It’s impossible for me to name my favourite Kyoto temple or garden. With 1600 temples in to visit in Kyoto it’s no surprise really, and it’ll take me many many years to visit them all. There’s a popular walk Jim and I like to take when we’re in the northern higashiyama region. Starting from Keage
About Naoshima + Teshima Naoshima (直島) is an island in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan dedicated to modern art, architecture and sculpture. Most of the art installations and museums on both Naoshima and the neighbouring island Teshima were set in place by the Benesse corporation, and has since become the art destination in Japan. It’s been
About Fuji Kawaguchiko Fuji Kawaguchiko is a beautiful little onsen town which makes up one of the Fuji Five Lakes just south of Tokyo and is (quite rightly) famed for it’s incredible views of Mt Fuji. When To Visit We visited in late March (23 – 26 March), just before peak cherry blossom season. While
There were so many gardens across Seoul that we were looking forward to visiting, but none more so that the Huwon Secret Garden of Changdeokgung palace. Tickets to the garden are sold on a first come first serve basis, and you have to visit during one of the tour times. We were so lucky that
I love an urban green space, and as soon as we booked flights to Seoul we knew a lot of our time there would be spent exploring Cheonggyecheon stream – a 10km stretch of water flowing through the heart of the city.After the Korean war, Cheonggyecheon became a neglected waterway that ran under an overpass.
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove – 2019 Update Our week in Kyoto consisted of a lot of early starts – We arrived at Arashiyama Bamboo Grove before 7am and still could have done with getting there earlier. When we first arrived it was just the two of us taking in the still early morning and an elderly couple taking
I can’t believe it was over a year ago that Jim and I packed our backpacks for an overnight trip from Kyoto to Mt Koya. It just so happened that Jim’s birthday landed half way through our three-week tour round Japan, and I wanted to arrange something pretty memorable for him.Often described as the most
One of my favourite finds in Seoul was completely unexpected – We headed to Seoul forest one overcast, slightly gloomy morning on the hunt for cherry blossom (which we found in an abundance), and by happy accident stumbled across a pretty prefect little botanical garden. A little run down, the slight wear and tear gave
“In the heart of Le Jardin Secret, as is common in Islamic gardens, there is a spring of water. The fountains, the marble cups and the basins of the riad give life to plays of light, while the continuing springing up of water fosters the serenity of the surroundings as well as contemplation.” It was