Welcome to the magnificent and sacred Itsukushima Shrine! Japan is filled with thousands of wonderful temples and shrines, after only 10 days of travel in the land of the rising sun you’ll probably experience dozens! But Itsukushima is special, the entire island has been built up around this shrine since Read more…
Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park opened April 1st 1954. It stands as a reminder of the first nuclear weapon attack, an attack on innocent civilians, children and an entire city. Today, threats of using nuclear weapons are being made on Twitter by World Leaders who were born after the destruction of Read more…
We’ve updated our Hostel Etiquette to include China and Southeast Asia. Hostel Etiquette is a set of unofficial customs travels abide by while traveling abroad. Of course these customs can change from city to country depending on the types of visitors and their habits. While it does vary, it’s a Read more…
Yabusame (流鏑馬) is a type of horseback archery that was commonly practiced by Samurai in ancient feudal Japan. Today, Yabusame is used in traditional rituals to bestow blessings upon the people and appease the Shinto Gods. The ritual involves shooting three targets, however it was originally developed as practice for Read more…
Kota Bharu is a fairly quiet Islamic city in North-Eastern Peninsular Malaysia. It is the capital and royal seat of the Kelantan State. Each Malaysian State has a Sultan or King at the head of state, although many of the positions are simply honorary. The city streets are clean, colorful Read more…
The Big Mac is the most famous burger in the world (arguably more than the Big Kahuna Burger). You can visit a McDonald’s Cafe in 48 countries and get roughly the exactly the same burger experience. However, what you pay for your Big Mac will be different! Let’s take Japan as Read more…
After more than three weeks of adventurous travel in Japan my time in the land of the rising sun is coming to an end, but not before one last day visiting Osaka City! On paper Osaka is quite small for an Asian city at 223Km2 and a population of over Read more…
In April 2016, I volunteered for a month in an international youth hostel in Kyoto, Japan. It was my third volunteering experience, the second through workaway, and I absolutely loved it! I saved $800 in accommodations, made new friends and enjoyed a totally new way of travelling. In a densely Read more…
The small town of Mt. Koya is home to Japan’s grandest ancient graveyard: Okuno-in Temple, hidden within the old cypress and pine forest. The mountain settlement grew to be an important pilgrimage site and home to the Shingon Buddhism sect. Founder “Kobo Daishi” who oversaw the construction of the Konpon Daito Padoga in the Read more…
Day Trip to Uji, Kyoto Prefecture The following day after my trip to Nara, I set out early in the morning with a new friend from my hostel. Jenni had spent a year living in and exploring the old capital city and neighboring towns. For her this was a trip down Read more…
For my day trip to Nara, I met up with a few travel companions, Fred & Gert, from Belgium. Fred and I met earlier this year at a hostel in Pai, Thailand. Fast forward a few months and we both ended up in Japan! Isn’t that the greatest part of Read more…
In late February 2016, I pursued a new experience on my travels in the form of a permaculture farm volunteering retreat. I want to explain why this experience was worthwhile, and why it was a good decision during my travels in terms of Experience, Money and Time. Decisions have to be Read more…