Took a guided tout to Mutianyu section of the Great Wall today. We didn’t have time to do more sections of the wall but this location was satisfying. The hike up the hill and the wall itself has some very steep sections, so be prepared for some tough hiking. The good news is, you...
Dumplings, Tiananmen Square, Street Food
Explored our new neighborhood. Tried recommended dumpling place and ordered too much food. No regrets there, everything was so good! Went down to Tiananmen Square and explored the mall across the street. Cool street food there. This is definitely the place you should start in Beijing. Walk around and try some Bao and some...
Flight to Beijing (Day 21)
Flight from Tokyo to Beijing. Took airport express (25 yuan) to main transfer station (I forget the name) and switched to line 2 and walked to our airbnb house. Met crazy local lady on the way who knew our host and she almost got us lost. Went to bed and slept for a lot...
Train and the Game – Kyoto to Tokyo, Nozomi Shinkansen, Tokyo Giants Baseball
Nozomi back to Tokyo. Stashed bags in Tokyo station and went to Ueno station looking for mochi guy but he wasn’t there. Bought shoes in Shinjuku. Back to Tokyo station for bags and tried to get to airport hotel before the baseball game but was taking forever so turned around stashed backs at Asakusa...
Imperial Palace, Bamboo Forest, Matsuya
Went out to the Emperor’s Palace and were a bit early so went across the street for rice and meat bowls at Matsuya which is kind of like Japanese fast food. The Imperial Palaca walking tour is really neat, but very hard to get reservations. You must make reservations far in advance and we...
Nara, Kintestsu Limited Express
Went to Nara and saw the largest Buddha inside the largest wooden building (in the world?). Also saw and fed the sacred deer of Nara. Super long train ride. Paid extra 500 yen to ride the Kintetsu Limited Express back to Kyoto which saved us half an hour.
Fushimi Inari Shrine (1000 Torii Gates), Arashiyama, Teppanyaki, Bamboo Forest, Okonomiyaki and Waraikaki
I took a lot of photos today. The Fushima Inari Shrine had a lot to do with that. If you are in Kyoto this is a must see. In the afternoon we went to Arashiyama which is the way to get to the bamboo forest. We were hoping to see some monkeys but no...
Kurama Onsen, Kyoto Station, Demachiyanagi, Hamburg steak, Porta, Touyoutei
Today we took the 1.5 hour trip from Kyoto to Kurama Onsen. We stopped for a quick breakfast in a little café inside Kyoto station. Had hamburger patty (more like meatloaf) with soft poached egg over rice and small salad with a coke and shrimp bisque soup with black coffee. The Onsen is one...
First Day in Kyoto, Kiyomizu-Dera Temple (almost), Geisha and Tempura
Our first day in Kyoto is pretty hard to put into words. Safe to say we did quite a lot of walking and in one of the best walking areas yet. Went to see Kiyomizu-Dera Temple which was closed, but the surrounding area was bustling and we made the most of it. The area...