Japan

I am fairly certain everyone who knows me, is aware of my slight obsession with travelling. But what seems like an obsession to most, is a passion to me. I just can't seem to sit still for more than a couple months before the itch to travel becomes unbearable. 

In order to share this "obsession" or "passion" or however you would like to classify it, I have decided to write a little bit about each of the countries I have been to in my short twenty eight years on this earth. And what better place to start off with than the country where my passion for travel started. Japan. 

I first travelled to Japan in 2004 to participate in a university study abroad programme. I was elated, not only from being accepted to study abroad, but also about taking my first trip abroad (apart from the U.S.A), though I can't say the same for parents. After some pleading to the ones with the purse and being selected for a scholarship covering the majority of the costs of studying abroad, I packed my bags, boarded the plane and was off to the "Land of the Rising Sun." 

For anyone having lived abroad for more than a couple of months, I am sure you are aware of the flood of emotions that you go through over the course of your stint abroad. Excitement, nervousness, frustration, happiness, loneliness, the list goes on and I am sure that I had experienced them all at that time. But there is no replacement for the sense of fulfillment having made it through that first ten to twelve months. 

My introduction to Japan began in the Kansai region (Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto etc) and I would have to say that this picture represents Osaka VERY well.

Shin Sekai, Osaka (新世界、大阪）

 

Bright lights, comedians, delicious food and friendly people. These are all characteristics of Osaka and anyone who has spent any time in Osaka will know what I am talking about. Obviously this isn't the "Japan" that most people imagine, but when you spend enough time in Japan this becomes extremely normal. 

Now, I would assume you are scratching your head and wondering "but what about the temples?" Well, being lucky enough to have lived about forty minutes from the ancient capital of Kyoto, I have seen my fair share of temples and enjoy spending the day wandering around the grounds of a temple.  

A couple of my favourites are pictured below. 

Fushimi Inari Taisha 伏見稲荷大社

Although this this picture isn't of the temple itself, the walk in through the mountains of Kyoto around this  shrine is pretty spectacular. This shrine was first established in the year 711 and is known as the shrine with a thousand torii (Torii are the red gates you see in the picture above). Although this shrine is not normally on the list of shrines and temples to visit on a first trip to Kyoto, it is definitely worth the visit. 

Kiyomizu Temple （清水寺）

This next temple is more well quite a bit more well known and just as spectacular. Kiyomizu Temple was established in 778, but like many other temples in Japan, it has been rebuilt several times due to having been burned down.  It is well known for the beautiful colours of the tree leaves in the fall and also the pastel pink of the sakura (cherry blossoms) in the spring. 

Since this is one of the more famous temples of Kyoto I think most first timers to Japan will have this temple on their list of places to visit. 

In order to avoid boring you all too much I will limit this post to two more must see places in Japan. One for the adventurous and one for anyone willing to go slightly off the beaten path. 

For the adventurous, none other than Mount Fuji. Not only visiting it but climbing all the way to the top. 

The view is breathtaking, to say the least, and the feeling of achievement after reaching the top is pretty exhilarating. 

I am not sure how many of you have seen the sun rise from 3776 meters above the sea, but it looks something like this. 

The last place I want to introduce, is my favourite place in Japan. It is a place that the majority of people overlook when deciding where to visit while in Japan. This is likely due to the difficulty in getting there and the limited access to information in English, but I would say that anyone visiting Japan should consider visiting. The name is Mt. Aso and it is located on the southern island of Kyushu and looks something like this. 

If you like nature, the countryside and a friendly reception (regardless of whether you speak Japanese) Kyushu is the place to be. I lived there for just about two years and consider this one of my several homes.  If you are lucky enough to go in late summer you will be surrounded by fragrant flowers, sweet smelling grass and what else but hundreds of kilometres of rice paddies. 

I hope this brief introduction to "My Japan" has sparked your interest in the country and might just convince you to visit someday. If you want a travel partner or guide for the country, don't hesitate to ask! I will join you any day!!