What you need to know about Nara in Japan

Nara was the capital of Japan many centuries ago. It is one of those ignored cities of Japan that are still worth visiting. Due to its smaller size and its proximity to Kyoto, most tourist won’t visit it.

Nara was the cultural historical capital of Japan. Not only due to its creations of culture in the past, but also to the number of buildings considered National Treasures by the Japanese government. If you want to walk within a traditional Japanese borough, then you should visit Nara. And by traditional, here it is meant with historical building that are many centuries old.

All major touristic sites are within walking distance from downtown. The conventional tourist course (starting at Kintetsu Nara Station to K?fuku-ji, Nara National Museum, Todai ji, Kasuga Taisha or back to the Kintetsu Nara Station) is about only 5 miles long. It is usually a quite pleasant way for most tourists.

If you only have one day to spend, focus just on the Nara Park. It is not that interesting for Japanese tourists, but Western tourists will appreciate it. With some more time, though, there’s much more to see.

Most of Nara’s touristic sights, like its temples, shrines or mercenary deer are concentrated within the Nara Park.

Todai ji is the home to the Daibutsu, the biggest Buddha statue in Japan. It is even one of the biggest in the world. More exactly the Daibutsu-den, that houses it, is known to be the biggest wooden building in the world.

Nara National Museum has one of the world’s largest collections about Buddhist art and it has changing exhibitions.

Kasuga Taisha is worth a visit for the beautiful approach, through the Kasuga Primeval Forest.

And there is more, much more, since Nara is a mainly a touristic city, it has developed many cultural offers in this direction.

The Mount Wakakusa Fire Festival, for example, is a splendid time to visit the city. Amazing fireworks, surrounded by a festivity. Huge wooden temples are built and burnt just for this occasion.

Nara is also known for its writing brushed, the handmade Narafude. They are very rare and expensive, but unique for Japanese calligraphy.

Let’s go to Osaka

Osaka is the second city of Japan. Not only it is the second city in its size, 17 million inhabitants, but also regarding its importance to the Japanese economy.

Tokyo is the official capital, but Osaka has something special, that sets it apart from all the rest of the country. Osaka has developed itself as an alternative culture capital.

Osaka is an ancient city to Japan and it was once its capital more than 1,000 years ago. Its importance derives partly from that time and partly from its own achievements in culture, art and industry. Osaka is a hub for the country regarding all aspects.

The best way of visiting the real Osaka is buying a subway ticket with unlimited travels. The subways covers the whole city and with an unlimited pass, you can just let yourself go.

As in many Japanese cities, there is a castle. The best views over Osaka are from this castle. The Osaka Castle has been converted into a museum, you can see original samurai’s swords in it that have seen combat and detailed weaponry used across the centuries by Japanese warriors.

The Osaka Science Museum is also a unique place to visit. You can spend days and days within it and won’t have seen everything. From miniatures to whole planes, in this museum, you’ll find anything that has been invented or improved by Japanese engineers and technicians along the years. It has a planetarium and a 3d cinema. It is a appropriate visit for young and old. Both children with a grasp of science and grown-ups will find entertaining activities in it.

Due to its old age, Osaka also has one of the oldest Shinto shrines. It has a known history of more than 1,800 years. It is embedded in a park and even if you don’t practice the Shinto faith, you are welcome at this place and you will be able to appreciate the inner piece that this sites transmits.

Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum is not so big or famous as the both alternatives above, but it has its charm. It will show you how it was invented, how it can be developed and you will have the chance of even letting them manufacture your favorite noodle according to your specifications.

Take a trip to Sapporo

Sapporo is one of the newest cities in Japan. It is also one of the nicest. With its 2 million inhabitants, it is considered a middle tier city, according to Japanese standards of size. It has little traditional architecture, but it doesn’t lack in Japanese style, even it is a rather modern style.

It is one of the rare Japanese cities organized with a grid system. It has streets that run from East to West and from South to North. Every street address follows the coordinate system. Therefore it is very easy to find a street, if you know that it is on East X and South Y. The only drawback to this system is that blocks are very large. In all cases, it is much easier to find an address in Sapporo than in other Japanese cities. If you are walking around the city, don’t forget to take the address of your hotel, hostel or accommodations written down on a paper. Otherwise, you might have trouble finding your way back.

One of its more famous monuments is the Clock Tower. It is rather a small building, with Western influence. It is the oldest building town and therefore is the symbol of the city. Although all Japanese tourist will visit this clock, it is not a surprise that almost no one has ever heard of it outside Japan. For most people it is a disappointment to come to Japan to just see a clock with Western style.

Ishiya Chocolate Factory is well-known by any Japanese children. Although the visit to the factory is a must see, if you have children, adults more interested in culture could find it boring. If you visit it anyway, don’t forget to buy some white chocolate from it, since it is unique.

Sapporo TV tower is an example of the Western influence in Japan. It is a replica of the Eiffel Tower but much smaller. Japanese tourist would visit it. Most Western tourist see no attractiveness in it.

Sapporo Beer Museum is of some interest. Entrance is free, what is quite uncommon for Japan. It is not very big and no beer is given away for free. It is an interesting visit that should last no more than one hour.

Take a holiday in Kanazawa, Japan

Kanazawa is one often overlooked tourist destination in Japan. Although Japanese tourist know to appreciate it, foreign tourists often not even have heard the name. It is in a remote location, in an off-beat track, but most tourists believe that it is worth the long journey, after visiting it. It is remote, but this only contributes to being more exotic.

Remember that this city was not heavily destructed during the war, so it is perhaps one of the best conserved cities in Japan of the Edo period. Another similar alternative is Takayama, that it’s equally impressive. It has a broad offer of temples and shrines. However, it has something more. This was some centuries ago hot spot for samurais, geishas, land lords and merchants. This city has been a trading place since many centuries and its buildings reflect this history.

If you come by train, you’ll see the symbiosis of Japanese old and new styles. The train station is a futuristic building integrated within a wooden temple of glass and steel. But, of course, although the train station is impressive, there are other tourists sights that are much more magnetic.

The first must-see place is perhaps the Kenroku-en Garden. It is with no doubt the most well-known sight in Kanazawa. Its name means the Garden of Six Attributes. It is considered one of Japan’s Top gardens. It was once the pleasure gardens of the Maeda Lords, many centuries ago. It has been expanded to occupy the entire block.

It has not been built until the end of the Edo Shogunate, and due to the fact, that it has been a long building project, it reflect the architecture of many styles and periods of time. Water is piped from some kilometres to fill its ponds. After that the same water fills the castle moats. It is definitely a great engineering feat of an ancient period.

Another impressive sight is the Kanazawa Castle. Castles are impressive no matter where you go. Within this castle, you could find the national university some years ago, however, this was for many centuries the place of the Imperial Army. Currently, the castle is a public space, and might be visited for free by anyone. It has a long history of more than 400 years.

Starting with the Ishikawa Gate, that’s name like the district of Ishikawa downtown. It is quite uncommon to find an original, century old gate in Japan. In this case, it is still used as gate. Some parts of the palace are only open upon payment of an entry fee that mostly goes to the budget of the restoration. The amazing thing about this castle is that it is constantly being restored. Its huge size implies that there is always a place that needs to be renewed. That, however, doesn’t imply that the castle is closed to the public.

One of the most magnetic, due to its high symbolical nature, is perhaps the Nagamachi Samurai District. This area is the traditional spot, where samurais actually lived, trained and were instructed. Efforts have been made to recreate the historical feel of this district, however, many critical tourist may find it too commercial. Samurai fans will be definitely disappointed.

Reasons to visit Hiroshima in Japan

Most people only associate Hiroshima with sad events during the Second World War. Currently, Hiroshima has suffered its past, has been re-planned and rebuilt and it is an industrial city with wide boulevards, rivers crossing it and a bubbling city centre. Hiroshima is at the coast of the Seto Inland, in the west of Japan. Hiroshima has lots of life and it is know within Japan for its vibrant nightlife, only compared to that of Tokyo.

Hiroshima, as other Japanese cities, seems to be made of concrete and neon. However, although almost no historical building can be seen in the city centre, around the city, there are traditional Zen gardens and Buddhist temples. With its population of more than 1 million, Hiroshima is the financial centre of its region, Chugoku and a reference point for the whole country, not only the West. Automobile industries are heavily present in this region. Mazda has its headquarter in this city.

Although many foreign tourists may feel uneasy visiting the city due to the event during the war, it must be said that the city is a friendly place for all tourists. Hiroshima people is known for their hospitality and friendly nature. As a tourist, you will be welcomed with open arms.

Although Hiroshima didn’t establish itself as a tourist destination, there are plenty of tourist activities and opportunities in the city. Indeed, there are many exhibitions and museums regarding the drop of the bomb. Most of them are worth visiting. However, the exhibitions are not meant as an accusation. Visitors should not consider this openness relating the drop of the bomb as a possibility to talk about this topic. The explosion killed more than 100,000 thousands citizens of Hiroshima and many of the present-day inhabitants are descendants of those killed.

Hiroshima was founded in the XVI century and it is located on the delta of the Ota river. The Seto Inland is nearby, and this is also a place that should be visited, principally due to its unique well conserved nature. Its position as a dynamic harbour made of Hiroshima a commercial centre, where many immigrants came in and left their influence.

The Japanese city of Kyoto

Kyoto, an ancient city of Japan and its capital for more than 1,000 years, is one of the most beautiful cities of Japan. Its name is well known abroad due to the protocol of the same name. Visitors to this city are mostly fascinated and exhausted. Seeing all that Kyoto has to offer means traveling around this huge city.

Downtown, visitors will be impressed by the ultra-modern architectural style. However, even if you can walk for hours within this futuristic inner city, you can also find temples and traditional parks in Kyoto. These ring the inner city and are oasis of peace surrounding a vibrant city center.

Kyoto is embedded within the Honshu mountains and they can be seen almost from every building within the city. Perhaps due to this fact, Kyoto was not heavily damaged during the Second World War and it conserves well its palaces, shrines, temples and other historical buildings.

Since it was the capital of Japan from 794 until the XIX century, many buildings were built for its samurais, governmental officials, clergy and intellectuals. Although its definitely traditional orientation, many pre-war buildings are being demolished to give place to office towers. Excepting buildings of historical relevance and a couple of more prominent building, almost no building is protected against this fate.

Although it may sound amazing, Kyoto has a grid pattern like any US city. Streets are numbered from West to East, however, streets from North to South have Japanese names. Visitors should always take with them the name of hotel, hostel or accommodation written down, since often Japanese won’t understand tourists asking for directions, even if they are eager to help.

Kyoto has a wide subway net and visitor that want to see everything should consider buying a day ticket.

The number of tourist attraction of Kyoto is astonishing. If you are short on time, plan in advance what you want to visit. If you spend a month in Kyoto you won’t have time to see everything. Specially highly recommended is the Daitokuji Temple, the Kinkaku ji Temple, the Hirano Shrine, the Ryoan ji Temple, the Ninnaji Temple and the Myoshinji Temple. As said above, since it was the capital of Japan for so many centuries, Kyoto is also the center of Japanese temples. It doesn’t mean that it has only temples. As a tourist you’ll also appreciate the Imperial Park, the Museum of Kyoto, the Kamigamo Shrine, and the Kyoto Manga Museum. There is, of course, more, much more.

Check out the 88 Temple Pilgrimage in Japan

The 88 Temple Pilgrimage is a 1,300-kilometre-long pilgrimage through the Japanese island of Shikoku.

Temple Pilgrimage is the most famous pilgrimage track in Japan. The way goes around the whole island of Shikoku. As the name says, it goes through 88 temples. Additionally, another 20 temples can be visited, if you walk even further.

Many of these temples are known by all the Buddhists, have been founded by them or restored at some time by a Buddhist monk or scholar. The temples have a high place within Japanese culture. They are not only an achievement of architecture and a place of faith, but they served for many centuries to spread Japanese culture. Within the walls of these temples, we know that many things like the kana syllabary or the tantric teachings of Buddhism from China have been developed into a uniquely Japanese cultural good.

While most present-day pilgrims (an estimated some hundred thousands each year) make the tour by bus, a rather small group still opt for an old-fashioned pilgrimage, goingin on foot. It is a journey which goes about more than a month to complete. It is known as o-henro-san in Japanese, and it can be seen in the sign on the temples or roadsides towards Shikoku.

The name simply means two travellers travelling together. That doesn’t mean that you are travelling alone, it simply means that the spirit of Dogyo Ninin is traveling with you. This is a highly regarded spiritually entity within Japanese religious cults. Lodging can be found everywhere along the way. Many hostels cater specially for pilgrims along the way. However, their prices, of over $80, are quite expensive for most tourists. If you are travelling on a budget, go for henro houses. They are equivalent to bed and breakfasts. They are family prices where you should trade the price. They appreciate pilgrims who want to stay in their houses and if they know you are doing the whole way on foot, they will provide you shelter and food for a very reasonable fee.

Prepare yourself conveniently for this route. 1,300 kilometres is not for everyone, especially if you are not accustomed to long trips, you should consider doing a part of the route by bus. This is not a flat way. Quite in contrary, it is constantly hill up and hill down, under a burning sun and heavy rain.

Many pilgrims dress up in traditional attire: hakuim the coat of a pilgrim. An optional wagesa, scarf worn around the neck to indicate that you are on a religious pilgrimage. Sugegasa, straw hat. Kongotsue, a walking stick. This last is an indispensable sign to identify you as a pilgrim

Most pilgrims walking on foot average not more than 25 km every day. The trip can last between five to seven weeks.

Take a trip to Sendai in Japan

Sendai is not a well-known city outside Japan, but it is a must see destination, if you are traveling to Japan from far abroad.

Sendai is neither big nor small. It is between the sea and the mountains. It is pleasant, but also vibrant. It has wide green areas, but also wide streets with lots of traffic. It is definitely a city of balance between opposing qualities.

Japanese people and foreigners visiting Japan, don’t see Sendai as a tourist destination. In terms of historical sites, there is almost anything that can be seen in it. Although the site has been inhabited since more than 20,000 years, it has been completely destroyed during the Second World War and rebuilt.

However, Sendai has some interesting attractions for tourists, beyond its flair as middle tier Japanese city. There is the Miyagi Museum of Art with its extensive collection of modern art, Japanese and foreigner.

There is the Aoba Castle, slightly outside the city. Despite its name, it is only the site of the old Aoba Castle. Currently, it is a park with some ruins remembering the old Aoba Castle.

Osaki Hachiman Shrine. It was completed around the year 1607. It is designated a national Japanese treasure. The metal ornaments or colourful designs displayed against a background of black lacquer wood is an especially attractive piece of art.

The Observation Lounge, Higashi Nibancho dori or Kitamenmachi dori. It is the office tower with an observation deck on the last floors. It is open and free to the public. The views are astonishing, since if you look right you see the sea and if you look right, the mountains.

A nice place to visit, for tourists interested in Japanese culture is the Buddhist meditation centre of Rinno-ji Temple. Zazen meditation is open to all, once every day. Instruction for newbies is given in English and it is completely free to join, regarding price and conditions. Wear loose clothing for this.

If you are planning to visit Sendai, set in your calendar the date of the festival Tanabata. It starts at the beginning of August and goes for 5 days. There is a parade and all streets are decorated.

Nagasaki in Japan

Nagasaki is perhaps the most Western city of Japan. It was for a long period of time the only harbor to which foreign ships could entry. In its building, we can recognize influence of Dutch and Portuguese architecture style.

The name of Nagasaki is associated outside Japan with the drop of the atomic bomb during the Second World War. However, Japanese associate it with a rather small town with a quiet life style.

Due to this sad events, the Peace Memorial Park with its huge bell of peace and a fountain of peace is perhaps one must see attraction. For the same reason the Atomic Bomb Museum is also a recommended visit. Both are directed towards a pacifistic message and there is by no means finger pointing at possible guilty countries.

There is enough to see during some weeks time. Climbing to the nearby mountains and looking down at the city with its dynamic harbor is a unique experience. A large part of Nagasaki’s life turns around its harbor. Its streets are also oriented towards it, and many companies settled in Nagasaki perform some sort of business related to it.

Nagasaki is also home for the most Catholic Japanese, a tiny minority in this Buddhist country. Therefore some Catholic churches can be visited like the Oura Roman Catholic Church and the Urakami Roman Catholic Church.

O-Kunchi is the city’s biggest and the more popular festival in Japan. People come from all around the country just to see it. It takes place in early October. The festival is based around the descent of the city’s patron kami. He descents from his home in the Suwa Shrine in Nagasaki. The festival in known abroad for its choreographed routines with giant dragons, cumbersome floats, and a popular feeling of celebration. Finding food is not be a problem during the O-Kunchi, as the streets are filled with thousands of food vendors of traditional food.

Another very intense popular celebration in Nagasaki is the O-Bon festivity. Although all Japan celebrates the O-Bon in August, Nagasaki sets a unique spin on the day of the ancestor. Head to the harbor for the festivities. They involve more alcohol added to fireworks than it is considered safe.

What to expect from travel to Tokyo

Tokyo is the capital of Japan and its biggest city. With over 12 million inhabitants, Tokyo is also one of the most populated cities in the world.

Despite its huge size metropolitan character, Tokyo can also be a quiet place with its many carefully cared gardens outside the vibrant central Tokyo.

Tokyo is the symbiosis between new and old. In Tokyo you can find the last high-tech developments combined with the oldest Japanese traditions. You can see a huge high-fidelity screen flashing ads in a main street, turn the corner and find a century old tea house. Japanese life turns around these two central pivots.

You might be surprised, but Tokyo is only 400 years old. It was a fisher’s village, named Edo, that was turned into a capital. It is since then, the center of business, culture and government.

If you are visiting Tokyo for the first time, you won’t find your way round in less than some months. It is terribly difficult for foreigners, especially those who don’t speak Japanese, to navigate this city. Happily, many Japanese, specially the younger generations, speak English and are eager to practice with any foreigner who might need directions. Always carry the name of the destination with you, written in Japanese and show it, to a better understanding.

What should you visit as a tourist?

A place that you can miss is central Tokyo, the centre not only of the city but of the whole country. It is the place of the Imperial Palace and of the electronics Mecca of Akihabara. In central Tokyo, you’ll find all the nightclubs and luxury hotels. Futuristic skyscrapers and giant camera stores. You’ll find the shopping district and one of the biggest train hubs in the world. Everything is connected through an excellent subway system.

A second focus of attention in Tokyo is Old Tokyo (Shitamachi in Japanese). This is the mirror image of central Tokyo. Going into this neighbourhood is like travelling into another country or another time. It is the counterpoint of the vibrant life of central Tokyo and the centre of traditional Japanese life. In it you’ll find Zen gardens, sumo rings, temples and many museums. It is surrounded by the woodlands and there are many parks encrusted within it.

Next Page »