Travelling in Japan with my Mum and Aunt!

For the last week I have been traveling around Japan with my Mum and aunt. We had a lovely trip and they were surprised at how good the Shinkansen was.
On the first day we went to Kyoto, when we arrived we went for a walk around Gion area trying different foods from the shops and stalls. I really liked the grilled mochi with the sticky soy sauce but it is very different to Irish food and my aunt didn't like the texture.

Then we walked to Yasaka Shrine and through Maruyama Park and the weather was beautiful so we enjoyed walking around. We followed the park to Chionin Temple and walked around it. I thought that Kyoto was very easy to navigate around. The temple was very interesting and I really liked the 'Nightingale Floorboards' that squeak so the Shogun could know if intruders were coming.

After the temple we went to a Tea house called En and we learned about Tea Ceremony and got to make to make green tea. I thought it was very interesting and such a relaxing process and I hope to be able to join Tea Ceremony lessons in Gotemba. Below is a photo of some of the utensils used in tea ceremony.

On the second day we went to Nijo-jo which was such a beautiful castle and the paintings on the screen doors inside were spectacular but we couldn't photograph them. The grounds were amazing as well, I really liked the landscape garden and the views from the top were stunning.

Later that day we had booked a tour of the Imperial Palace and it was very interesting to listen to the guide explain about the architecture and the history of the buildings. I liked the striking colours of the corridors in this newer part and learned that this colour is used in Japan to ward off evil spirits.

The roofs were made of strips of ceder bark layered on top of each other which is used because its water resistant and keeps the buildings cool in summer. The grounds around the Palace were beautiful and so vast, I was also excited to see some Sakura out already.

That evening we went to Gion Corner and we watched Geisha performances, music and plays. It was very interesting and enjoyable to see so many aspects of Japanese culture.

I really liked the Kyogen (Ancient Comic Play), it was really funny and the actors were brilliant.

On the third day we went to Kinkakuji which was very beautiful reflecting in the lake and the park was peaceful to walk around.

Afterwards, we went to Fushimi Inari Shrine which is somewhere I have wanted to visit for a while. It was very dizzying to walk around but I really liked the affect.

The next morning we headed off to Osaka but it rained all day so it made it hard to get around. This meant that we only went to the Umeda Sky Building and then found an Italian Izakaya which served the most delicious food.

Mom's Visit-Day 7

On day 7, my mother and I stayed in Kyoto and went to the Imperial Palace. You have to apply for a tour to enter the palace, which is a bit of a shame because the pace of the tour was quite slow. The grounds around the palace are really nice though. There are a few bridges, and the colors of the flowers and bushes in spring made the scenery beautiful. In the afternoon, we decided to visit Nijo Castle. I had been here once before, so we did a pretty quick run of the place and then headed to Osaka to spend the night.

my mom at the Imperial Palace

Mom's Visit-Day 3-6

On days 3-5, my mother and I stayed in Gotemba. My mother got to meet a few of my friends, and we went out for Indian one night. Also, she helped me with teaching a class, which was interesting. On the afternoon of day 5, my mother and I left for Kyoto. We used bicycles to get around, which was funny because I got to watch my mother attempt to ride a bicycle. The first day in Kyoto, we visited the Heian Shrine. I had been here once before, but I think it is my favorite place in Kyoto. The garden there is amazing, and it isn’t crowded with too many people. After this, we made our way to Kiyomizu Temple. It is one of the most famous places in Kyoto, but I didn’t like it all that much because it is really crowded. Also, it is a mission to go up the huge hill crowded with loads of people and shops just to reach the temple. To end the day, we ended up in Gion where we ate Okonomiyaki.

By the temple shops at Kiyomizu Temple

Pagoda in Kyoto

At the Yasaka Shrine

Heian Shrine's Gardens

Heian Shrine

Me in gardens of Heian Shrine

Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka

For Silver Week, I went to Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka with two other ALTs. It was really excited to learn about the history and culture of Japan.

Day 1: Kyoto

On the first day, we visited the Imperial Palace, but it ended up being closed due to the holiday. Then, we went to the Philosopher's Walk, which is a trail that follows a canal. Many shrines and temples line this walk. We visited Ginkaku-ji, Honen-ji, Eikan-do, and Nanzen-ji. Also, along the way, we found a high school that was having a school festival. We wondered through the school and found the English club. I can't believe how big school festivals are. There were so many people there. After this, we went to Heian-jingu. I really liked it here even though there were many people. The bright colors of the buildings were beautiful, and there was also an amazing garden.

Day 2: Kyoto

The next day, we visited Kinkaku-ji. I really didn't like this temple because I thought it was gaudy and there were way too many people there for it to be enjoyable. After this, we went to Kitano Tenman-gu Shrine and then Nijo-jo. Nijo Castle was really cool. The floor squeaks when you walk on it, so it warns for invaders. In the afternoon, we went to Gion. There was a really nice park there called Maruyama. We got to take pictures of Geisha too. As the sun was setting, I got some really good pictures of Kyoto and Yasaka Pagoda. There was also a massive Buddha there called Ryozen Kannon, which commemorated those who died in WWII.

Day 3: Fushimi Inari and Nara

On day three, we took a train to Fushimi Inari-taisha. This shrine has thousands and thousands of torii. It seemed like a massive maze. After this, we went to Nara. The deer in Nara smell terrible, are really dirty, and look unhealthy. I was disappointed because I was looking forward to seeing the deer. Todai-ji Temple is amazing though. It's huge. It's really hard to describe other than it's absolutely massive.

Day 4-5

We spent day four and five in Osaka. We mostly spent our time here shopping, and we met up with some other ALTs. We went to a restaurant though, and we ordered Okonomiyaki. It was my first time eating it. Eating was really fun because we got to cook it ourselves. I'm pretty sure the waiter thought we were crazy because we kept mixing everything up instead of leaving it in a patty. He kept coming over and started helping us cook it....haha. On day five, we visited Osaka Castle. I was kind of disappointed though because it was more like a museum than a castle. Much of the castle had been burned in the past, so what we saw was almost entirely restoration work. The interior was very modern. The view of Osaka from the top of the castle was amazing though.

Ryozen Kannon in Kyoto

A Geisha in Gion

Fushimi Inari-taisha

A Little Girl at Fushimi Inari-taisha

At Todai-ji Temple in Nara

A Little Boy at Osaka Castle