Day 20 — 17 August 2010 On our twentieth day in Japan, we ventured back to the district of Arashiyama, to visit the famous bamboo forest and explore a little bit further into the mountains. Sadly, the beautiful photographs of … Continue reading

Day 20 — 17 August 2010 On our twentieth day in Japan, we ventured back to the district of Arashiyama, to visit the famous bamboo forest and explore a little bit further into the mountains. Sadly, the beautiful photographs of … Continue reading
Day 19 – 16 August 2010 One of the things I was most looking forward to on our trip was a chance to experience Obon, a three-day Buddhist festival where many Japanese travel back to the town of their birth to … Continue reading
Day 18 — 15 August 2010 After the lights of Nara, we returned to Kyoto for a couple of drinks and some food at a little yakitori place. Just after midnight (ie today) we popped into a stunning cocktail bar on … Continue reading
Day 17 – 14 August 2010 Had a bit of a lie in (well, it was a Saturday) and headed straight to the train station as we planned to spend the day in nearby Nara (奈良市). A longer than expected train … Continue reading
Day 16 — 13 August 2010 There’s no getting away from the fact that Kyoto’s main attraction is its impressive collection of temples and shrines. I actually found myself surprised to see signs of the 21st century in the town … Continue reading
Day 15 — 12 August 2010 On our final day in Osaka we finally managed to find the coffee shop we’d tried to locate a few days earlier. You can find Vade Mecum by the tennis courts on Utsubo Park (near Hommachi tube station) … Continue reading
On 28 July 2010, my girlfriend and I flew to Tokyo Narita airport in order to spend 28 days ambling around Japan during a ludicrously hot and humid summer. I’d been planning the trip for as long as I can … Continue reading