After dropping our luggage in the charming ryokan, it’s time to discover our surroundings. Thanks to our precious JR Pass, we took the train to Futami (about 20 mins journey from Isa-shi) to admire the famous ‘Wedded Rocks’ of Meoto Iwa. MEOTO IWA at FUTAMI The town is very tranquil (probably because it wasn’t high … Read more
And we’re back on the train on our way to Ise, in the province of Mie. Tokyo or Osaka‘s modernity and turmoil seem so far away! All the more so with our lodging choice for this stop: a traditional inn (=ryokan) called Hoshidekan. I had never tried this type of housing during my previous stay, … Read more
Contrary to the « pool flip flops » trend, I am much more into the « sneakers worn with city clothes » trend. As you already noticed with my New Balances or other Converses. Another target that I have been having my eye on for a long time: the very (too much?) popular Stan Smiths. … Read more
We left Nagoya very early to take the train (yummy bento for breakfast! hehe) and headed for Takayama to enjoy its spring festival for the day (the festival lasts 2 days: on the 14th and 15th of April). This festival (more commonly called « matsuri ») is one of the most popular festivals in Japan … Read more
In Osaka, we took a train to Nagoya. I had the pleasure of enjoying more train-bentos. I don’t particularly like taking the train, but I have to say it’s amazing how good food makes for a much more pleasant trip. Nagoya was essentially a strategical choice in our journey: it was at the crossroads of … Read more
The tour of Osaka goes on! If you are an Otaku (a fan of the Japanese culture of video games and manga) or a Geek, or even both, I think you will like this post. I am a bit of all that, even if I have tempered my ardor with time. I am not really … Read more
Let’s carry on with our Japanese journey in Osaka: this city has almost as much to offer as Tokyo. We stayed there 2 days and a half: Of course, we didn’t have enough time to go deep into the city but for a first, I thought it was quite good. Here are some ideas of … Read more
We’re not done with Tokyo: we’ll be back at the end of our stay, patience!… …But for the time being, we’re taking the train to Osaka! (I heard that Osaka is Tokyo’s rival city, kind of like Marseille and Paris here in France…as for me, I like all 4 of them!) During our stay, … Read more
The early bird catches the worm! Today, we rose early again (but not as early as for the Tsukiji market!) to be there at 8 am, for the opening hour of the SkyTree, the great Tokyo observation tower. Before anything else, it is a radio/tv broadcasting station (like the Eiffel Tower), built in 2011. It … Read more
Wake up! Because, if I tell you that on the seventh day we woke up at 2:30 am (got to bed at midnight FYI) to go to the auction of Tsukiji’s fish market, you think we are: Brave/ Crazy? (Delete as appropriate). When I think about it now I think the answer is yes indeed… … Read more