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28/01/2025

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28/01/2025

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Travel Date: March 2025 onward selected date.
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09/10/2024

Autumn Dance
Awa Odori in Tokushima City Japan.
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20/04/2024

Hachiko Hit in Shibuya

20/04/2024

20/04/2024

13/04/2024

It is better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times.

13/04/2024

Japan lay over

Read our comprehensive traveler's guidebook for layovers in Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and Narita Airport that explores the best rest, food and activities inside each terminal during a short-term layover.

06/02/2024

Fushimi Inari Taisha
Kyoto Shrine

Fushimi Inari Shrine (伏見稲荷大社, Fushimi Inari Taisha) is an important Shinto shrine in southern Kyoto. It is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. The trails lead into the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari, which stands at 233 meters and belongs to the shrine grounds.

Fushimi Inari is the most important of several thousands of shrines dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. Foxes are thought to be Inari's messengers, resulting in many fox statues across the shrine grounds. Fushimi Inari Shrine has ancient origins, predating the capital's move to Kyoto in 794.

While the primary reason most foreign visitors come to Fushimi Inari Shrine is to explore the mountain trails, the shrine buildings themselves are also attractive. At the shrine's entrance stands the Romon Gate, which was donated in 1589 by the famous leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Behind stands the shrine's main hall (honden) where all visitors are encouraged to pay respect to the resident deity by making a small offering.

Getting there and around

Fushimi Inari Shrine is located just outside JR Inari Station, the second station from Kyoto Station along the JR Nara Line (5 minutes, 150 yen one way from Kyoto Station, not served by rapid trains). The shrine can also be reached in a short walk from Fushimi Inari Station along the Keihan Main Line.


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06/02/2024

Boracay Boracay this summer!
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Habang mura pa!

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06/02/2024

⏳Don’t delay your travel
with 👍

📝BookMe Travel&Tour 📝
☎️＋６３９１６２１６２２１７
🔍 Inah Olermo

🔥HotDeal Yr -Round
⭐Tour Package to BORACAY !
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😊for as low as
🅿️hp 10,199

✈️Roundtrip Airfare
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🏢2 nights hotel accomodation

🍴Daily Breakfast
Free use of hotel amenities

*Prices subject to change*

06/02/2024

What month are cherry blossoms in Japan?
Sakura season in Japan starts in March and ends in May, so you’ve got about a 6-week window to see the flowers. However, they are only in full bloom about 10 days of the year which largely falls between late March and early April.

Down south in Fukuoka, the cherry blossoms start blooming a little earlier around the third week of March. As you move up north they start flowering a little later such as in Sapporo where the peak is the first week of May.

06/02/2024

Kinkakuji (金閣寺, Golden Pavilion) is a Zen temple in northern Kyoto whose top two floors are completely covered in gold leaf. Formally known as Rokuonji, the temple was the retirement villa of the sh**un Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and according to his will it became a Zen temple of the Rinzai sect after his death in 1408. Kinkakuji was the inspiration for the similarly named Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion), built by Yoshimitsu's grandson, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, on the other side of the city a few decades later.

Kinkakuji is an impressive structure built overlooking a large pond, and is the only building left of Yoshimitsu's former retirement complex. It has burned down numerous times throughout its history including twice during the Onin War, a civil war that destroyed much of Kyoto; and once again more recently in 1950 when it was set on fire by a fanatic monk. The present structure was rebuilt in 1955.

The first floor is built in the Shinden style used for palace buildings during the Heian Period, and with its natural wood pillars and white plaster walls contrasts yet complements the gilded upper stories of the pavilion. Statues of the Shaka Buddha (historical Buddha) and Yoshimitsu are stored in the first floor. Although it is not possible to enter the pavilion, the statues can be viewed from across the pond if you look closely, as the sliding doors are usually left open.

The second floor is built in the Bukke style used in samurai residences, and has its exterior completely covered in gold leaf. Inside is a seated Kannon Bodhisattva surrounded by statues of the Four Heavenly Kings; however, the statues are not shown to the public. Finally, the third and uppermost floor is built in the style of a Chinese Zen Hall, is gilded inside and out, and is capped with a golden phoenix.

After viewing Kinkakuji from across the pond, visitors pass by the head priest's former living quarters (hojo) which are known for their painted sliding doors (fusuma), but are not open to the public. The path once again passes by Kinkakuji from behind then leads through the temple's gardens which have retained their original design from Yoshimitsu's days. The gardens hold a few other spots of interest including Anmintaku Pond that is said to never dry up, and statues that people throw coins at for luck.

Continuing through the garden takes you to the Sekkatei Teahouse, added to Kinkakuji during the Edo Period, before you exit the paid temple area. Outside the exit are souvenir shops, a small tea garden, where you can have matcha tea and sweets, and Fudo Hall, a small temple hall which houses a statue of Fudo Myoo, one of the Five Wisdom Kings and protector of Buddhism. The statue is said to be carved by Kobo Daishi, one of the most important figures in Japanese religious history.

Getting there and around
Kinkakuji can be accessed from Kyoto Station by direct Kyoto City Bus number 205 in about 40 minutes and for 230 yen. Alternatively, it can be faster and more reliable to take the Karasuma Subway Line to Kitaoji Station (15 minutes, 260 yen) and a taxi (10 minutes, about 1300 yen) or bus (10 minutes, 230 yen, bus numbers 204 or 205) from there to Kinkakuji.