Japan A Dream Come True

If you were to ask a twelve year old version of myself of where I'd want to travel to most he would instantly say Japan because I watched countless hours of anime and thought Akira was superior to Shakespeare. As I have grown up I've become less and less interested in anime and manga. Yet my fascination with Japanese culture still stands and it definitely felt good stepping out of the airport after having my bag searched by aggressive customs officers. My first stop was Osaka, this city is definitely worth stopping by to take a look at the Dotonbori district and Osaka castle. Wherever you go in Japan the food is incredible but I must warn you it is not cheap. Going to visit Japan is like landing on your friend's blue space with three hotels four hours into a Monopoly game.

After an introductory day of Japan in Osaka, I headed over to Kyoto, it's good to know for if you're visiting Japan the the cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Nara etc are inter-connected with a railway system so if you're travelling from Osaka to Kyoto all you need to do is take the local railway line and it will take no more than forty minutes. 

If you're looking for a nice place to stay in Kyoto I'd tell you that Estate Tokyo Nishikyogoku is a great place to stay. It's fairly priced and the experience feels like a house in Pokémon as the rooms are really nice the room has its own kitchen and the staff are incredible. When I needed a ride to the train station the receptionist went out of their way to give me a lift. That just illustrates how helpful people in Japan are, they will make sure that whatever they do, it is perfect.

Kyoto is nothing short of historically fascinating, Kyoto has been able to retain its historical beauty because it was one of the only places in Japan that wasn't firebombed during WWII. I'd highly recommend spending a day visiting the temples in this grand city.

When I first arrived I tucked into a proper Japanese lunch, a curry! Contrary to popular belief Japanese food is predominantly curry and ramen. There is a huge variety but sushi is either top quality and expensive or cheap and poor quality. Japanese sushi is mostly fish and nothing like how it is in Yo Sushi. Japanese curry is a typical dish that makes for a great lunch or dinner and it's satisfying to wash down with a bottle of green tea. 

First place I went over to was the Kyoto Imperial Palace, the place in which was the former residence of the emperors of Japan. It is a nice place to walk through as most of the place is gated off to preserve and you can only really spend about thirty minutes there. 

Later on I decided to find a place to eat sushi and I have to be honest it's not an amazing experience. I only had about four pieces to eat because it was so pricy and it hardly filled my stomach. It's better just to go for some ramen. 

On my second day in Kyoto I spent the day visiting all the different wonderful sites the place has to offer starting off with Kinkakuji Temple. This is one of the most popular and iconic sites in Japan so expect a huge number of tourists but this structure of what looks like pure gold is something to be in awe at even if it is raining and cloudy. Definitely a must see and one of the coolest spots in Kyoto.

Nearby there is also a strikingly beautiful zen temple known as Higashiyama Jisho-Ji with a mesmerising zen garden which gave me time to contemplate and peace and quiet. Then I headed over to the monkey park but I took a break to have a beef bun and some green tea ice cream - absolutely delicious. The monkey park was definitely worth a visit atop of a hill there are just some monkeys chilling out with a great view of the city. 

Arashiyama is incredibly beautiful, it's the kind of Japan you would see in the movies with the nature and picturesque houses. It has the bamboo forest which is an nice place to walk through. After that I went to one of my favourite sites in Kyoto known as Fushimi Inari. A shrine in which you walk through an seemingly endless tunnel of gates. A place you definitely have to check out, it feels like an adventure just to walk through it until you feel like you've had enough. To finish the day off I went over to the Gion district to have some Japanese ramen. Let's just say if you go to Japan and don't have ramen then I'd ask you to get the hell out of McDonald's.

On day three I started off with going to Nijo Castle, certainly a beautiful and surreal place you may want to check out the architecture gives off a classic Japanese feel along with some nice Japanese gardens. Also it was the first time I saw a shop selling samurai swords which I thought was really cool. I wish I had been able to buy one and I also went out of my way to take a look at the Nintendo headquarters just to get a selfie. It is a place surrounded by walls and there is no way to visit it. Sadly there are no tourist sites dedicated to Nintendo like a museum or something.

After that I spent the rest of the day looking around the Gion district which is a rather fascinating place due to the architecture looking old and historical giving it a unique feel. There is a mix of places to see in this place like some of the traditional temples and also a Studio Ghibli gift shop if you have some disposable income for a Totoro toy. I walked over to the pagoda and it's one of the few places in Japan which gives an old style feel. It may be incredibly difficult to see Geishas walking about but you can see many kimono-clad folks walking in this area especially and most of them are tourists. 

The next day I went over to Kyomizu temple and Maruyama park. Kyomizu temple has it's beauty to it, however there are huge crowds and the main part of the temple is covered with scaffolding. However, I'd still say it's a great place to take a look as it reminded me of the Hanamura map from Overwatch. Maruyama park is also a nice place to have some green tea and the less-crowded temples around it are worth exploring.

So what can I say about Kyoto? You have to give it a try, it showcases the historical beauty of Japan and simply taking a walk around the calmingly quiet residential areas on the way to the philosopher's walk is an experience in itself. However, Japan is super expensive and not the best destination for backpackers, so it's important to be frugal.

Contrary to what you might think people in Japan can speak English but they aren't always properly fluent, it's not rare to encounter someone who can't speak English so it's important to know at least a few phrases such as hello, thank you and excuse me. A difference between somewhere like Japan and somewhere like Vietnam or Thailand is that in Japan in places like a 7-11 or curry house they will speak in Japanese to you even if you are a gaijin.