About Kyoto Located in the Kansai region of Honshu, Kyoto holds a special place in my heart as the first city I truly fell in love with. It’s been nearly ten years since my first visit, but this time felt as special as it did all those years ago. The city is home to around
Isui-En Isui-En translates as ‘garden founded on water’, an apt name as the garden is designed around two ponds fed by the neighbouring Yoshikigawa River. I can’t decide which is my favourite garden in Nara (a very hard choice considering Yoshikien is right next door), but Isuien for me is one of the most memorable.
Yoshiki-En We visited Yoshikien in early April. It was still unexpectedly cold for spring and apart from the cherry blossom, the trees were still very much asleep. Despite being a little bare, the garden was still beautiful. We arrived in Nara late morning, and while we usually like to explore and photograph nature in either
The Conservatory, Kyoto Botanical Garden It doesn’t matter where we’re heading in the world, one of the first things we’ll start researching are nearby gardens. Why I’d never visited the Kyoto Botanical Gardens before this spring then was a little mind boggling, especially considering it’s home to Japan’s largest conservatory. It’s also home to over
Shōren-in Shōren-in is one of the five Monzeki temples of the Tendai sect in Kyoto and is nestled up a side street in the Southern Higashiyama area. It’s peaceful, sheltered and – for want of a better phrase – a little solemn. I visited on a rainy day in early April and as I sat
Honen-in Honen-in, one of my favourite temples in all of Kyoto. My first visit two years ago was beautifully peaceful – the kind of peace that only comes when visiting a serene garden in the rain. Part of me was hoping for a little downpour this time round as well, but sadly that came on
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