I'm in a Japan travel forum group and I see people asking this questions all the time. Should I stay in Osaka or Kyoto or both. This is quite an easy decision once you've been there, which is not helpful when you'e planning. I made the mistake on my first trip of staying in both … Continue reading Osaka or Kyoto?
what is a tanuki? The first time I ever heard about tanuki was when Mario found a tanooki suit power-up in Super Mario Bros 3 in 2014. At the time, I had no idea that tanuki were real animals. I saw tanuki statues all over Japan while travelling. While deeply amused by their giant testicles, … Continue reading Tanuki in Kyoto
Part One: The overwhelming allure of geisha Gion Over tourism in Kyoto has been a growing problem for some years now. And it seems the allure of geisha is too strong for mere mortals to resist. Earlier this week in Kyoto, I heard several expat friends talking about changes around Gion. Gion is the largest … Continue reading Kyoto: Over Tourism
We are returning to Japan in 2024. In 46 days, for the first time since 2019. Our trip scheduled in 2020 was cancelled due to Covid. This will be my sixth trip, and I am looking forward to exploring new places and revisiting Kyoto and Tokyo. I haven't written much Blossomkitty content this year. I … Continue reading Japan in 2024
There are over 2000 temples in Kyoto. Seventeen of them are UNESCO World Heritage sites. You are somewhat spoiled for choice. I love going to the temples that are not over-run with tourists. The places where you can actually feel the gravity of the history. These enchanting places that are part of local people’s everyday … Continue reading Kyoto’s Tangible History
I have not been able to find a lot of information about this in English, and my Japanese is not good enough to decipher technical writing, however I thought this was very interesting, and I have tried to fill in the blanks with some research. Daigo-Ji Temple in Fushimi, in Kyoto, is a very, very … Continue reading Zen in Space…
On the 1st June our Taste with the Toji Session 5, hosted by the lovely Sake Mistress, Simone, took us to the idyllic seaside town of Ine, in the north of Kyoto Prefecture, to a wonderful quirky brewery as unique and as lovely as the Toji who makes the sake there. Mukai Shuzo has been … Continue reading Sake By The Sea
My first time travelling in Japan was just over five years ago. We travelled for a month and I tried to see as much as I could. We stayed in Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Kamakura and had booked to stay in Hakuba. We also stayed in Kyoto. For only four short days. We had loved Tokyo, … Continue reading Guesthouse Soi- My Home Away From Home
Monday morning we were booked to take three shinkansen from Kyoto to Nagasaki. I woke up feeling very less than average and had been coughing and spluttering all night. I always feel sad about leaving Kyoto, but this time I was feeling so unwell, it was overpowering my impending dread. I got up early and … Continue reading Headed for Kyushu
You can watch a very short video of the amazing garden at Sanzen-in here. On Sunday, Super Sake Boy and I had arranged to meet up with the very lovely Fujimoris, the couple we met at Shu Kura sake bar in Ponto-cho. Our conversation on the evening was very broken English/Japanese and somewhat sake fuelled, … Continue reading An Unexpected Cultural Adventure
