Exploring Japan!

June 18, 2017

Exploring Japan!

I absolutely love traveling to Asia, so it's no surprise that Japan blew my expectations out of the water. There's something very special about traveling to Asia; it feels like you've stepped onto a different planet. Everything is different. While a lot of people do know English there, you'll hear mostly Japanese, especially outside of the big cities (I learned quite a few words & phrases while I was there!)
First things first: the food! They put our idea of "Ramen noodles" to shame over there. "Shabu Shabu" is another delicious noodle meal and a fun experience, where they boil a pot of broth on the table and bring trays of items to place in and cook. I don't typically eat meat, so I opted for veggies and noodles. We enjoyed sushi at a couple different Sushi Zanmai restaurants. It's a chain, but in Japan that's a good connotation instead of a bad one. The presentation of every single meal was just incredible. They put so much love and energy into each detail of their plates!
Getting lost and looking for the hidden gems is one of my favorite things about traveling. Don't get me wrong, some of the larger, touristy temples were beautiful...but I hands down preferred the ones that were harder to find. I always do a lot of research before a trip; I write in a notebook all the activities or sights that I think I would enjoy, then I prioritize them and map them out. I usually don't get around to doing all of them, but I always make it to the ones I have my heart set on. Some of my favorite spots were ones we stumbled upon while biking or walking around.
I've always loved hottubs, so I was thrilled about the popularity of hot springs in Japan, or as they call them there "Onsen." We went skiing at the '98 Winter Olympics location in the Japanese Alps in Hakuba(just outside of the city of Nagano.) We stayed at the Mominoki Hotel, where we were greeted with free golden flake sake and cotton candy; they certainly know how to win over their guests! This hotel was walking distance to one of the chair lifts and it had a store for equipment rentals right out the front door, which made life easy! I loved this hotel, but the best part was coming back from a long day of skiing to soak in the Onsen. This took some getting used to because you can't wear a bathing suit. Once I did get used to it, I found it to be quite freeing and relaxing! After all, everyone else in there was naked too! Don't worry-everyone showers thoroughly before entering the hot springs :) Unlike back at home, people in Japan actually respect each other and the rules!
While I really enjoyed Tokyo, I liked the smaller cities we went to better. I grew up in the country, so I've never been a true city girl. If you do visit Tokyo, I'd suggest checking out Mari Cart, where you dress up as Mario Brothers characters and go-kart around the city. You can get an international license at DMV in the states before you go if you want to drive your own go-kart, but we did the tuk-tuk with a driver and had the time of our lives. It was more fun to sit back and take in the sights while chatting to the other riders and waving to children and tourists on the streets. We felt like celebs! I would also suggest strolling through Yoyogi Park (especially if you're there on New Years' Day for the sunrise celebration). Roppongi was also a happening area to explore.
My favorite city was Kyoto, which is south of Tokyo. Tenjuan Temple & Honen-In were the best kept secrets that we found; they weren't even on most of the maps! Exploring the grounds of these temples made me feel like a kid again. They were so serene and breathtaking. Fushimiinaritaisha was a larger, more well-known temple in the same area. This one is at the foot of a mountain and there are trails all around it, so you can get a workout in too while checking this one out! I'd suggest going before sundown. On the other side of town was Arashiyama & the OigawaRiver. We rented bikes and took a long bike ride to get there. You can walk through a green & serene bamboo forest and this is also where we found Iwatayama Monkey Park, where you can walk among wild monkeys. You get to go in a cage and feed the monkeys food through it. I'm a huge animal lover, so this was like a dream come true. I'm not a huge fan of zoos and aquariums, so I liked being the one inside the cage for a change.
Speaking of loving animals...a train ride outside of Kyoto is a city called Nara, where friendly deer roam free. You can pet them and feed them! In Nara it's illegal to kill deer; they're considered sacred. They were so cute! They are hungry and they can get a little testy when they want more food. One bit me in the leg (luckily, I was wearing jeans!)
I hope to return to Japan one day to see everything I didn't have time for on this trip! Check out more photos from this trip and others on my Instagram account & story: Grateful Travels Instagram ! I'm also on Facebook, Pinterest & Twitter: Grateful Travels. Keep an eye out for posts about my next stop in Singapore :) Click "subscribe" and enter your e-mail to be notified when I post something new! Thanks for the love, friends!