From the nomadic steppes of Kazakhstan to the frenetic streets of Hanoi, Asia is a continent so full of intrigue, adventure, solace, and spirituality that it has fixated and confounded travelers for centuries.
Today was mostly a transit day as moved from Takayama to Kyoto via Nagoya. It started with a scenic ride through the mountains followed by visits to the 2005 World Expo park which was full of mini attractions and walkways. Unfortunately the massive ferris wheel wasn’t running at the time. In addition to the Expo Memorial Park, I took time to visit the Toyota...
Started and ended in the mountains today with breathtaking views at each stop. My first stop was at the World Heritage site Shirakawa-go. While a relatively small town the houses were wrapped by rice fields and offered views of the surrounding mountains. While beautiful, the traditional way of heating the home with an open fire in the middle was a bit much. The...
Crossed east to west from Tokyo to Kanazawa for a visit to the old Samurai homes and a pleasant walk around Kenroku-en. I can see myself making a journey back in a few weeks to see if I can catch some of the fall leaves changing colors. After leaving the garden I made down the coast with constant views of the Sea of Japan to a hot spring resort on the shores of Lake...
I stayed local today and visited Gotokuji Temple which has a large collection of lucky cats. I found it interesting how many locations you’d find a beckoning cat around the temple. While at the temple I had the pleasure of meeting a nice local who took me to his favorite snack shop named Takobo Miyasaka Shop. I had the octopus filled takoyaki balls which were...