Things have been pretty busy on my end. I was hoping to be able to get some more stuff uploaded this month, but besides a hectic schedule, I became demoralized upon realizing the image storage for WordPress is much smaller than I initially believed.
I will have to go through and upload everything to Flickr before trying to get it arranged here. It’s a bit annoying but much cheaper than paying for more storage.
My final day in Kamakura.
The weather for the first three days was slightly balmy, but Tuesday brought a cool rain.
I found it quite relaxing, especially since a lot of the crowds had dispersed.
I got to some temples I hadn’t made it to on the days prior, and I did a bit of personal shopping before returning to Tokyo.
Morning
For the last time, I had an early start and made my way east to begin my sightseeing.
I indulged a bit by stopping at several cafes and bakeries, picking up a few items I was hoping to snack on during the day, and upon my return.
I also stopped for cake at a restaurant near Jomyo-ji.
Places visited: Kōmyō-ji, Ankokuron-ji, Myohoji, Egara Tenjin Shrine, Kamakuragu, Sugimoto Temple, Jomyo-ji
Afternoon and Return
I finished up my visit with the Ichijo Ekan Sanso garden, and the Houkokuji temple.
Afterward I returned to central Kamakura where I visited the British Antique Museum and dined on a place of Okonomiyaki.
Places visited: Ichijo Ekan Sanso, Houkokuji, BAM Kamakura (British Antique Museum)
My third day of Golden Week, second day of Kamakura was initially going to take me to Enoshima in the morning. Instead I redirected and planned for Enoshima in the afternoon.
I do not recommend this when traveling alone for reasons I will detail later.
Other than that, I had a pretty excellent time and got to see a lot of very interesting things.
Morning
I started off with another early morning, taking the train a few stops to Hase to see some temples.
Places visited: Kosoku-ji Temple, Hasedera, Joju-in, Kotoku-in, Sasuke Inari Shrine, Gokuraku-ji, Zeniarai Benten Shrine, Cape Inamuragasaki, some pretty cool shops : )
Afternoon
In the afternoon I made my way toward Inoshima. Stopping by another temple before heading to the island.
Places visited: Ryuko-ji, Katase-Enoshima Station
Enoshima
I finally made it to Enoshima and my overall impression was less than spectacular. It was quite crowded, and there wasn’t any service on the island. I made my way across the island to the Iwaya Cave. It was ok.
I think this location is ideal for people in groups. I really just stood in line for most of my time, and the lack of service left me alone with my thoughts. My lonely, lonely thoughts.
I didn’t end up making it to all of the attractions. So I would sort of like to go again. Probably with another person though.
Also I had ramen for dinner with a Suntori Highball. Then I stumbled home drunk.
Haha just kidding. I was only slightly inebriated.
Places visited: Zuishinmon Gate, Enoshima Shrine – Hetsunomiya, Enoshima Shrine Nakatsunomiya, Enoshima Shrine Okutsumiya, Enoshima Iwaya Cave
The rest of my Golden Week trip was spent in Kamakura. Here are pictures from the first day there.
I immensely enjoyed my time there and have some tentative plans to return for a pottery class or two this summer.
Morning
I left Yokohama at around 7 in the morning and arrived in Kita-Kamakura.
Most places open later in the afternoon, but I did find a coffee shop that was open early. I ate a pretty delicious sandwich and started making my way through some temples and shrines.
Places visited: Jōchi-ji, Eishō-ji Temple, Kencho-ji, Hansōbō Shrine, Meigetsu-in, Butsunichian, Engaku-ji
Early Afternoon
Around 11 I backtracked into the hills to visit Takara no Niwa, a quaint venue that hosts events like tea ceremonies. They also have some pottery classes I am interested in trying out.
At the time, curry and drinks were being sold. I bought an un-pictured pudding.
Afternoon
After my pudding break, I returned to sightseeing. Crowds were getting much denser, but wandering through neighborhood roads was still very enjoyable.
The highlight of this portion was definitely the Kitakamakura Old Private House Museum. There were a lot of beautiful and interesting works on display.
The goldfish art was particularly adorable.
Places visited: Kitakamakura Old Private House Museum, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, probably a few others I forgot to mark down
Late Afternoon to Sunset
After several hours of sightseeing and temple visits, I headed into town to check out some shopping. It was very crowded and the extent of my visit was just walking down Komachi Street.
I did end up buying the famous Hato Cookie Omiyage, and several strawberry jams to give as gifts.
After filling my arms I made my way to my accomodation where I would get cleaned up before heading back out for dinner.
It was a hamburger.
Places visited: Former Residence of Marquis Kachō Hironobu, Komachi Street, Kamakura Station (passed by)
These are the photos from my first holiday of Golden Week. In Japan Golden Week is a cluster of Holidays usually in early May. A lot of people travel during this time, so tourist spots can be quite busy.
I started the holiday off in Yokohama, leaving around 7 in the morning. I made my way through a lot of exciting tourist areas, but due to the crowds some places on my list were left off.
I would love to go again when things may be a bit quieter.
I wonder if you would like to go with me : )
Morning
I boarded a Fukutoshin train that brought me to the end of the line at Motomachi-Chuukagai. There I began exploring the more Westernized gardens and architecture.
Places visited: Harbor View Park, Saint Maur, Myokoji Temple, America Yama Park
Early Afternoon
Around 11 I made my way to Yokohama Marine Tower. The view was pretty incredible, although I would see a better one later in the day.
I also passed through Yamashita Park and made a turn back inland to experience Yokohama’s Chinatown. It was very packed, my main goal was to look at some of the architecture and visit Kuan Ti Miao, but I was also hoping to do a bit of shopping for some omiyage.
I abandoned that idea due to the crowds in every store. Kuan Ti Miao also wasn’t much fun. I’ve never reacted well to incense, and the temple had a very strong odor.
Places visited: Yokohama Marine Tower, Yamashita Park, Yokohama Chinatown, Kuan Ti Miao Temple, Yokohama Park
Late Afternoon
After Chinatown, I made my way to Yokohama park, where sports fans were gathering for an event at Yokohama Stadium. I had a decent lunch at an American BBQ restaurant, then made my way to Shinko for more sightseeing. Th area was pretty packed from the parade, but I did make my way through one of the Red Brick Warehouses.
After walking along the Pier I made my way past the Nippon Maru and headed up to the Sky Garden observation deck.
Places visited: Shinko, Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse, Kishamichi Promenade, Sail Training Ship Nippon Maru, The Sky Garden
Sunset and Goodnight!
After coming down from the observation deck, I walked through the Landmark Plaza Shopping mall, busy for obvious reasons. And also busy with Star Wars fans. Golden Week occurred during May the 4th, and several places had Star Wars merchandise and live shows.
Then, I made my way to the Yokohama Museum of Art. It had apparently reopened after a few years of closure for renovations. The atmosphere was excellent and I saw a lot of pieces I really enjoyed.
Afterward I headed to Rinko Park to look at the water. There was some sort of Harry Potter viewing event so things were pretty busy there too.
I finished up the day by heading to my capsule hotel. That was a pretty exciting if somewhat cramped experience.
Places visited: Landmark Plaza, Yokohama Museum of Art, Rinko Park, Shinko (again), My first capsule hotel
Here are two skyscapes I saw when walking to dinner two nights.
Here is some of the delicious food I have eaten. Compiled in one post. Because I don’t want to make individual posts for these.
These pictures are from a day I spent traveling around Nerima-ku. The city I currently reside in : )
Started the day by visiting a pretty good patisserie near Nerima Station, visiting a cat (and chihuahua) cafe, and eating a bacon cheeseburger.
The cat cafe was lots of fun. I plan on returning when I have a little more free time.
As for lunch, the fries were excellent. The burger itself was really juicy, the lettuce provided a great crunch, the cheese was perfectly melted, and the bun worked quite well. I probably would have liked the bacon fried a bit longer, but the taste was great. Unfortunately, there was no onion. In the future, I could probably add onion rings as a side and put them to the burger.
Having said all that, I have some greater philosophical issues with the presence of tomatoes on burgers. First of all, I don’t really care for tomatoes as is. They’re too juicy and sweet for a vegetable. Sundried tomatoes are great, but for a regular cheddar-cheeseburger, they won’t work. It’s probably best on something artisan with spinach and goat cheese. With regular tomatoes, especially ones as thick as on my patty, you get this uncomfortable layer of chewy juice you have to bite through. It makes everything messier than it needs to be. Ultimately, the only tomato on a Cheddar cheeseburger should be ketchup.
3.8/5 I’ll probably go back and try the onion ring thing.
After lunch I went to a lovely garden near Toshimaen Station.
You can apparently rent the space for parties. As I was walking around, I saw some people in the tearoom, probably having a tea ceremony : )
Next, I wandered around the neighborhood, checking out some temples.
My last stop was Hikarigaoka, where I strolled through some gardens and did a bit of shopping.
The roses were just starting to bloom. I hope I can go back and see more of them : )
In our first days, as I was settling in, dad and I were fortunate enough to be invited to a cherry blossom viewing picnic hosted by U of M graduates in Inokashira Park.
Here are some of the pictures taken that day.
This is the first post on my blog! If you are reading this you are a friend, family, or family friend I want to share my travel photos with.
This post will probably be underneath several others, so just to establish, I’m going to begin by backtracking with some photos from things I did before starting this blog. After that I intend to post pictures from any trips I go on, as well as some stuff I see day to day.
I hope everyone can enjoy Japan with me : )
PS – It’s been a while since I messed around with HTML. I’ll probably try to get more creative with the website, but for now, I’m sticking with a preset theme.
Emmeow's Corner 