Category: Traveling

We checked out of Almont Hotel Kyoto early in the morning, planning to catch the 8:10AM Thunderbird 5 Limited Express train to Kanazawa, but secretly hoping to catch an earlier train if we could. But we got a little lost

The Kyoto hotel we opted for in the first segment of our 15-day trip was Almont Hotel Kyoto. Like the other hotels we booked for our 2019 family trip in Japan, we had three requirements: that it could fit the

Day 06 is our last full day in Kyoto before we continue on to the second segment of our 15-day trip. In our initial planning, we’d listed several more places to visit on Day 06 – and the list included

The visit to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest done, we doubled back to Kyoto and continued on to Inari Station for a visit to the Torii Gates at Fushimi Inari – another very iconic site that is a must-visit for visitors to

A visit to Kyoto is not complete without checking out the famed bamboo forest of Arashiyama, a short 30 minutes away from Kyoto Station. We visited the bamboo grove 12 years ago and were fortunate enough to get some lovely

Continuing on for Day 05: Osaka Castle Park next. Unlike Himeji Castle that we’d just visited yesterday on Day 04, Osaka Castle is a reconstruction. Building of it first started in 1583, and when completed, it was attacked and partially

Our initial plans for Day 05 of this trip included an early morning visit to Arashiyama to see the bamboo forest before the inevitable crowds came in, followed by a return to Kyoto Station to continue on to Osaka for

While Himeji Castle was very pretty on the outside and offered varied perspectives, it was not nearly as interesting on the inside for us. Koko-en, on the other hand, was a different thing altogether: the garden was drop-dead gorgeous through

Himeji Castle is a historical site that shows up in all manner of travel brochures, and also probably the singularly most popular attraction in the city of Himeji. In fact, it’s not uncommon to read travel advisories encouraging tourists who

Of the several cities we’re visiting using Kyoto as a base over Days 01 to Day 06, the furthest we’re traveling to in this first segment is Himeji, which is a good 130 kilometres away from Kyoto. The 4 Day

The kids had their morning harassing cute animals. So, for the afternoon itinerary in Kobe, it was the wife’s turn to go nuts. Kobe is home to one of Japan’s largest herb gardens – Kobe Herb Garden – and comprises

As long as we’re taking family vacations with young kids, the itinerary still needs to be filled with activities that will appeal to and engage them. As lovely as the scenery was at the Philosopher’s Walk or Uji Prefecture Park,