I visited Japan for the very first time in 2008. We dedicated our first visit to Tokyo and that was enough to keep us busy. When I went back to Japan for the second time, I went to Tokyo again, but this time, adding other cities that are not too far away from Tokyo on the itinerary, such as Kamakura, Enoshima, and Hakone. These three places are along the same route on the Odakyu Line, which means that you don’t have to spend too much time travelling from one place to another. To get an estimate of how much this 5 days 5 nights trip might cost you, refer to the costing section at the end of the post. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Japan
Hakone Trip – Best of Itinerary @ Japan
Hakone (箱根) is a great place for an easy day trip from Tokyo, being just an hour 40 minutes away. Hakone has a lot to offer – onsen, lakes, forests, unique museums and the vicinity to Mount Fuji makes it a popular place among the Japanese and foreigners. We did a 3 days 2 night trip in Hakone, and also made en-route stops in sea-side towns of Kamakura and Enoshima. Continue reading
Kamakura Day Trip @ Japan
Our Kamakura trip started off with the arrival at the Hase (長谷) Station. If you dig into Kamakura’s history a little more, once upon a time in 1192, it was the capital of Japan and Japan was partially ruled by Minamoto no Yoritomo, who rose to power from the samurai class and established his shogunate military government in Kamakura. Continue reading
Shrine of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu @ Kamakura, Japan
The Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine (鶴岡八幡宮) was originally founded by the Minamoto family more than one thousand years ago. The shrine houses Emperor Ojin the Warrior God (or “Hachiman”), his mother Empress Jingu and his wife Hime Gami. Continue reading
The Great Buddha of Kamakura @ Tokokuin, Japan
The Great Buddha ( Daibutsu, 大仏) in Kamakura at Kotoku Temple (高徳院) is a favorite place for travelers to visit. A magnificent monument which you might notice that it’s a little different from all the other Buddha statues – it sits in the open air, under the shelter of the sun, the moon and the stars. Continue reading
Hasedera (Hase Temple) @ Kamakura, Japan
Behind us is Hasedera, or Hase Temple (長谷寺) in Kamakura (鎌倉), set in a tranquil, immaculate Japanese garden, where you feel the serene beauty with sculptured tress and ponds. Continue reading
Shopping @ Gotemba Premium Outlet @ Japan
Gotemba Premium Outlet is located in Shizuoka Prefecture, 1.5 hours away from Tokyo by either bus or train. If you are in the Hakone area, Gotemba Premium Outlet is also a favorite destination for shopping just an hour away. We went to the outlet by bus – thinking that it might be a bit difficult to find the Odakyu Line “Romance Car” in the vast Shinjuku West Station. In reality, finding the bus stop going to Gotemba took us a while too. Continue reading
Review: Fuji Hakone Guest House @ Japan
We stayed for 3 nights at Fuji Hakone Guest House during our Hakone trip. The guest house is perfectly located just a few minutes walk away from the bus stop and a supermarket. It was easy for us to go around Hakone and really convenient when we needed some snacks. The ATM in the supermarket can come in handy if you ever run out of cash. The few attractions that we went in Hakone didn’t take credit cards so be cash-ready if you are in Hakone for a few days. Continue reading
Lake Ashi Cruise @ Hakone, Japan
Lake Ashi (芦ノ湖) is a gorgeous lake with Mount Fuji as a backdrop. When the weather is right, the snow-capped Mount Fuji, bright red torii gate, glowing pirate ships on glistening waters make it absolutely bewitching.
Weekly Photo Challenge : Patterns
This week’s photo challenge – pattern. A few random pictures from different places 🙂
Stained glass tower @ Hakone Open Air Museum, Japan.
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