6/2016 0 Comments Hokkaido in the Summertime:It was nice to escape the heat of Tokyo at the start of July. When I got to Hokkaido, it was a nice 65°F. Although it rained pretty hard on my first day there, the rest of the weekend had beautiful, comfortable weather. Hokkaido is known famously for its Yuki Matsuri Snow Festival during the winter, but summer in Hokkaido is absolutely stunning and worth a visit as well.
Take a trip up to Furano to see the famous lavender fields and enjoy the nicely manicured fields of flowers. Furano is quite far from Sapporo--just a heads up. It'll take you 2 hours by train or 2.5 hours by bus (bus is half the price though). So consider staying in Furano overnight or taking a day trip. I didn't think staying in Furano would be feasible because I had to leave the next day to New Chitose Airport to catch my flight back to Tokyo. If you're that far out and have an early flight, it will be impossible to make it in time. The first train out of Sapporo to the airport wasn't until 6AM. It takes an hour to get from Sapporo Station to New Chitose Airport btw and my flight was at 8:15. In the Sapporo area itself, there was a flower arrangement show in Odori Park. I happened to bypass and notice the many flower arrangements and it was all so beautiful and creative! I wished I could've spent more time in Hokkaido, but I had to get back to school! It's my final month in Japan and I have projects, presentations, and finals quickly approaching. I have soo much footage to go through and edit but right now I have to focus on finishing up the semester. For now, here are some photos that I took in Hokkaido :)
5/25/2016 0 Comments Places to visit.....in Nikko!!!This past weekend, I visited Nikko and I have to say, it was one of my favorite places that I've been to so far. We planned so many places to visit during our short stay there and i am totally satisfied because we were able to do everything that we wanted. Below, i split up the places I visited into the central Nikko area and the Kinugawa area. As a side note, everything seemed to close up shop soo early in that area! It would be a ghost town by 7PM, so I recommend waking up at the crack of dawn and getting an early start! Part 1: Central Nikko/Okunikko area1. Lake Chūzenji
2. Shinkyo Bridge
3. Rinnoji Temple
4. Toshogu Shrine
5. Futarasan Shrine
6. Taiyuinbyo (Jogyo-do temple building)Taiyuinbyo (大猷院廟, Taiyūinbyō) is the mausoleum of the third Tokugawa shogun, Iemitsu, the grandson of Ieyasu. Iemitsu's lavish mausoleum complex resembles nearby Toshogu Shrine in its layout and architecture, but it was intentionally built somewhat more modest than the Toshogu, due to Iemitsu's deep respect for his grandfather. Taiyuin is the posthumous name of Iemitsu. This place is only steps away from Futarasan Shrine. I went into one temple that featured Buddha riding a peacock and wearing a crown. I read that this temple is unique to Japan due to that fact. No other temple will have buddha depicted in this way. I thought it was interesting so I went inside while we waited for the bus and got my seal book signed. 7. Akechidaira (Plateau and Ropeway)
8. Kegon Waterfall
Part 2: Kinugawa Area
2. Kinugawa RiverboatThis was one of my favorites! You ride down Kinugawa River in a wooden boat while a friendly man rows and tells jokes along the way. The ride lasted about 40 min long and it was honestly so beautiful. I also get motion sickness very easily and I thought I would get seasick on this boat ride but I didn't!! The ride was incredibly smooth and I was able to thoroughly enjoy it. Our hotel also gave us a discount for this excursion. 3. Tobu World SquareWant to see all of the world's most famous and iconic landmarks but don't have the time? Come to Tobu World Square to see miniature versions of them all in one place! It was really funny and cool at the same time. I enjoyed the craftsmanship that went into each art piece. 4. Nikko Edomura (Edo Wonderland)Our last stop in Nikko was Edo Wonderland!
Nikko Edomura (Edo Wonderland) is a history theme park recreating Japanese town life during the Edo Period (1603-1868). The park is actually a small town built in Edo style architecture and populated by townspeople in period costume, and has been used as the setting for period tv dramas. Park guests have the opportunity to dress up as well (costumes can be rented) and tour the town's historically based shops and museums, participate in games and see live shows and theater. I had a really fun time here. It was honestly really hot, especially in the kimono but I am still glad we went! We got to witness the Oiran, watch a play, and watch people sword fight in the streets (for fun) haha. It was a very happy place and I enjoyed experiencing getting dressed in my kimono and getting my hair done. I felt like a princess! 5/25/2016 0 Comments Places to visit....in Kansai!I went to the Kansai region for a few days during Golden Week (Osaka and Nara) and below are the places I visited during my short time there. I was unable to get out to Kyoto during that time, but it is totally a must-see area as well! 1. Universal Studios Japan (USJ)
2. Nara Park
3. Osaka Castle
5/25/2016 0 Comments Places to visit....in KAMAKURAI know it's been a while since I've been able to update this but I just came up with an idea for a "series" of posts. It will be about places I've visited with a "review" of my experience. Hope you find this informative! Some of these posts will be about places I've been to a while ago and others are recent and don't have videos up yet. I will grab general information about the place online and then talk about my experience after. The places listed are not in any particular order btw! 1. Hokokuji Temple and Bamboo Garden
2. Hase Temple (Hasedera)
3. Kotokuin Temple & Daibutsu (Kamakura's Great Buddha)
My Kamakura experience (video):I've been living in Japan for about two months now and now that I've settled in, I have some thoughts for you.
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