On day 1, I arrived at Kinshicho station around 2300. My first interaction was with a lady who asked me if I wanted a massage. I declined, and she followed me a little, then gave up her chase.
Travel Photography
Train at Narita Airport
Departure board
Day 2 - Tokyo I attempted to go to Tokyo station on the bus, went the wrong way, and ended up somewhere. I have no idea where I ended up. Found my way to Tokyo Station to pick up my 7-day first-class "all line rover" JRpass. This was the first time I've had an overly positive experience with the ticket office staff of another station. I then came across an Anglican Church with a visitors' book. I wrote with love from my church inside the book. Afterwards, I walked to Tokyo Tower and down its stairwell. It was as fun as the Eiffel Tower. I then saw a temple to the east of the tower, and had some delicious noodles. Following this, I visited San'en-zan ZÅjÅ-ji temple, which was pretty nice. Lovely architecture etc. Tried to visit Shinbuya Crossing, but went the wrong road. Will return another day (Did not return on another day). Saw an old London bus. Got lured into another place blasting music. "Tower Records" was pretty awesome.
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Road near Tokyo Tower
St. Andrews Cathedral, Tokyo
Tokyo Tower
View from Tokyo Tower
I took the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto and rode in the green car. A term to describe “first class†although the service is closer to Avantis Standard Premium than first class. As there is a lack of catering. I boarded a local train from Kyoto to Inari to visit Fushimi Inari Taisha Honden (Sanctuary). This was a very enjoyable and beautiful experience. I walked through a bamboo-like forest and took a nature trail up a mountain. I was met with stunning views. Due to my side quest, this ate into a lot of my day. I found a nice eatery and had some noodles. Was good.
Travel Photography
Japanese Bullet train
Mount Fuji
Fushimi Inari Taisha
Mount Inari torie gates
Mount Inari torie gates
Path leading to Mount Inari
I have no idea what this is
Mount Inari torie gates
Lovely bit of food near the shrine
Got absolutely decimated by “The Tetris Effect†Japan has very different transport patterns. I worked it out rather quickly. And boom! Hiking the mountain likely didn’t help either haha. Ill again; I can't even remember much because I've been sleeping most of the time.
I survived my 2 days of unknown pestilence, where I had flu-like symptoms, and I was stuck in my Airbnb. I slept through most of this. However, my sleep was very disturbed. On the second day, I acquired multi-vitamins and painkillers. I likely caused a deficit somewhere when compared to my weight loss diet in the UK. On Day 6, I took a trip to Kanazawa and decided I wanted to visit a place without doing any research. I made my decision based on the type of train class (Gran Class - super First class) assigned to the area. So my logic was “better train class = nicer areaâ€. In Kanazawa, I visited the Higashi Chaya District, a beautiful Edo-period district. I then ventured to Kanazawa Castle, which stands on the very grounds that once governed 'The Peasants' Kingdom.' In this castle, I wanted to buy a glass of apple juice. Unfortunately, being a peasant myself. I was unwilling to pay £3.28, or 700Â¥ for a very small glass of apple juice. I decided on a vending machine outside the cafe which served a 500ml bottle of “ion supply†drink for 180Â¥ or 84p!
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Higashi Chaya District
Higashi Chaya District - Post box
Kanazawa Castle - Flower bed
Kanazawa Castle
Kanazawa Castle
Kanazawa station
Day 7 was a sickday, I don't recall much of this day.
I visited Nikko. During my illness, I somehow convinced myself that a space observatory existed in Nikko. I went anyway and ended up visiting a national park. I observed what appeared to be a Buddhist wish-granting ritual, labelled "secret ritual". It involved burning sticks and making donations.
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Nikko train cab
Shinkyo Bridge
Nikko national park
Shrine in Nikko national park
Shrine path in Nikko national park
Shrine in Nikko national park
Ended going “veggingâ€, a train spotter's term for riding trains. Getting a cab view for the entire journey was pretty good. A spotter saw me clock it and moved so I could see it. With universal body language, I'm pretty sure we both communicated “THRASH!!!†I Vegged all the way to Lake Kawaguchi. Then took a ferry across the lake. I couldn’t see all of MT Fuji due to cloud cover. It was great to see such natural beauty.
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train cab
Lake Kawaguchi vessal
The Local shop
I visited the Yūshūkan museum, a war museum considered rather controversial for its nationalist stance. I enjoyed it, everything had an English translation. I then visited the Metro Museum. Afterwards, I visited the teamlab art thing. This was one of the best things I've ever seen, a true 10/10 experience. I would 100% go again.
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Yūshūkan
Metro Museum
Teamlabs
I walked from Kinshicho to the Skytree, listening to 2000s UK indie rock. This was a very fun experience. I acquired decent views from the Skytree. I have mixed feelings on this due to the price of going to the very top deck, combined with the normal entry ticket. I then took an old, timely Boat to Odaiba, where I walked on an artificial beach and explored a 1800s defence battery that was never used.
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Skytree
Skytree
Skytree
Tokyo to battery vessal
lmao
On the battery
Day 12 was my final day in Japan. I visited the Bank of Japan museum, where photos were not allowed, but I did buy a pen with shredded cash in it! I walked to the Sumo Museum, then took the train to the Meiji Shrine. I explored a bit, sat on the grass for a while, and paid to enter a lovely garden.
Travel Photography
Building
Meiji Shrine
Meiji Shrine
One of the most notable things is how safe Japan feels; it's unique in that field. Japan has such amazing natural beauty; I was speechless in so many places across the nation. I wish I had seen more. I was waiting for something near the lake when I witnessed something really funny, and so did the kid standing next to me. It was pure comedy, us both just trying to hold it together and failing. Japan is a 10/10 place. I also broke the barrier of going to restaurants on my own. fin 29-05-26
