Category Travel
Mount Fuji (Day 2) – Descent
What to people say about labor pains — about how after you’ve had the baby the whole ordeal somehow recedes and seems totally worth it? Whatever it is, that’s basically how I felt when the sun rose on Mount Fuji. I was tired and ornery and uncomfortable as hell, but the instant I walked outside […]
Mount Fuji (Day 1-2) – Overnight at the Eighth Station
As neat as it was to be on top of Mount Fuji, our visit was necessarily short. It was just too cold, wet and windy to hang around up there. Plus, with no views, it was kind of boring. So when the Australian began to complain of the cold (he didn’t have the extra warm […]
Mount Fuji (Day 1) – Ascent and summit
When we decided to come to Japan this summer, I told Amanda that climbing Mount Fuji was my top priority on my list of must-do activities. In fact, it was my only must-do activity. Why? Well, why not! Although not the tallest or most difficult climb in the world, Mount Fuji ranks among the most […]
Back to Tokyo for a night!
I’m back in Tokyo! I know, I know, you’re all like “But what about those four days in Kyoto and when do we get to see pictures of the 47 temples you saw that all look basically the same?” Relax! They’re coming. I promise. For now, let’s just focus on what’s really important; namely, […]
Kyoto (Day 4) – Nanzen-ji
Today Amanda and I parted ways — she went west to spend a couple of days at a Buddhist temple in Koyasan; I returned to Tokyo to prep for a climb up Mount Fuji. But before we went our separate ways, we had a few hours to squeeze in one last temple. We picked Nanzen-ji […]
Kyoto (Day 3) – Gion Corner and dinner at Aunbo
For performing-arts enthusiasts such as Amanda and I are, it isn’t enough just to see temples and gardens: We always supplement that sort of sightseeing with cultural events, such as concerts, dance performances and theatre. We didn’t have time (and it wasn’t the right season) to take in these cultural events as they would ordinarily […]
Kyoto (Day 3) – Sightseeing rebooted: Fushimi Inari, Tofoku-ji, Kiyomisu-dera, Chion-in
Oh man, what a difference sleep makes! After going to bed last night at the unheard of hour of 11:00pm, we got a full nine hours of sleep, which is basically unheard of on our vacations — we tend to average somewhere closer to 6 hours per night due to awesomeness. Only sometimes all that […]
Kyoto (Day 2) – Gion district and dinner at Kyoto-Gion Nanba
Kyoto is known for having many good restaurants, including many with Michelin stars. With the help of our concierge we had reservations for a place called Nanba in the Gion district. Gion is the old historic district in Kyoto, and it’s known for it’s charming evening atmosphere when the geisha go to work and the […]
Kyoto (Day 2) – Nijo Castle
Leaving the tasting tour behind us, we set out to see Nijo-jo, the 17th Century castle in the heart of central Kyoto. It’s composed of moats, fortifications, some grand gates, a couple of palaces, and gardens. Like everything else in Japan, much of the castle had been destroyed by fire and rebuilt at various times in history. […]
Kyoto (Day 2) – JD Kai Food Tasting Tour
Having begun our stay in Kyoto with a bike tour to some of the major sights, we thought it only natural that we spend the next day on a food tour to experience some of the local gastronomy. We found the JD Kai Food Tasting Tour on Tripadvisor and booked it well in advance — […]
A More Gentlemanlike Manner 