Miyajima Island is one of my favorite destinations. I spent around 5 week in Hiroshima, a lot of it on this wonderful island paradise. Miyajima has been an important sacred location for over 500 years and sees over 5 million visitors each year! The whole island is said to be 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…
Welcome to Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine. Also known as the Shrine of 10,000 Torii 鳥居, located on Mt. Inari or “Inariyama” in Japanese. It’s an incredibly popular tourist destination in Kyoto and one of Japan’s most important Shinto Shrines. Bring your walking shoes, it’s a little bit of a climb! Fushimi 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…
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…