From Wikipedia: Japan, known as Nihon or Nippon (日本) in Japanese, is an island nation in East Asia. Its insular character has allowed it to develop a unique and very intricate culture, while its closeness to other ancient Far Eastern cultures, in particular China, has left lasting influence. Despite belonging to a forever warring nation, both internally and overseas, Japan's people had historically always placed emphasis on inner balance, tranquility and natural beauty. These traditional values have become increasingly important now that Japan has grown to be one of the world's most densely-populated countries, and its legendary work ethic makes life in its cities quite hectic.
Kyoto was one of the original targets for the nuclear bomb that fell on Hiroshima. Kyoto is a pretty city, lacking many of the high rises of neighbouring Tokyo. Aside from the obvious tourist attractions here I highly advise visiting the deer in Nara and from there taking a train ride to the beautiful Mount Koya in Koyasan with its Buddhist temples and graveyards. Soak in the Dogo Onsen - the inspiration for the Ghibli movie Spirited Away!
A layover in Tokyo could change your lives (and eyes) forever
If you have more than 8 hours in Tokyo, it is totally worth getting out of the airport! Haneda Airport is closer to the city but sometimes, flights arrive at Narita Airport and passengers have to make their connection to Haneda (with their suitcases) even though it is under the same airline! First thing first,
Back in 2015, Jon had an average of a mere 5-Likes per post. On a random November day, 88 more of his friends took a second glance at this picture and liked it. In his mum's words, he had “gone viral”. We were in a long-distance relationship at that time – he was based in
Back in 2015, Jon had an average of a mere 5-Likes per post. On a random November day, eighty-eight more friends took a second glance at this picture and liked it. In his mum's words, he had “gone viral”. We were in a long-distance relationship at that time – he was based in San Francisco
[from en.wikipedia.org]: Rakugo is a form of Japanese verbal comedy, traditionally performed in yose theatres. The lone storyteller sits on a raised platform, a kōza (高座). Using only a paper fan and a small cloth as props, and without standing up from the seiza sitting position, the rakugo artist depicts a long and complicated comical story. The story always involves the dialogue of two or more characters. The difference between the characters is depicted only through change in pitch, tone, and a slight turn of the head.
Tokyo: Get electrocuted to cure jet lag and a birthday hangover
Every birthday I try to celebrate in a new location and in 2008, it was Tokyo. The nice lady at the check-in desk of Virgin Atlantic noticed my birthday was during the flight and with a wink wink nudge nudge let me go with the exciting advice to “mention there is a note on the