Our visit to Osaka Castle left me with mixed feelings. The towering keep rising over the stone ramparts still looked every bit the part of a feudal stronghold, yet stepping inside was a different story: the…

We began our day with a bike ride through the heart of Osaka, heading toward the Nanko Port to sort out ferry arrangements for the next leg of our journey — to Kyushu. Compared to zipping around on foot or…

By 6 am, early morning hikers were already passing by our ‘campsite’ atop Daichiyama. Since our tent and bikes had completely taken over the pavilion, most of them hesitated to come too close, even if they…

In the morning, we left the temple where we had spent the night and headed straight for a spiritual classic — Kiyomizu-dera. Its iconic wooden stage, recently reopened after years of careful restoration, was…

I bounced out of bed at 5 am and ran off to Arashiyama on the other side of the city to photograph the famed bamboo grove embedded in the hushed magic that only dawn could offer. The streets were still…

Last evening, we arrived at the Omi Haha-no-Sato roadside station, located along the shores of Lake Biwa. There, we found a covered shelter that made for an ideal spot to pitch our tent. Conveniently, there…

For anyone into such Japanese role-playing games as Nobunaga’s Ambition, visiting the site of the Battle of Sekigahara is probably a dream come true (though in this case, it was more my friend’s dream than…

After a night of sound sleep at our hosts’, we were served traditional Japanese breakfast — eggs, miso soup, rice, grilled fish, and pickles. Their kindness left us both nourished and humbled. With our spirits…