See My Full Itinerary For 10 Days In Japan
Julia and I just returned from a 10 day trip to Japan. We started out in Kyoto and took day trips to Miyajima, Nara, and Koyasan. We then traveled to Tokyo and added day trips to Kamakura, Nikko, and Mt. Takao. I took over 2000 photos in Japan, and will be doing individual write-ups for each trip. I’ll also be doing a “how-to-guide” for those of you planning to make your own trip to the “land of the rising sun”. For now, I give you my 20 favorite photos!
1.) Staying at a temple in Koyasan was my favorite part of this trip. We woke up at 6:00 AM to partake in prayer and for one and a half hours were treated to one of the most moving chants I’ve ever heard.
2.) We arrived in Kyoto just as the cherry blossoms were beginning to color the landscape.
3.) Tokyo is a special place. The blend of old and new can be found around every corner.
4.) You’ve never experienced train travel until you’ve taken a ride on the high speed Shinkansen.
5.) A stunning five story pagoda in Nara.
6.) When the tide is low, you can walk right out to the Torii Gate in Miyajima.
7.) It was cold in Nikko, but well worth the trip
8.) The Giant Buddha in Kamakura is the third largest Buddha in Japan.
9.) It was a tough call between Shinjuku and Shabuya at night for this 9th slot. So much character in these neighborhoods.
10.) Kyoto Tower made for a welcome introduction to the beautiful city of Kyoto
11.) Nijo Castle was once the seat of the shogun.
12.) This was our first day in Tokyo. Asakusa was a great place to begin.
13.) Danjo Garan in Koyasan is the temple complex built by Kobo Daishi.
14.) Cherry Blossoms at Kiyomizu-dera
15.) This was taken in the garden of the Yasaka Shrine.
16.) From the summit of Mt. Misen on Miyajima Island
17.) It’s impossible to truly capture the scale of the wooden Todaishi Temple
18.) I’m going to have to revisit Lake Chuzenji in summer to take these duck boats for a spin.
19.) The view of Nara from Nigatsu-do was pretty special
20.) No caption needed here. Just a beautiful bell.
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It all looks so incredibly beautiful. I’d love to visit Japan, we have friends who are going back again this year in May. Lucky them.
Thanks, Miriam! It’s an incredible country. I’m hoping to return soon to explore the northern half of the island.
How wonderful for you. Enjoy!
This makes me want to book a flight right now! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Alyssa!
Great photos and looking forward to reading the write-ups. Having completed the Camino last year, I’m heading to Japan later this year to walk the Kumano Kodo and gain my dual pilgrim status. I’ll also be staying at Koyasan actually but with limited information available online, I’ll definitely be keen to read your thoughts. Did you do any trekking while you were in the mountains there?
Thanks, Kelly! The Kumano Kodo looks amazing. I’m hoping to return to Japan for the 88 temple pilgrimage some day. Koyasan is an incredible place and their are an abundance of temples there for accommodation. We didn’t do any trekking, but we did do a lot of daily hiking. Most of the information online is in Japanese though.
Amazing! Would love to go. Looking forward to reading more about your trip.
Thanks, Mani!
Another country on my list! I look forward to reading about the different places on your trip. Was it a very expensive place to travel?
Japan is really affordable right now. The exchange rate has kept us from visiting in years past, but right now it’s about 100 Yen to 1 US Dollar. This makes the prices just like being at home. The other great thing is that foreign visitors can buy a Japan Rail pass allowing for unlimited travel on all JR trains and Shinkansen. This allowed us to travel all around Japan on high speed trains for a fraction of what a local would have to pay.
Thanks. Good to know especially about the rail pass. Now we are just waiting for our Canadian dollar to improve!
They Looks So Beautiful
Thank you!
Stunning, Nice Place
Thanks!
So this is why you’ve been so quiet! Not a bad reason to be!
I know! I realized last night that I went an entire month without a post!
Glad to hear and see you had a wonderful trip!!
Thanks! It was a nice departure from the hike-hike-hike routine.
Did you do a few hikes though? I don’t know that we have had a trip without hiking yet:)
We did! We hiked on Mt Misen on Miyajima Island and Mt. Takao outside of Tokyo. We also did a lot of city walking, usually 5-10 miles a day!
I figured you couldn’t stay away from mountains for too long:)
haha. I’m hoping to return to Japan at some point to walk the 88 Temple Pilgrimmage that starts in Koyasan.
Stunning photos. From your captions it sounds as though you had an amazing trip.
Thanks, Meghan! It was incredible. It was my first trip to Asia, but definitely not my last.
I am mostly can see the Orient was very pretty sure envy you and the pictures were awesome.
Wow….just, wow! Your photos are absolutely stunning. Looks like an incredible trip!
Thanks, Melissa!