Travel Rattle

01/01/2021

Mount Fuji, Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, Japan
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Mount Fuji (富士山, Fujisan) is Japan’s tallest peak at 12,388 ft (3,776 m). It is also an active volcano which last erupted on December 16, 1707.
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A pilgrimage site for centuries, it’s considered one of Japan’s sacred mountains, and summit hikes remain a popular activity. Its iconic profile is the subject of numerous works of art, notably Edo Period prints by Hokusai and Hiroshige.
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Located approximately 62 miles (100 km) southwest of Tokyo, Mount Fuji stands tall on the border between Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures and can be seen from Tokyo and Yokohama on clear days.
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Another easy way to view Mount Fuji is from the train on a trip between Tokyo and Osaka. If you take the shinkansen from Tokyo in direction of Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka, the best view of the mountain can be enjoyed from around Shin-Fuji Station on the right hand side of the train, about 40-45 minutes into the journey.
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Clouds and poor visibility often block the view of Mount Fuji, so you should consider yourself extremely lucky if you get a clear view of the mountain. Visibility tends to be better during the colder seasons of the year than in summer, and in the early morning and late evening hours than during the middle of the day.
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To enjoy Mount Fuji at a more leisurely pace and from a nice natural surrounding, head to the Fuji Five Lake (Fujigoko) region at the northern foot of the mountain, or to Hakone, a nearby hot spring resort. Mount Fuji is officially open for climbing during July and August via several routes.
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31/12/2020

Hiroshima (広島), Chugoku Region, Japan.
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When the first atomic bomb was dropped over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, the city became infamous. The destructive power of the bomb obliterated nearly everything within a two kilometer radius.
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After WWII, great efforts were taken to rebuild the Hiroshima. Predictions that the city would be uninhabitable proved false. Destroyed monuments of Hiroshima's historical heritage, like Hiroshima Castle and Shukkeien Garden, were reconstructed. In the center of the city a large park was built and given a name that would reflect the aspirations of the re-born city: Peace Memorial Park.
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The A-Bomb Dome, also known as the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, is what remains of the former Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall. The building served as a location to promote Hiroshima's industries. When the bomb exploded, it was one of the few buildings to remain standing, and remains so today. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the A-Bomb Dome is a tangible link to Hiroshima's unique past.
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Between the Museum and the A-Bomb Dome is the Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims. The Cenotaph is an arched tomb for those who died because of the bomb, either because of the initial blast or exposure to radiation. Below the arch is a stone chest holding a register of these names, of which there are over 220,000. The Children’s Peace Memorial is also a must see.
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31/12/2020

Nara Park, Nara, Japan.
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Nara is located less than one hour from Kyoto and Osaka. Due to its past as the first permanent capital, the city remains full of historic treasures, including some of Japan's oldest and largest temples.
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Our top three must dos:
1. Nara Park (奈良公園, Nara Kōen) is a large park in central Nara. Established in 1880, it is the location of many of Nara's main attractions including Todaiji, Kasuga Taisha, Kofukuji and the Nara National Museum. It is also home to hundreds of freely roaming deer.
2. Todaiji (東大寺, Tōdaiji, "Great Eastern Temple") is one of Japan's most famous and historically significant temples and a landmark of Nara.
3. Horyuji Temple (法隆寺, Hōryūji) was founded in 607 by Prince Shotoku, who is credited with the early promotion of Buddhism in Japan. Horyuji is one of the country's oldest temples and contains the world's oldest surviving wooden structures. It was designated a world heritage site in 1993.
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10/11/2019

Golden Palace, Kyoto, Japan.
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Be it snow-capped in winter or set against a lush green background in summer, nothing is as symbolic of Kyoto as Kinkaku-ji's golden reflection shimmering on the surface of the pond before it. Not even the crowds of tourists — and they come by the thousands — can detract from her undoubted splendor. The current gold leaf-coated reconstruction was unveiled in 1955, five years after the 14th-century original was torched by one of the temple's monks.
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Kinkaku-ji can be accessed from Kyoto Station by direct Kyoto City bus 101 or 205 (40 minutes). Alternatively, it can be faster and more reliable to take the Karasuma Subway Line to Kitaoji Station (15 minutes) and a taxi (10 minutes) or bus 101, 102, 204 or 205 (10 minutes) from there.
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📸 Erik Eastman

22/09/2019

Ashikaga Flower Park, Tochigi, Japan.
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One of CNN Japan’s Top 10 International Dream Destinations, Ashikaga Flower Park is the largest wisteria garden in the space constrained land of the rising Sun.
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“Wisteria Story: Great Wisteria Festival” boasts 350 blossoming wisteria across 94,000 m² (~1 million sf²), but the star of the show is the 150 year old Great Wisteria, which is a Tochigi Prefecture natural treasure. The large wisteria trellis features three wisteria trees, a unique wisteria with double blossoms and an 80 m (262 ft) long tunnel of white wisteria.
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Additionally, the “Flower Garden of Lights” illumination display, which runs throughout the year, was recently voted the best illumination display in Japan.
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📸 Eyetronic

20/09/2019

Ashikaga Gakko, Ashikaga, Tochigi, Japan.
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The Ashikaga Gakko (Ashikaga School) is the oldest academic institution in Japan. Located approximately 113km (70 miles) NW of Tokyo, Ashikaga, Tochigi prefecture is a 70 minute direct train ride from Asakusa via the “Ryomo Limited Express.”
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Ashikaga Gakko’s roots are unclear, but it likely dates from the 9th century, fell into disuse, and was restored in the 14th century by the Muromachi era samurai and government official, Norizane Uesugi (1410-66) who is recognized today as the school's main patron.
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At its peak, Ashikaga Gakko had over 3,000 students, from all over Japan, who studied the writings of Confucius, Zhuang Zhou and other Chinese scholars, the I-Ching, as well as divination, medicine and warfare.
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The school’s reputation was on par with today’s Tokyo University. Tuition was free, but most students were inducted into the Buddhist priesthood upon entering. The books that formed the basis of learning were collected mainly by Norizane Uesugi, and many are still there today.
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📸 K.masaya

17/09/2019

Kegon Falls, Nikko, Tochigi, Japan.
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The 97 m (322 ft) Kegon Waterfall is the most famous of Nikko's many beautiful waterfalls. It’s also ranked as one of Japan's three most beautiful falls, along with Nachi Waterfall in Wakayama Prefecture and Fukuroda Waterfall in Ibaraki Prefecture.
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Kegon Waterfall is also a popular autumn color aka fall foliage spot. The trees around the waterfall are usually most colorful from mid to late October. In the winter the waterfall is impressive as well when it freezes almost completely solid.
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📸 Lyndon Yi

12/09/2019

Nikko, Tochigi, Japan.
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This romantic town is approximately 2.5 hours north of Tokyo by Bullet Train at the entrance to Nikko National Park. It’s most famous for Toshogu, Japan's most lavishly decorated shrine and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Toshogu is also the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, Founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the last feudal Japanese military government, which ruled between 1600 and 1868.
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Nikko had been a center of Shinto and Buddhist mountain worship for many centuries before Toshogu was built in the 1600s, and Nikko National Park continues to offer scenic, mountainous landscapes, lakes, waterfalls, hot springs, wild monkeys and hiking trails.
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The three wise monkeys, carved on the door of Toshogu’s stable, are believed to be guardians of the resident sacred horses. The three monkeys are Mizaru, covering his eyes, who sees no evil; Kikazaru, covering his ears, who hears no evil; and Iwazaru, covering his mouth, who speaks no evil.
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📸 Hunter Leonard

07/09/2019

Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan.
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Asakusa is one of Tokyo's delightful districts, where an atmosphere of the city of past decades survives its post WWII devastation. Asakusa can easily be explored on foot or by guided tour on a rickshaw.
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Asakusa's main attraction is Sensoji, a popular Buddhist temple, built in the 7th century. The temple is approached via the Nakamise, a shopping street that has been providing temple visitors with a variety of traditional, local snacks and tourist souvenirs for centuries.
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Japan’s tallest building, the 634 m (2,080 ft) tall Tokyo Skytree, is just a twenty minute walk across the Sumida River from Asakusa.
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📸 DustyRoze

05/09/2019

Tokyo Tower, Minato-ku, Japan
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Tokyo Tower is more than a communications and observation tower. It’s a stunning symbol of Tokyo as an international city. At 332.9 m (1,092 ft), it is the second-tallest structure in Japan after the Tokyo Skytree.
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Japan’s renowned architectural designer, Tachū Naitō, based his design on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. When the 90 m (295 ft) antenna was bolted into place in 1958, Tokyo Tower was the tallest freestanding tower in the world, taking the title from the Eiffel Tower by 13 m.
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Made of prefabricated steel, Tokyo Tower is called light because it weighs only 4,000 metric tons. Although Tokyo Tower is taller than the Eiffel Tower, the advances in steel make almost half its weight.
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📸 Yu Kato

05/09/2019

Tokyo Tower, Minato-ku, Japan.
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Tokyo Tower is more than a communications and observation tower. It’s a symbol of Tokyo as an international city. At 332.9 m (1,092 ft), it is the second-tallest structure in Japan after the Tokyo Skytree.
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Japan’s renowned architectural designer, Tachū Naitō, based his design on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. When the 90 m (295 ft) antenna was bolted into place in 1958, Tokyo Tower was the tallest freestanding tower in the world, taking the title from the Eiffel Tower by 13 m.
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Made of prefabricated steel, Tokyo Tower is called light because it weighs only 4,000 metric tons. Although Tokyo Tower is taller than the Eiffel Tower, the advances in steel make almost half its weight.
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📸 Yu Kato

04/09/2019

Takesh*ta Dori, Harajuku, Tokyo, Japan.
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Harajuku proudly boasts Takesh*ta Dori, a 400m (1/4 mile) sliver of a street in the heart of Tokyo, referred to as the birthplace of Japan's most extreme teenage culture and fashion. Just south of Takesh*ta Dori and over twice its length is Omotesando, a broad, tree lined avenue aka Tokyo's Champs-Elysees. Omotesando offers shopping for adults — ranging from Oriental Bazaar to Louis Vuitton — as well as historical sites such as Meiji Shrine.
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📸 Laurentiu Morariu

03/09/2019

Tokyo Ginza, Japan.
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The best time to see Japan’s most popular shopping area is on Sunday afternoons, when the main drag of Chuo-dori is closed to traffic. Gin-bura, literally “Ginza wandering,” is the Japanese term for walking Ginza’s immaculate promenades. While Tokyo Ginza has a reputation for luxury retail and expensive cuisine, it’s also home to some reasonably priced shopping malls and accessible eateries. Whether you’re down to just window-shop or shell out a few hundred for a Michelin-star meal, Tokyo’s Ginza has something for everyone.
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30/08/2019

Circular Quay, NSW, Australia.
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There are 32 ferries connecting Sydneysiders with 29 wharves across 37km of harbour, as well as long-running chuggers that ferry folk across the seas further south. They're a cheap alternative to organized tours, offering spectacular views and access to Sydney's picturesque harbour islands and stunning lighthouses. That’s right, I said Sydney Harbour not Harbor.
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📸 Paul Carmina

29/08/2019

Kings Cross, NSW, Australia.
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Located just to the east of Sydney’s Central Business District (CBD), Kings Cross promises visitors a riot of color and culture. “The Cross” doubles as Sydney’s red-light district, with a lengthy history in music, performance, and theatre.
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27/08/2019

Katoomba, NSW, Australia.
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The southern sky is utterly transfixing — well worth the trip if you can make it. You’ll see arguably some of the greatest celestial sights: the nearest stars to our solar system, two close dwarf galaxies, and some drop-dead gorgeous clusters. Not to mention, the Southern Cross, a falling star and/or meteor shower, if you’re lucky!
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25/08/2019

Wentworth Falls, NSW, Australia.
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Wentworth Falls is one of the most beautiful towns within the Blue Mountains offering possibly the most spectacular bushwalks and views. The three-tiered falls are 187 metres (614 feet) high and accessible via the National Pass Walking Trail.
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24/08/2019

Three Sisters, Echo Point, NSW, Australia.
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Two hours west of Sydney you’ll find the majestic Blue Mountains, a World Heritage-listed wilderness area and home to the “Three Sisters.” The soaring weathered sandstone cliffs of the Blue Mountains will make you feel small, especially when you consider they’ve been here for more than 50 million years.
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📸 Arjun Komath

23/08/2019

Freshwater Beach, NSW, Australia.
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Freshy is part of the Manly-Freshwater National and World Surfing Reserve. “Pilu at Freshwater" restaurant, and the Harbord Beach Hotel and pub aka the "Harbord Hilton" are must dos.
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22/08/2019

Bondi Icebergs, Bondi Beach, NSW, Australia.
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No trip to Sydney is complete without a visit to Bondi Icebergs Club, an international landmark celebrating 90 years strong.
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22/08/2019

22/08/2019

Bronte Beach, Bronte, NSW, Australia.
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A casual cliff top coastal trek, the picturesque Bondi to Coogee walk extends for 6 km (3.73 miles) in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
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21/08/2019

Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.
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The world renowned sails in the sunset are best captured from Mrs Macquarie’s Chair at Mrs Macquarie Point in The Royal Botanic Gardens.
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📸 Benjamin Sow

20/08/2019

20/08/2019

Shelly Beach, Manly, NSW.
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Always one of my first stops.
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19/08/2019

T-minus 100 sleeps...
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Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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📸 jamm_d