Himeji also known as White Heron castle is one of the most amazing castles in Japan. It is one of the country’s 12 original castles and has not been destroyed by war or fire or earthquake. The castle complex is over 400 years old and was extensively restored in 2015. Himeji castle is elegant and…
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Osaka is known for its amazing food, in fact it is called the food capital of Japan. Many of these foods you can find elsewhere in Japan, but Osaka is the best place to eat them! 1. Okonomiyaki – Japanese pancake This is a savoury pancake made of egg, flour and vegetables (sometimes of noodles)…
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One thing I love about Japan is that each region has its own cuisine and speciality foods. Nagano is known for its apples, Kobe for Kobe beef, Matcha in Kyoto, Milk in Hokkaido, Takoyaki in Osaka and Tokyo banana in Tokyo! We didn’t fully appreciate this on our first couple of trips, but now, we…
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Trains The train system in Japan is second to none, clean, on time and efficient. However, it can be confusing! There are a number of different train companies, sometimes at the same station, major stations are huge and there are multiple exits that lead to different parts of town! Ok, so maybe its really confusing……
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Visit a park or garden There are some amazing parks in Japan. Ueno park in the middle of Tokyo is an oasis with swan paddle boats and street food stalls, Shinjuku gyoen is famous for cherry blossom but is beautiful all year round and has lots of space for kids to run! We always found…
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Fushimi Inari shrine is located in Southern Kyoto. It is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates that stand close together and make a red tunnel up through the mountain forest. This shrine was established for the Shinto god of rice, Inari, in 711, before Kyoto was the capital of Japan. The path leads…
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Nishiki markets are in central Kyoto and easily accessible from Kyoto station. The market is five blocks long and packed with fresh food stalls, shops and all things food related, no wonder it’s nicknamed, Kyoto’s kitchen. What to buy Kyoto is known for so many foods, however, these are some of the foods recommended to…
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Kyoto has so many amazing sights to see that it can be hard to decide what to do and where to go. Here are the sites that we recommend in Eastern Kyoto, we have put them together so that hopefully it is easier for you to plan a few sites to see together. Kiyomizudera Temple…
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Arashiyama is in the Western area of Kyoto. It is a little further away than other sites in Kyoto and can get busy particularly in autumn and sakura seasons. However, it is a beautiful area and the kids enjoyed it as there are lots of areas to explore. These were our three favourite things and…
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