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Day 10 –  Kyoto Every person who I know who has been to Kyoto says it is an amazing city. It’s the spiritual heart of Japan and was its capital for over a thousand years. The question arises when in Kyoto, how many temples is too many? Yesterday we had visited only one temple complex […]

Day 9, Osaka to Kyoto Kyoto tour We had booked a late morning tour of Kyoto so needed to leave Osaka early. Many cities around the world have “free” tours, which of course aren’t free at all. They simply don’t have a set price and you pay the guide what you want at the end.

Day 8. 6th day of shvil Kii-Kutsuura We have travelled together numerous times over the years and often print or buy tshirts that commemorate the trip. I have about 6 such tshirts going back nearly 20 years in my cupboard at home. While we were eating our lunch at a convenience store at Taisha Grand

Kawayu Onsen  The tour company that arranged the logistics of the trip had thus far done a wonderful job, with each night’s accommodation being different, yet inherently Japanese. And such was our hotel in the village of Kawayu Onsen. It was most definitely a hotel, but was so Japanese, in a way that Holiday Inn

Day 6, 4th day of shvil Chikatsuyu to Hongu Grand Shrine We were about to embark on the scariest day’s walk, a 17 km hike up and down mountains with more serene forests and stunning views. Of course, 17 km is what the guide book says. By day’s end, our fitness apps continued to disagree

Starting the Nakahechi Kumano Kodo None of us woke feeling particularly refreshed as our very traditional accommodations turned out to be maybe a little hard core for us. The “futons” we slept on resembled doonas laid out on the floor and the pillows were like the wheat bags you heat in the microwave instead of

Day 4. 2nd day of shvil Yuasa to Hidaka We were still full from the previous night’s spectacular dinner, but breakfast was as ridiculously elaborate as our previous meal, but a bit weirder. There we were, happily sitting in our comfortable Japanese cotton dressing gowns, opposite a dashi broth hot pot with mushrooms and vegetables,

Starting the Kumano Kodo With all due respect to Osaka, the real reason we were in Japan was the Kumano Kodo walking trail. And now we were about to start. Like excited little kids on a school excursion, we took one train, then another and then another until we finally arrived to Shimizu-Ura. There is

Day 2  Osaka Our hotel was in the Shinsaibashi district of Osaka, which is the city’s main shopping district. And the shopping is done in covered shopping streets, where Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior outlets sit next to discount 100 yen stores, karaoke bars, local shops and cheap restaurants and food stalls. Whilst we had