Misty mountains of Koyasan
First you take a train. Bleary eyed and claustrophobic from your early morning squeeze on the subway you twist and turn through the countryside of Japan up towards the mountains. You pass through mist shrouded mountain valleys and arrive at the final stop. Of the train. Then its onto a funicular whose angle defies geometry [...]
Where geishas dare to tread
You would think that a place famous for its temples and Zen gardens would be an oasis of calm. Kyoto, however, was anything but tranquil. Gion Matsuri, one of Japan’s most popular festivals, was in full swing and the streets were packed with revelers. Beautiful young Japanese girls sported traditional Kimono, shuffling along the street [...]
Osaka
I always know I’m going to like a city when I have to watch my step for fear of having an unwanted altercation with one of its cycling citizens. Osaka is like an Japanese Amsterdam with kimonos instead of clogs. Young girls sit side saddle on the back the boyfriend’s steed. Young men stand tall [...]
