Nozomi train to Hiroshima – A bomb dome The train trip took roughly about 1-1/2 hour to Hiroshima. At the station we found the information desk easily enough and were given a streetcar map and the number of the streetcar to take us to Hiroshima Peace Park. The first view of the Dome and skeletal […]
Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum and Brewery- Kobe Japan
June 25, 2014 by
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After Himeji Castle we had an hour or two to spare and our guide suggested a visit to the Hakutsuru Sake Museum and Brewery at Sumiyoshi. We hopped the train from Himeji to Sumiyoshi station, then a short walk to the brewery. The original Hakutsuru Sake Brewery opened in 1743. How a Sake brewery operates Greeting […]
Himeji Castle (White Heron Castle) – Feudal Architecture
June 16, 2014 by
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Himeji Station Finding Himeji castle once you get off the train at Himeji stations is pretty simple.Take the North entrance/exit, you can see Himeji Castle when you step outside, it is hard to miss as you walk down the main street (Otemae Street). A shopping arcade is on the right with convenience stores, souvenir shops […]
Kiyomizu-dera (Kyoto) – Japanese Buddhism
May 25, 2014 by
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Last on our list for the day is a visit to the Japanese Buddhist Temple of Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto. My memory when approaching the temple is of the lane ways bustling with crowds of people, lined with fascinating little souvenir shops,cafe’s and eateries; the delicate pink petals of cherry blossoms falling on one’s face like […]
Sanjusangen-do Temple 1001 Golden Statues Kyoto
October 18, 2013 by
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700 year old Temple Something more serious and austere. Sanjusangen-do Temple. An impressive long temple hall, 390 feet in length, built-in the Wayo (Japanese) style of architecture from the Heian period (794 to 1185 A.D). The meaning of Sanjusangen-do is a hall with thirty-three spaces between columns, this is a traditional method of measuring the size […]
Kyoto Heian Shrine – heavenly weeping cherry blossom trees
October 3, 2013 by
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Heian Shrine Kyoto – Buddhist Shinto Shrine The Heian Shrine, a Shinto shrine, is different in architecture to many other shrines and palaces we visited in Japan on our tour. The buildings are very colorful with an attractive mix of vivid vermilion,white, and jade colors; offset by dark green cypress pines and pink cherry blossom trees. […]
Kyoto Imperial Palace – Kyoto
September 22, 2013 by
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A walk down a meticulously clean and evenly graveled roadway, along an enclosed earthen wall, known as Tsuiji, led us to the Seishomon Gate, entrance into the grounds of the Imperial Palace. The enclosed earthen wall stretches some 450m north to south and 250m east to west around the palace. The total area of the […]
Golden Pavilion – Kinkaku-ju – Kyoto
September 10, 2013 by
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Golden Pavilion a Zen Buddhist temple I was really looking forward to see the Golden Pavilion. I had read about it before coming to Japan, hard to imagine a building covered in gold leaf. I was not disappointed when I saw this graceful pavilion. Our tour group followed a tree-lined pathway leading into a […]
Kosho-ji Temple Nagoya
September 5, 2013 by
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Kosho-ji is a Shingon Buddhist Temple in Yagoto, Nagoya, Central Japan This temple complex set in woodlands on Yogota Hill felt very peaceful and serene. A wonderful old, rustic, five tiered wooden pagoda, ageing gracefully, stands serenely among the other wooden buildings of the complex outlined against a perfect blue sky. The complex dates from […]
Tokugawa Shogun – Nijo Castle – Ninomaru Palace -Kyoto
August 31, 2013 by
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Arriving in Kyoto a new guide greeted us on the train platform and took us to our hotel, the Rihga Royal Hotel, our luggage already arrived and in situ. Our hotel room,very clean, comfortable, a good standard, staff very friendly and helpful, another really nice hotel. Great breakfasts with a choice of western or Japanese cuisine. Kyoto […]