Japan: The Last Leg

Using our handy dandy JR pass, we hopped on the bullet train and headed west to Hiroshima. The A-Dome is what remains of the city's former Industrial Promotion Hall. It was the only structure left standing after the atomic bomb exploded on August 6, 1945.

We had Ichiran's famous ramen noodles. We even bought some to bring home.

On Miyajima Island, we visited the Itsukushima Shrine. We were able to walk right up to the torii gate since it was low tide. At high tide, the gate looks like it's floating.

Before heading back to Tokyo, we made a pit stop at Himeji Castle. It is probably the best preserved castle in Japan. It offered great views of the city, especially from the very top floor.

The castle is one of the country's original twelve castles. It has never been destroyed by war, earthquake, or fire.

We walked along the straight road right above the Mins' head. It's about one kilometre to the train station.

Back in Tokyo we went to a traditional tea ceremony at Happo-en. The grounds were beautiful! There were several wedding ceremonies and photo shoots in the garden.

The main pond was full of large colourful fish...

...and there were several bonsai trees on display. They were the perfect size for the Mins!

On our very last day we went to the Meiji Shrine. We were hoping to cross it off our list earlier on in the trip but the day we tried to go it was raining heavily. The shrine was under restoration so there wasn't too much to see. However, we did see more couples getting married in traditional dress, which was pretty neat.

Overall, the Mins and I had a great trip to Japan and would highly recommend it to anyone! If you're planning a trip and have any questions, feel free to drop us a line!

Day Trippin'

Kyoto was probably my favourite city in Japan. We used it as a home base to visit other places. The Fushimi Inari Shrine was a highlight of Kyoto. We didn't quite make it to the top of the hill, but we hiked a fair amount under thousands of gates with the Mins in tow.

Nara is a short train ride away from Kyoto. It used to be the capital of Japan way back in the day. This Buddhist temple (in a park with hundreds of deer) is the main attraction.

Back in Kyoto we visited the Golden Pavilion...

...as well as the Bamboo Forest. G photobombed the Mins' photo.

Gion is Kyoto's most famous geisha district. There were lots of shops to rent a traditional outfit to wear for the day.

Our second day trip was to Osaka. Here's the Mins in front of Osaka Castle. At night time we ate at several places in Dotonbori (a.k.a., Japan's Kitchen).

Our last day trip was to Kobe. We visited a few sake breweries...

...and had a great dinner. We sat at a counter while a chef cooked Kobe beef and veggies in front of us. Om nom nom!

Tokyo >>> Hakone

Our home base in Tokyo was Shinjuku. Shopping there was top notch and it was very convenient transit wise to get to other places. A great free thing to do in the area was the observation floor at the Metropolitan Government Building. The day we went was cloudy but it was still nice to get a bird's eye view.

Mascots were here, there, and everywhere in Japan. Here's the Mins with two from a flower festival.

We went to an all you can eat, make your own, okonomiyaki place. The Mins made one with veggies and corn.

One of the highlights of our trip was eating sukiyaki. The wagyu beef, though not pictured here, was out of this world! G's friend speaks Japanese and made a reservation for us in advance.

Our first time taking the Shinkansen (bullet train) was to Hakone. It is a small town that is known for its hot springs resorts and views of Mount Fuji. It also has a circuit with five modes of transportation. The first mode was an electric train up a hill.

Between modes of transport are attractions, shops, and restaurants. We had soba noodles at Gora Station.

This was one of the views after the first ropeway.

The second ropeway took us even higher, and over a quarry.

After taking a boat and a bus, we walked around town and then spent time at our ryokan. The hospitality was excellent and we had an onsen all to ourselves. Can you see the Mins relaxing on top of the water spout?

Hakone was a lovely retreat for us to rest and recharge. Next up...Kyoto!

Big in Japan!

The Mins may be small...but he was big in Japan! His favourite thing? The food! On our first full day in Tokyo, we tried omurice (omlette + rice). It doesn't look like much, but it was delish!

Ginza is a famous shopping district. Everything was super luxe, especially the department stores. Here's the Mins on the main drag.

We splurged on a mid-afternoon dessert at Toraya Ginza. It was worth every penny!

We visited the Imperial Palace (booked a free tour in advance). The tour was a bit chaotic but it allowed us to get an inside peek.

The Mins and I had the best ramen of life at the bottom of Tokyo Station! It was dipping ramen. Yum! We wore a bib to make sure we didn't splash on our clothes.

We've seen the tuna auction so many times on TV that we didn't feel the need to wake up at 3 AM to line up for tickets. The fish market is open to the public at 10 AM so we did a quick walk and then had...

...sushi! The Mins was a pro with chopsticks at this point.

The Mins paid his respects to Hachiko, the remarkably loyal dog who continued to wait for his owner by a train station for nine years after the owner passed away. Don't mind the grandpa sleeping in the background...

Shibuya was super busy, as expected. The Mins wasn't phased by the hustle and bustle. (Side note: the Tsutaya bookstore in the background was impressive...highly recommended!)

We went to a tiny udon restaurant close to our hotel in Shinjuku. The noodles were cooked perfectly. Probably the best udon we've ever had!

More photos to come!