Nagoya is Japan’s fourth largest city, after Tokyo (the runaway winner), Yokohama, and Osaka. But it’s mainly a city you’d go to for business, not as a tourist. So why are we here? A central theme of our trip is castles, and while limited examples remain around Nagoya and Aichi prefecture, this is where daimyo …
Author Archives: fremontrambler
Shirakawago-ing
Shirakawago is UNESCO World Heritage site preserving and maintaining an example of a traditional Japanese farming village. In particular, the steep thatched roof 2-3 story house style called gassho-zukuri (praying hands) because of the silhouette. That said… Shirakawago is also a living, working village that people live in, and also a well-known tourist spot. So …
Shirakawa: Go!
Another travel day today, and a bit of a complex one. From Matsumoto, we’re headed to the preserved historic village of Shirakawago (White River District). The direct way would be a bus up and over the Japanese Alps to Takayama (itself a lovely town with a historic quarter), then a bus from there to Shirakawago. …
Matsumoto Joe
Todays adventure is mainly Matsumoto-jo (jo meaning castle). It’s one of only 12 remaining castles in Japan that still exist in their original form, and it is the only remaining 6 story castle. Due to its black exterior it is called the “crow castle”. We had a rather grey day unfortunately, with on and off …
Into the Mountains
Today was our last day in Tokyo, as we are headed to a ryokan (traditional inn) in Matsumoto in the Japanese Alps. It was also a grey, rainy day that was suited to sitting in a train for a few hours, though not so much for picture taking. Our ryokan is out on the edge …
Trainspotting in Kanda
Started out the morning with a plan of going to the amazing Shosen Book Tower, only to discover it opens at 11am. Alas. Instead I wandered along the Kanda river until I got to a relatively famous (among train otaku anyway) viewpoint where you can see multiple train lines converge. The view is from the …
Chill Day
Okay, might have overdone the first day a bit. Six mikes of walking, full sun, not on a good sleep schedule yet – so today was a bit of a rest day. Still, it was a short jaunt up to Ueno Park, which we stayed near before. Below is a then/now of the hotel we …
A Tokyo Hotel Room
There’s a lot of things I could say about my room. It’s tiny (typical for Tokyo) and has no view, not exactly quiet, etc. But what really struck me is that you could literally walk in here with the clothes on your back (and money) and they would supply everything else. Toiletries, pajamas, whatever you …
Around Tokyo
Did a little wandering through the waterfront our prior boat tour took us through, call this section “on the waterfront”. Each bridge has a name. Also, there will be a recurring “motos spotted” section. And in the trains department…
Visiting the Emperor
Today mainly had one goal – visiting the Imperial Palace. A short tour is available, but tequires prior online signup or showing up day-of and hoping there is a spot. I chose the former route. The Japanese Imperial Family is the worlds oldest hereditary monarchy, going back to 660 BC by some accounts, though only …
Out and About 