On December 30 we took a train towards Nara, home of several historic monuments declared by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites.
From the train station we took a bus to Kasuga Taisha, a beautiful temple established in 768 on Mount Miksa. The area around the temple is full of stone lanterns, which are only lit twice a year (February and mid August) for lantern festivals.
Kasuga Taisha Temple, Nara, JapanKasuga Taisha Temple, Nara, JapanLanterns at the Kasuga Taisha Temple, Nara, JapanKasuga Taisha Temple, Nara, JapanKasuga Taisha Temple, Nara, Japan
We then walked to Todai-ji Temple, one of the most impressive temples in Japan. The temple’s wood structure is an engineering masterpiece; the size of the columns and the construction technique is magnificent. A must see place if you visit Japan. The main feature of Todai-ji Temple is its Buddha sitting on a lotus petal pedestal. It is 14.98 meters height and weights around 500 tons.
Entrance to the Todai-ji Temple, Nara, JapanTodai-ji Temple, Nara, JapanTodai-ji Temple, Nara, JapanTodai-ji Temple, Nara, Japan
We then visited the Kofuku-ji Temple and five-storey pagoda.
Kofuku-ji Temple, Nara, JapanStreets of Nara, Nara, Japan
In the afternoon we visited Jakushi-ji Temple. This is a white and orange temple with beautiful structural work. It was fully rebuilt a few years ago so it looks almost brand new, however it was completed in the year 680.
Jakushi-ji Temple, Nara, JapanFive-Storey Pagoda at Jakushi-ji Temple, Nara, JapanJakushi-ji Temple, Nara, Japan
In Nara all the temples close by 5:00pm so we took the train back to Osaka. We got off the train at Tsutenkaku station and visited the Shinsekai neighbourhood, a place known for its huge portions of food. This is food at a different level!
On December 29 we decided to visit a couple of places in Kyoto. We took the Shinkansen and after a 15 minutes ride we arrived in Kyoto. We went to Sogenchi Garden and Tenryu-ji Temple.
Sogenchi Garden, Kyoto, JapanSogenchi Garden, Kyoto, JapanTenryu-ji Temple, Kyoto, Japan
In the early afternoon we went to the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. This is a very popular tourist attraction in Kyoto, hundreds of tall bamboo trees adorn the small trails around the area.
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Kyoto, JapanArashiyama Bamboo Grove, Kyoto, JapanArashiyama Bamboo Grove, Kyoto, Japan
Our last stop of the day was the Fushimi Inari Taisha, where hundreds of orange toriis donated by people mark the path to the top of the mountain. Unfortunately it was getting dark so we only attempted to walk for a short while. We will come back to visit the whole area.
Carlos is felling a bit better, the antiviral medicine is working for him; therefore we decided to go visit more places. On December 27 we took the Shinkansen to Osaka. We arrived late in the evening and went for a walk around Dotonbori, one of the most touristic destinations in Osaka. One thing to note is the oversized signs on the restaurants indicating what they sell. We were also impressed with the gaming stores, which are far from anything we had seen before. We thought the ones in Taiwan were big, but the ones here are the next level!
In the morning of December 28 we went to the Osaka Castle and walked on the park grounds, unfortunately the castle was closed for the holidays.
Osaka Castle, Osaka, JapanOsaka Castle, Osaka, JapanOsaka, Japan
In the early evening we went to the Umeda Sky Building, where we had a great view of Osaka. We stayed until it got dark to get a night view of the city.
View of Osaka from Umeda Sky Building, Osaka, JapanView of Osaka from Umeda Sky Building, Osaka, JapanView of Osaka from Umeda Sky Building, Osaka, JapanView of Osaka from Umeda Sky Building, Osaka, JapanUmeda Sky Building, Osaka, Japan
After learning about the events of the atomic bomb in Nagasaki we went on December 22 to Hiroshima. We went to the hostel we will be staying, left our backpacks and headed to the Atomic Bomb Dome. It is a very touchy scene given the tragedy and devastation this place suffered because of the atomic bomb.
Train Station in Nagasaki, JapanShinkansen – Bullet Train, JapanDome, Hiroshima, Japan
We visited the Children’s Peace Monument and the Peace Memorial Park. All I can say is that both of these places will give you goose bumps and leave you speechless.
Children’s Peace Monument, JapanChildren’s Peace Monument, JapanPeace Memorial Park, Japan
We also visited the Peace Memorial Museum… there are no words to describe what one sees in this museum!
Hiroshima after the Atomic Bomb, Peace Memorial Museum, JapanPeace Memorial Museum, Japan
At night we walked around the City Centre and went to take pictures of the Hiroshima Castle. We have to admit that we are very impressed with this city, its drive to overcome such a tragic events and the friendly people that live here.
On December 23 we went took a train towards Itsukushima, also known as Miyajima. We arrived at the train station and after a short walk we took the ferry across to the island. We visited the Torii of Itsukushima Shrine, the Shrine and the Daisho-in Temple. The Torii, in particular, is one of the mayor attractions in Japan. We had the opportunity to witness its majestic size in both high tide and low tide. While at low tide we could stand underneath it and appreciate its size.
Torii of Itsukushima Shrine, JapanTorii of Itsukushima Shrine, JapanTorii of Itsukushima Shrine, JapanTorii of Itsukushima Shrine, JapanTorii of Itsukushima Shrine, JapanItsukushima Shrine, JapanItsukushima Shrine, JapanOkonomiyaki, Itsukushima, JapanTemple Daisho-in, Itsukushima, JapanTemple Daisho-in, Itsukushima, JapanTemple Daisho-in, Itsukushima, JapanTemple Daisho-in, Itsukushima, JapanTemple Daisho-in, Itsukushima, JapanTemple Daisho-in, Itsukushima, Japan5 Storey Pagoda, Itsukushima, Japan5 Storey Pagoda, Itsukushima, JapanTorii of Itsukushima Shrine, JapanTorii of Itsukushima Shrine, JapanTorii of Itsukushima Shrine, JapanTorii of Itsukushima Shrine, JapanKirin – Beverage Plant, Japan
We returned to the hotel late at night and just before going to bed we found out that Carlos has shingles. We thought about going to the hospital right away but it was late so we decided to take an early train to Tokyo and find a doctor there.
On December 24 Carlos woke up not feeling good at all, the pain is increasing by the minute. We caught an early train to Tokyo and upon arrival we looked for a clinic, fortunate enough we found one not too far from Kawasaki station. The doctor saw the rash and prescribed something… we didn’t know because everything was written in Japanese. We are at the mercy of the doctor’s knowledge; hopefully he prescribes the proper medicine to treat the shingles.
We bought the medicine and went to Manuel’s house.
At night we went to celebrate Christmas with Geraldine and her family, Manuel’s friends.
We spent December 25 and 26 in Kawasaki while Carlos recovers a little bit. He is in a lot of pain and the rash just keeps growing, it does not look good.
We are now heading south. We took the Shinkansen on December 19 towards Kumamoto. We left Tokyo at 9:03am and arrived in Kumamoto at 15:23. We want to visit the Kumamoto Castle, Mount Aso and Beppu. Unfortunately when we asked at the information centre the lady told us that Mount Aso and Beppu were closed due to the 2016 earthquake. Also the Kumamoto Castle is in bad shape and it is going through a massive reconstruction. We will have to change our plans for the next couple of days.
We went to see the castle on the outside and the magnitude of the destruction is incredible, what a sad scene in such a beautiful place. We went for a walk around the City Centre and had dinner at a local restaurant.
Kumamoto Castle, Kumamoto, JapanKumamoto Castle, Kumamoto, JapanKumamoto Castle, Kumamoto, JapanKumamoto Castle, Kumamoto, JapanKumamoto Castle, Kumamoto, JapanKumamoto Castle, Kumamoto, JapanKumamoto, JapanOn the Streets of Kumamoto, Kumamoto, Japan
In the morning of December 20 we visited the Suizenji Park, a traditional and beautiful garden built in 1636. Since we could not visit the places we wanted to see around Kumamoto we will be heading to Nagasaki.
Suizenji Park, Kumamoto, JapanSuizenji Park, Kumamoto, JapanSuizenji Park, Kumamoto, JapanSuizenji Park, Kumamoto, JapanSuizenji Park, Kumamoto, JapanSuizenji Park, Kumamoto, JapanSuizenji Park, Kumamoto, JapanSuizenji Park, Kumamoto, Japan
We made an AirB&B reservation; however the address was not clear and the instructions to find the place were very confusing. After a while we finally found it, left our bags and went to the Nagasaki Peace Park.
It is needless to say that most people come to Nagasaki to learn about the disaster that happened on August 6, 1945 due to the atomic bomb. It is not different for us, we are here to learn as much as we can about one of the mayor disasters in human history.
Nuclear Bomb Hypocentre Monument, Nagasaki, JapanPeace Park, Nagasaki, Japan
On December 21 we went to the Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the atomic bomb victims. This place is dedicated to all the victims of the atomic bomb. It is a very sensible place that will touch you deep in your heart.
Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall, Nagasaki, Japan
We then visited the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, a place where we leaned so much about the war and the nuclear arsenals that many countries have.
