Imperial City

After Hakone, we were all raring to go on to the final city on our great Japan holiday. Kyoto.

Our Ride

As Kyoto was once the old imperial city of Japan, its not surprising that much of our sightseeing involved castle visits. 

Nijo Castle

Having been to castles across Europe and the Forbidden City in Beijing,  I was left underwhelmed by the living quarters of the Japanese royalties.
 

True to the zen culture, everything was simple and clean cut. Minimalist.

With a long long history (the castle was originally built in 1603), the Nijo castle was designated as an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Another important landmark in Kyoto is the Kyoto Imperial Castle which was burnt down and rebuilt again several times in the span of the Japanese history. Be sure to sign up for the guided tour in English, free for tourists with a passport!

Kyoto Imperial Castle

Back to Nature

Botanic Garden

Ship Ahoy

Lake Ashi

Aboard the Hakone Sightseeing Ship

 

If you are lucky as we were, you might even catch a glimpse of Mount Fuji on board the ship sailing across Lake Ashi.
 

Forest Trail

Sulphur Pit

Hakone is better known as the Onsen Town, where visitors spend their days soaking in any of the numerous onsens found all across the town.We checked ourselves into one such onsen resort, the Senkei where we pampered ourselves rotten.

With our luggage deposited at the resort, we began our journey round the town on 3 of the famous transport system in Hakone.

Hakone-Tozan Cablecar

The cablecar brought us up the mountainside from Gora to Sounzan. After which, we switched to the ropeway where we continued on from Sounzan down to Togendai.

Hakone Ropeway

Along the way, we passed by the sulphur pits of Owakudani, where we stopped for some shots and of course their famous black eggs boiled over the pits.

Owakudani

Sulphur Pits

The Black Eggs

Shibuya

I really only wanted to show how the Shibuya Crossing runs like a clockwork. If you have as much time as we did, take 5 minutes off, stop and observe. Find a corner away from the junction, but not too far away so that you dont miss out on the action whenever the light changes.

When the light is in favour of the cars, watch how the crowd on the sidewalk grows and swells, almost bursting but not quite yet. Throbbing, throbbing, and then at its fullest, boom, the green man appears, signalling the opening of the flood gates. What follows is a blur of figures hustling by, chattering and laughing as they go on by in all possible directions, vertically, horizontally and diagonally. Bam its over, the clicking of heels over the sea of chatter stops. And the clockwork begins all over again.

You got to be in sync with the rhythm of the Shibuya Crossing, if not out you go!

Yanaka

Another one of those mornings when I had nothing more to do, I found myself wandering aimlessly around the old neighbourhood of Yanaka, north west of Ueno Park.

Tennoji Temple

Tsuiji-bei Wall

Nothing goes on in Yanaka, and I soon found myself pulling a stop in one of the few independent cafes along the street.

Green tea sponge cake with bits of red bean

Sea Shells on the Sea Shore

 Kotoku-In Temple

One of the 2 largest buddha in Japan

Hasedera Temple

 Panoramic View from the top of Hasedera Temple

Yuigahama Beach

Sea Shells on the Sea Shore