• Himeji Castle: The White Heron

    I’ve seen a fair amount of Japanese castles on my travels (there are over 200, so this is no hard task) and while they’re all interesting and unique in their…

    May 4, 2025

  • Autumn on Miyajima

    For someone who grew up with only two seasons (kak hot and a little chilly, respectively), autumn and spring are still a novelty for me. If I had to choose…

    December 15, 2024

  • Hiroshima’s Peace Park from Day to Night

    I was lucky enough to visit Hiroshima’s Peace Park once before in 2015. That year was the 70th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. I remember seeing the Genbaku…

    March 2, 2024

  • Exploring Kyoto’s Higashiyama District

    If you’ve ever looked up Kyoto on social media, chances are you’ve scrolled through a dozen pictures of people posing in a traditional-looking street with a tall pagoda in the…

    January 27, 2024

  • Kinkakuji: The Golden Pavilion

    One of the most famous images associated with Kyoto is that of a golden temple. Kinkaku-ji, as it’s known, is indeed completely covered in gold leaf—the top two floors, at…

    January 21, 2024

  • A Weekend in Yakushima, Part 2

    The next morning, water was teeming from the grey cotton balls above. We pulled our rain jackets on and headed to the bus stop to catch a ride to Shiratani Unsuikyo. Located 800…

    March 30, 2017

  • A Weekend in Yakushima, Part 1

    I watched the many peaks of Yakushima expand in stop motion as our Jetfoil powered towards the island. The high-speed ferry is the quickest and most expensive way to get there…

    March 27, 2017

  • Hiroshima’s Peace Park in Black and White

    I spent most of my visit to Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park sitting on a bench. This was partly due to the fact that I was supercalifragilisticexpialidociously hungover from the previous night’s festivities; after gatecrashing…

    August 21, 2015

  • Toshogu Shrine Nikko

    This article is available on GPSmyCity. Download the app for GPS-assisted travel directions to all the attractions featured. More than 1000 years ago, a Buddhist priest named Shodo Shonin crossed…

    April 11, 2015

  • Lake Shoji: The Hidden Gem of Mt Fuji

    Lake Shoji is a hidden gem at the base of Mt Fuji. The smallest of the Fuji Five lakes, it is beautifully quiet and serene, and completely removed from the…

    May 17, 2014