Bizarre Journeys

Lotus flower excites me even more than the sakura. Thankfully, there are many wonderful parks in Tokyo for lotus viewing. Lotus season in Tokyo usually occurs between mid-July and mid-August. The frequency of the full bloom lotus flowers change every year. Read more.

Please allow me to say that the most beautiful temple in Tokyo is in my neighborhood. This may sound like a very subjective comment but please give Taishakuten Temple located in Katsushika a chance when you next visit Tokyo. You will not be disappointed if you have the slightest level of interest in temples. You can get to Shin-Shibamata Station from Asakusa in 17 minutes and from there it is a mere five minutes walk to Taishakuten Temple and its amazing wood carvings. Read more.

You are probably familiar with Hokkaido if you are a Murakami fan. That is the region in Japan that Murakami’s characters will either think of or actually travel up to just to leave behind the busy Tokyo. I can now understand why Hokkaido is always mentioned in Murakami’s books in one way or other. Anyone who has been to Hokkaido and who is emerged in some sort of art form or literature would probably not be able to get that place out of their minds. Read more.

Aoni Onsen in Aomori will make you feel in Tanizaki novel. No electricity, lit by oil lamps, surrounded by a beautiful forest. One of the greatest onsen experiences that I ever had. Read more.

Notes from a walk discovering Iseji Route of Kumano Kodo – “I took my dinner at Huuhan Minshuku, which is run by a mother and son duo, who go out their way to make your stay a very comfortable one. I each night enjoyed the delicious menu (always including sashimi among other changing dishes) and the chance to practice my very underdeveloped Japanese with other guests who  traveled to Owase for work purposes. The highlight of my stay at Huuhan was the view of the fisherman’s wharf right from my Japanese style tatami room and ability to watch the fisherman to prepare for take off right before daylight”. Read more.

Biking trip to Shimanami Kaido – ““Is Shimanami Kaido trail difficult for no serious bikers?” (you would know what I mean by no serious biker if you saw the bike that I am riding in Tokyo on a daily basis). A question that I typed on Google dozens of times in different forms before I decided to bike the trail. I now know the answer based on personal experience – “definitely not”. It is not a short trail, you will have to cover 75km with climbs up to six different bridges (with a varying degree of interestingness) if you want to cover the whole trail in one day. However, many people prefer to spread the experience into two days with an overnight stop at one of the many islands of Seto Inland sea”. Read more.

It is 5 am in the morning. I will shortly start hearing the footsteps of the monks and their students. The preparations for the morning pray start at 5.30 am. The prayer room, which is decorated with hundreds of lanterns, needs to be heated up. The temple where I am lodging in is located in the temple town of Koyasan sitting at the altitude of 800 metres surrounded by the eight peaks of Mount Koya. Joki-in Temple is among 117 Buddhist temples of Koyasan. Read more.

Circling Yakushima – “You may ask – why would anyone desire to spend three days hiking or better to say walking in Yakushima on the road having to watch out for cars when some of the most intriguing hiking trails in the World are almost as readily available with a short bus ride?” Read more.