Destination: Japan

Driving on the Wrong Side of the Road

Thu, 29 Aug 2019 | By graynomadsusa | Views [393]

JOHN IS PRETTY COMFORTABLE DRIVING ON THE LEFT as they do here in Japan.  He has had enough practice, after all — nearly a year in Australia and New Zealand, half a year in South Africa, several trips to the UK and even six months in Uganda ... Read more >

Chūson-ji and the Golden Hall of Konjikidō

Tue, 27 Aug 2019 | By graynomadsusa | Views [861]

IT WASN’T EASY TO LEAVE NIKKO.  EVEN THE Frank Lloyd Wright designed station seemed to tug at our sleeves.  But the shinkansen was coming faster than a speeding bullet and we didn’t want to miss the train.      ... Read more >

Two Shrines and a Temple: Nikko's Tōshō-gū

Sun, 25 Aug 2019 | By graynomadsusa | Views [365]

CONNIE DID INDEED SAVE THE BEST FOR THE LAST.  The Tōshō-gū Buddhist Temple is the cherry on the sundae that is Nikko.  The restoration for the 400 th anniversary of Tōshō-gū won’t be completed until 2024, but it’s easy to forgive ... Read more >

Two Shrines and a Temple: Nikko's Rinnō-ji

Sat, 24 Aug 2019 | By graynomadsusa | Views [302]

NIKKO COULD JUST BE THE JERUSALEM OF JAPAN.  Both cities have UNESCO World Heritage status and each has three important religious sites.  It’s probably a poor analogy — there is no strife in Nikko — Buddhist and Shinto practitioners ... Read more >

Much Ado About Nikko

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 | By graynomadsusa | Views [434]

IT ISN’T OFTEN THAT THE FIRST PLACE YOU VISIT in a new town is a cemetery.  And not a famous one like Arlington National Cemetery or Normandy, either.  We had to work with a map and the lady at Nikko’s Tourist Information Center ... Read more >

Evicted!

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 | By vagabonds3 | Views [537]

THIS MAY COME AS A SHOCK, BUT WE HAVE EXCEEDED our photo limit . . . AGAIN!  I haven’t been able to start a new journal in the Vagabonds series so we are switching to graynomadsusa , a site I established for our RVing days.  ... Read more >

A Rough Road to Nikko

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 | By graynomadsusa | Views [307]

WE HAD THE DEVIL OF A TIME GETTING FROM Takayama to Nikko, a route that ended up requiring a bus —two depending on how you count — and five different trains.  We were in the second car of a two car train heading to Toyama with four ... Read more >

Takamaya: Hida Folk Village

Wed, 21 Aug 2019 | By vagabonds3 | Views [417]

THE HIDA FOLK VILLAGE IS A FAIR WALK FROM Takayama.  But a short bus ride.  The 1000 yen return fare also includes admission to Hida no Sato , a sprawling open-air museum.  There are 30 or so thatched and shingled houses, shrines, workshops ... Read more >

So Long Vagabonds3 — Hello GraynomadsUSA

Wed, 21 Aug 2019 | By graynomadsusa | Views [208]

WELL, HERE WE ARE AT OUR NEW HOME, journals.worldnomads.com/graynomadsusa  If you have just discovered us, you can get our backstory (don't you just love that word?) at journals.worldnomads.com/vagabonds3 (2015-2019) , journals.worldnomads.... Read more >

Takayama Matsuri Festival

Tue, 20 Aug 2019 | By vagabonds3 | Views [400]

WE JUST REALIZED WHY WE SKIPPED TAKAYAMA in 2014.  The Takayama Matsuri, one of the three most popular festivals in Japan, was going on while we were in the area.  I don’t recall trying but I am sure we couldn’t have gotten reservations ... Read more >

The Zen of Takayama

Mon, 19 Aug 2019 | By vagabonds3 | Views [366]

I HAVE TO WONDER HOW WE MISSED HIDA TAKAYAMA last time.  It is arguably one of the top destinations in Japan, even if there isn’t a festival going on.  Takayama sits on the shoulders of the Japanese Alps and at 550 meters elevation, ... Read more >

Photos: Takayama

Mon, 19 Aug 2019 | By vagabonds3 | Photo Gallery

Tokyo Imperial Gardens

Sun, 18 Aug 2019 | By vagabonds3 | Views [427]

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY SEEMED LIKE GOOD days for walking in the Imperial Palace Gardens and Shinjuku Gyoen, two wonderful havens in sweltering Tokyo.   The Imperial Palace Gardens are the site of the former Edo Castle’s main defense circle and ... Read more >

Tokyo Metro

Fri, 16 Aug 2019 | By vagabonds3 | Views [468]

YOU CAN GET ANYWHERE IN TOKYO ON THE METRO for only a couple hundred yen.  It’s certainly faster and it may be cooler than walking but you miss so much on the train.  Take today, for instance.  We decided to walk in the opposite ... Read more >

Photos: Tokyo

Thu, 15 Aug 2019 | By vagabonds3 | Photo Gallery