FLYING BLUE On my 50th birthday, in April 2013, a friend and senior purser with KLM gave me the best present ever: a ride to any destination in the world, my choice. I didn’t have to think long. It had to be Tokyo. We just had to wait for the destination to fit into her schedule.… Continue reading 24 hours in Tokyo – or how I quit smoking
Category: Destinations
Must see beautiful view of Mount Fuji from Chureito Pagoda
Google “Mount Fuji” and your first search results are very likely to include the beautiful view of Japan’s sacred mountain from the Chureito Pagoda in Arakurayama Sengen Shrine Park, Fujiyoshida. Most of these search results won’t even mention the location – it’s just one of the default “pretty Japan” stock photos used in articles. This… Continue reading Must see beautiful view of Mount Fuji from Chureito Pagoda
Cycling around Lake Kawaguchiko
Rent a bike and cycle around Lake Kawaguchiko, in the shadow of Mt Fuji. I’m the kind of traveller that plans their trips meticulously. The planning and looking forward to those plans is a part of the enjoyment. I don’t want to waste any time deciding what to do every day. But I have no… Continue reading Cycling around Lake Kawaguchiko
A boat trip to Gunkanjima, the James Bond island
Back in 2015, on one of my first trips to Japan, I tried to go to Gunkanjima, the “James Bond” island off the coast of Nagasaki. I was staying in Fukuoka and had booked the trip via the Gunkanjima Concierge website, one of several operators of sightseeing tours to the island. I was aware that… Continue reading A boat trip to Gunkanjima, the James Bond island
Visiting the Mount Fuji World Heritage Centre
photo copyright CC BY-SA 4.0 – Sablier de Verrie The Shizuoka Prefecture Fujisan World Heritage Centre is a museum in Fujinomiya City, Shizuoka Prefecture. A facility for protecting, preserving and maintaining Mt. Fuji. The Centre also has an academic research function. In 2013, Japan’s iconic Fuji mountain was registered as a Unesco World Heritage site. I had read about the architect Shigeru Ban’s… Continue reading Visiting the Mount Fuji World Heritage Centre
Visiting Tadao Ando’s Church of the Light
The architect Tadao Ando has designed four chapels and churches in Japan. They are known as the Churches of the Wind, Water, Sea and, his signature work, Ibaraki Kasugaoka Church, better known as the Church of the Light. The Church of the Light was built in 1989, in the town of Ibaraki, in Osaka prefecture… Continue reading Visiting Tadao Ando’s Church of the Light
Tsukiji Fish market, worth a visit or not
Update: Late 2017 it was announced that the current Tsukiji fish market will close on October 6,2018 and will be demolished immediately after. That means the inner market, including the tuna action will move away from Tsukiji, but the outer market will stay. The new Toyosu market (Toyosu Shin Shijō 豊洲新市場, Toyosu New Market) will… Continue reading Tsukiji Fish market, worth a visit or not
Catch your own squid at the market in Hakodate
Catch your own breakfast sashimi at the morning market in Hakodate, Japan.
The best view in Yokohama
Video and pictures of a special place in Yokohama with a magnificent view
The hell of Himeji
My less successful trip to Himeji Castle