Kyoto with Annie! Arashiyama

Annie came to Japan! We had a wonderful time: karaoke, sushi, okonimiyaki, castles... We were still working, but we spent our days off together in Arashiyama.

Himeji Castle

We finally made it to Himeji Castle. And it is maybe my favourite... Since we arrived in Japan, Himeji Castle has been under reconstruction. It was hidden by covers and we were unable to see it. But now, the external reconstructions have finished! Yay!

Miyajima

On another cloudy, humid summer day, we visited Miyajima. Easily accessible from Hiroshima, Miyajima is a small island famous for the red shrine in the water! There were also a few deer...

Hiroshima

We visited Hiroshima. It's a must for everybody with the chance. We had previously visited Nagasaki so we knew a lot of information about the bombings, but it is so important to visit the affected towns. The museum is informative, moving and terrifying. I do genuinely hope that we can one day live in a world without nuclear weapons. The facts are staggering. America possesses about 3000 nuclear weapons. In some cases, one bomb can be 1000x the strength of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That is enough to destroy countries. Barack Obama has never visited the cities, but is still conducting nuclear tests in America. For so many reasons, I urge everybody to learn the facts and strive for nuclear weapon disarmament.

Naoshima

On a fairly murky, but humid Japanese summer day, we jumped on a ferry and popped over to Naoshima - the art island! The island is covered with statues and art installations - this pumpkin chap is particular popular.

Okayama

As we had to cancel our hiking trip, we planned a spontaneous getaway to Okayama! I don't think it's a very popular destination, but we loved it! The town had a great vibe and we got to see an awesome castle and beautiful garden.

Koyasan - a night in a temple

Only about an hour or so from central Osaka, Koyasan is a small temple town on the top of a mountain, and the centre of Shingon Buddhism. Temples are everywhere you turn, and we even spent the night in one... It was an incredible experience.

Fuji Five Lakes: Lake Kawaguchi

There's Fuji-san himself peeking out from behind the clouds! We made a real holiday out of our Fuji climb, and spent about 5 days relaxing by Lake Kawaguchi. Our hotel was gorgeous and had a stunning view of the lake, and when he wanted to be seen, Mount Fuji.

Mount Fuji!

We did it! We climbed Mount Fuji! It was definitely the hardest physical activity I have done, but it was an incredible experience. We were smiling the whole way, joking around, making friends and enjoying the view of the clouds... It was amazing.

Fushimi Inari

If you've seen Memoires of a Geisha you may recognise this place... There is a scene where the young girl is running through hundreds of red tori gates, and it is a fairly popular tourist spot in Kyoto. Fushimi Inari Taisha Temple. It is a beautiful, peaceful place.

Hiking in Nara: Mt Takatori

We have recently got really into hiking! In practice for Fuji-san (we are going this month...) we bought a new hiking bag and have been practicing. But, this hike may be the best thing we've done in Japan so far.. It was incredibly beautiful.

A Weekend in Tokyo

We recently spent another weekend in Tokyo - for a reason you know but I don't want to post on the internet! It's great to be in the huge city, walk around and see a variety of things...

Climbing Mount Rokko

Jonny and I have planned a trip to climb Mount Fuji! So we need some hiking practice before we go. This weekend, we decided to climb Mount Rokko in Kobe. We took our new buddy Finn along with us, and prepared to do some strenuous exercise!