Narai-juku is one of the most popular towns to visit on Japan’s Nakasendo trail. With a glimpse of its streets lined with old wood facades, it’s very easy to see why. For my second trip to Japan, I opted to make Narai-juku a stop and it was a very lovely place that definitely lived up to the hype.

Some of Narai-juku’s History

Narai-juku is part of the Nakasendo trail, which is an Edo-period road that connected Tokyo to Kyoto (circa 1603-1868). It’s one of the 69 post towns where people would stop to rest. Many of these towns are still … Continue reading

Tsumago is one of the many towns located on Japan’s historic Nakasendo trail, and it looked so lovely that I opted to visit it alongside Narai-juku. It was such a nice stop and should definitely be on your list of places to visit in Japan.

A Snippet of Tsumago’s History

Tsumago started as a post town among the short Kisoji trail, but was subsequently absorbed as part of the Nakasendo trail, which is an Edo-period road that connected Tokyo to Kyoto (circa 1603-1868). It’s one of the 69 post towns where people would stop to rest. Many of these towns … Continue reading

Hakone’s a popular day trip from Tokyo to see the iconic Mt Fuji. I’m a fairly seasoned traveller so taking a day trip, with a Romancecar ticket in advance, seemed quite easy. But once I missed my train, things started to go downhill. There was nothing wrong with Hakone itself – just me being royally ignorant and unprepared.

I seemed to be the only one out of the loop but maybe I wasn’t, and maybe my knowledge in retrospect can help. Here’s what I did wrong so that you don’t make the same mistakes I did!

Keep Note of the

With its charming old town, Kanazawa – the “Samurai city” – quickly made its way up to the top of my travel bucket list. There are several districts to experience its centuries-old past. But it’s also a large city, so I wasn’t sure what I would really think. I only had a day’s visit but there was a lot of great stuff to see!

Some of Kanazawa’s History

Kanazawa started as a fortified temple, or fortress, dating back to the Muromachi period. In 1583, the fortress was taken over the by Maeda clan and reconstructed into a castle while a … Continue reading

It goes without saying that Shirakawa-go is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Japan, its popularity fueled by photos of its old rural houses against a large mountainous backdrop. Naturally, it was a place I also wanted to go, though I always head to these places with a bit of caution. Is it actually worth the hype? I have to admit, I found Shirakawa-go to be very cute.

The History of Shirakawa-go

A note that Shirakawa-go is the name of the region and Ogimachi is the name of the village that most people visit, and the one talked

With its large historic district, Takayama’s a popular place to visit – and it was the main draw for me, as well. Wanting to spend time in a smaller city, I ended up spending a few days in Takayama and it was absolutely lovely. There’s a lot to see and the city is absolutely lovely.

Some of Takayama’s History

Takayama has been inhabited for thousands of years. Traditionally, Takayama is part of the “Hida providence” which is why you’ll commonly see “Hida Takayama” and some other town names with “Hida” in front. Its most modern form came around 1600. This … Continue reading

Tokyo is debatably one of the most popular cities for tourists and locals alike. It’s also one of the most coveted. With a soul that never sleeps, it’s not hard to see why it would climb several peoples’ lists. I was excited about visiting Tokyo but I didn’t think I would like it as much as I did. It’s probably my favourite place in Japan!

Tokyo’s History

Tokyo actually doesn’t have much ancient history, like say its predecessor Kyoto does. Tokyo, formerly called Edo, was fortified in the 1100s and Edo Castle was built circa 1457 (at the site of … Continue reading

Kyoto used to be the capital of Japan and now it’s one of the country’s largest and most visited cities. Since it wasn’t destroyed during WWII, it still retains a lot of its historic Japanese character, which draws people in from around the world. It’s a great city to visit in Japan and it is huge, with a tonne of things to see and do.

Kyoto’s History

Even though Tokyo is now the capital of Japan, it’s only been that way since 1868. For over a thousand years before, it was Kyoto. Kyoto’s history goes back farther but it was … Continue reading

Osaka is one of Japan’s largest cities and is a popular tourist destination. As it is very near Kyoto and also has an international airport, it’s a good place to fly to for visiting central/southern Japan. It’s actually the gastronomical capital of Japan so since my brother’s a foodie, we decided to spend a day in Osaka and subsequently went almost every night for dinner.

Unfortunately, this Highlight post is a bit different from the others. I did not really want to go to Osaka so only reserved a day. My big mistake with Osaka was thinking I could see … Continue reading

Miyajima is one of the most beautiful places in Japan according to locals, but it’s also someplace that a lot of tourists from abroad skip over. However if you have more time to spend in Japan, Miyajima is definitely worth a visit. It was personally one of my favourite stops in Japan.

A History of Miyajima

Miyajima has been a pilgrimage site for the Japanese for over 1000 years and is still seen as a pilgrimage today. The giant torii gate and the tall pagodas aren’t an incidental part of Miyajima’s architecture; the island is set up as a Shinto … Continue reading