Just about 50 km south of Tokyo lies Kamakura, a city, that could easily fill up an entire book of history. This city's countless temples and monuments, out of which most are Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, guarantee a day trip to remember. The town itself is pretty small with a little center district with shops and restaurants, and as you further walk or bike to different sights, you can actually catch a glimpse of traditional neighbourhoods. The seaside on the other hand, that's also said to attract tourists, was not looking too inviting to be honest...but I guess the fact that we had just been lounging the past couple of months in tropical paradises had something to do with the fact that the Japanese beach didn't quite do the trick for us ;) Go figure. 

There are a lot of words that could be used to describe this particular ward in Tokyo, but the ones that come in mind the quickest are busy, busier, the busiest. In fact, it's probably the only thing you are thinking about once you're coming out from the Shibuya station (which is one of the busiest in Tokyo) and move over to the world-renowned intersection that's equally hectic. Although Shibuya is more than just this pedestrian crossing, this is often the part that sticks with you- the immense crowd crossing from every direction, all at the same time, in perfect harmony...if not synchronised. It's pretty impressive. And once the light turns red, the intersection is cleared almost instantly. 

When we first got to Japan we were pretty determined to have sushi every day, at the very least once a day. I suppose that's a common thought for people traveling there- or should I say a common mistake? Little did we know that it would be the dish we actually ended up eating the least...out of a simple reason that there are so many other delicious dishes that we had no clue about! Sure we had eaten some Ramen before, but never had we ever 'prepared' our own Sukiyaki or Okonomiyaki! So, we left the sushi splurges to a minimal (picnics/lunch) and focused on the stuff we hadn't had before and dishes that we saw locals ordering. No regrets there, as we left Japan knowing so many other dishes than just the usual off the top of our heads- foods. But at the same time, there are probably still so many things left to try, but that's what the next time's always for...;)

This is as close to a small-town feel as it gets while still inside of the huge metropolitan city- Shitamachi that literally translates to "low city". Not only it represents a rustic, low architectural style but it also represents a certain type of population. In the olden days the Shitamachi was referred to the part of town where people with lower income and - status, in other words, the working class, lived and ran their daily businesses. Until today it's been more or less the case, and a certain division between the upper class areas (also known as Yamanote) and the Shitemachi still remains, but in way less distinct way than before. The changes in the structure of the original population have nowadays more to do with economical- and ideological changes rather than just involuntary and conservative class division. 

Seeing a city from different angles is one of those things that cultivates one's perspective of the city in question. The same goes for Tokyo. I wrote earlier that you haven't really seen or understood the size of Tokyo until you've seen it from above, and while I stand behind this statement, I'd like to address another memorable viewing point that delivers what is often considered the most beautiful nightly skyline of this city- The district of Odaiba. 

When talking about Japanese street fashion scene, we as westerners may not always fully understand the scope of it; there are many subcultures and style influences that we have not even heard about, let alone seen to be worn by anyone. That is, until you you've been to Harajuku- a district famous for its extreme fashion associated with the strong youth culture. Be it a sweet Lolita or a dark Goth, the chances are that you can spot either one of them on a Sunday afternoon around the Harajuku station or on the Jingu Bashi bridge that's just next to it. This is definitely the place to see and to be seen when it comes to the most extraordinary outfits and styles showcased by the local youth. And from a tourist point of view, this is the place and the opportunity to spot some real life freakish fashionistas, guaranteed to stand out from the rest of the 'common' crowd. 

Tokyo took us by surprise would probably be an understatement. As imaginable, a city this size certainly has something for everyone and that's probably one of the reasons people love it so much - well, that plus the fact that you can have 'everything'. The amount of gardens and greeneries being  one of those things that surprised us; in almost any part of the town we could find a sizeable park, where you sort of just forget that you're in the middle of this vast metropolitan city. I guess the only thing that didn't come as a big surprise was that these green areas were all super neat and well taken care of. 

Here it was, the long anticipated finale to our Asian trip. We couldn't have imagined a better way of spending the last week than getting lost in this grand capital city that's so often ranked as one of the top cities in the world. We were stoked, to say the least. And talking about grand, we happened to arrive straight to the busiest part of Tokyo - The Shinjuku Station. An approximate three million people hustle through this station a day, making it the world's busiest train station. But hey, for a city this size and significance it's only fitting to make a grand entry and dive in with both feet, right? 

Mount Fuji (3776m) is the highest and most sacred volcano in Japan and really depicts the essence of this country and its nation. You can truly call this mountain a symbol of Japan. It doesn't only make the list for foreign tourists, but equally if not more for the domestic ones. If you consider that the "official" hiking season runs from July through August, so really just over two months, and then take the 300 000+ people who go for it per year...well, let's just say you're not alone in there. This being particularly true over the weekends when lots of people from around the capital pack their bags and head to the nature! Hence the famous Japanese saying "If you never climb Mt. Fuji, you're a fool. Climb it twice and you're a crazy fool." 

I would describe Matsumoto as the common Japanese town that doesn't have much to offer in terms of sights, but its location makes it an ideal base for exploring the Japanese Alps that are literally a stone's throw away. In so many ways this was just the most convenient town - from getting there with the train to getting out to the mountains. There's only one station and it has all the connections needed, plus you could walk basically to any hotel from there. 

Business men and women, malls, tourists, neon lights, giant billboards, bars and restaurants. Osaka's busy entertainment district Dōtonbori is all of the above and more! We finished off our day trip (to Nara) in Osaka and had the Friday night out in one of the liveliest districts of this third biggest city of Japan. Not only this neighbourhood has a great nightlife and theatre scene, but it also stands out for its world-famous cuisine - there's even a Japanese proverb that states "Dress till you drop (suggesting kimonos) in Kyoto, eat till you drop in Osaka". We could tell this wisdom is every bit true by just seeing how many okonomiyaki (local dish) signs we saw and by knowing how many women in kimonos we had already seen meandering around Kyoto. 

According to an old Japanese legend, the first deer arrived to Nara to protect the ancient capital, and ever since they've been considered as holy creatures, that is, until this very day. That's right, Nara used to be the capital of Japan in the olden days and was considered as the "southern capital" for a good while after. Today, it's one of the must-see destinations in Kansai region with an impressive amount of temples, shrines, ruins and surely the fabled deer. I know I've said it like a million times before, but the deer were not the only creatures roaming around the grounds of Nara Park: "Excuse me. May I ask you a question?". And there they were - a zillion school kids going around asking people questions for their "English adventure in Nara" (I believe that was the literal trip name). But hey, they were totally adorable trying to initiate a conversation in English in spite of being overly shy and giggly. The downside here being that the entries to some of the main temples were so jammed that we settled for a quick look on the outside rather than paying and waiting to be in the middle of that hassle. And in all honesty, it was probably a smart move. After traveling the Southeast Asia for months, we were sort of slowly getting to a point where seeing yet another temple or shrine just made us shiver. Well, at least the ones we had to pay for ;). 

The Golden Pavilion Temple (aka Kinkaku-ji or Rokuon-ji) was our last stop around Kyoto's outskirts after touring the Arashiyama district. Again, the milieu was drop-dead gorgeous against a forest and a mountainside, not to mention the beautiful gardens and the temple itself. In my previous post I was saying how I find the connection between the architectural- and the natural elements in some temple areas we visited fascinating, well, I did some research and found out that it was indeed a result of a well-planned combination: The classical age of Japanese gardening - a period that used to highlight the importance between the temple and its surroundings. Makes perfect sense.

What we loved most about Kyoto is that it was so easy to get around to and especially that it has so many fantastic places to visit nearby. Just like this one - Fushimi Inari Shrine. The single most impressive shrine complex we visited during the entire Asia trip! What makes it so amazing is the whole thing really from the forestry mountainside it's built on, to the endless torii path (gates) across it and the mystical memorials along the way. The entire way up (which is about 1h 30 walk) you follow a tori path and you're in the middle of nature at the same time...it's hard to put it in words, but it's something pretty spectacular. One of our favourite moments was somewhere near the top, when we came across this little fox altar with lots of candles and mini toriis. Aside from the echoing croak of nearby ravens, it was so quiet and the place looked a lot like some sort of sanctuary...it was kind of spooky, yet so intriguing. 

ラーメン RAMEN: So let's start with the obvious. This is like eating cheese when visiting France. We had lots of Ramen, in lots of places and in lots of variants. Basically anywhere you go in Japan, you'll find their local / regional way to prepare this fulfilling noodle dish. 

(And please excuse me if I don't get the dishes right...after all, it would take a lot longer than couple of weeks to master in Japanese food culture!)