Soldato
- Joined
- 30 Dec 2004
- Posts
- 4,681
- Location
- Bromley, Kent
Hi guys,
30 months ago I decided that I wanted to go to Japan (Q saving and being skint)! As of the day I left the country it was my first holiday in 10 years and also the first time I had been away by myself. The trip of a life time was 1 month travelling around Japan (Tokyo through the country down to Hiroshima and back up, mid July to mid august 2011). The trip was totally bespoke and I ended up doing everything from sword fighting to a tea ceremony to climbing some mountains. Some of you may have seen the link in my sig and some mentions in other related threads as it seems to come up now and then.
Not much to say on here unless people ask, most of the details are on my blog (cj-japan.blogspot.com) and although unfinished as I haven't gotten round to writing up my diary from it or doing the video (this may take some time
) but all the details from the trip are on the website.
Easiest way to pimp-this-thread is with some piccies, I took about 1300 photos and it was incredibly hard picking my top 10, so i didn't, I picked my top 20 (which was still hard). A mix of my fave pics and character snaps. Don't expect and Khaaan or Raymond DoF pictures, purely holiday snaps
The weapon of choice was a TZ-10.
Apologies in advance as these might be fairly big
1 - Harajuku. This is in Tokyo and can probably be loosely compared to Camden. I chose this photo because it shows the city suburbs well, above ground power, the building style etc.
2 - This is a picture of me and a Master of Tea Ceremonies and cooking instructor at her house at the outskirts of Tokyo. She trains people in various traditional arts and cooking
3 - This is a shot at the entrance to Asukasa Temple and shopping street
4 - Mt Fuji (as it would be rude not to have a photo). This was actually taken on a rope-way car several hundred meters up the side of Mt Hakone heading up to lake Ashinoko in Hakone
5- These are 5 stored pagodas, everywhere in Japan
6 - Nishihongwanji Temple - there was a festival going on at the time
7 - This is Gion on Kyoto. If anybody has seen the film "About a Geisha", this is the spot some of the scenes were filmed
8 - This is Fushimi-Inari, over 100,000 torii gates!
9 - Japanese street again in Kyoto with 2 ladies in Kimonos. Kyoto is trying to bring itself back as the traditional city - you get a discount shopping in a Kimono
10 - Golden Pavilion - Photos don't do this justice, it was hard to look at directly due to being so bright and reflective. it is real gold leaf on the outside
11 - Me with a deer at Nara, you can pet them all you want as they are tame as anything. one of them eat the map out of my pocket...git.
12 - Daibutsu temple. This is HUGE. Inside is a 16m tall 500 ton buddha. the building was constructed around the statue as it was so big
13 - Osaka night skyline. pity the camera didn't capture it too well (user error tbh)
14 - Osaka castle. they all look like this, pretty cool! The dolphins on top are usually around 2.4m tall
15 - Hiroshima A-Bomb dome. Theres to much to say about the atmosphere here to put into words. I visited on the eve of the 66th anniversary of the bomb landing
16 - O Torii gate in Miyajima, the tide comes in and around it to give it the appearance of floating
17 - Traditional Japanese garden and house!
18 - This is the sort of food I was served at the Ryokans. NOM.
19 - Me at the top of Mt. Takao. This ws a bloody hard climb (41 degrees celcius in 80 - 90% humidity)
20 - View of Tokyo skyline from the Hilton, same night as I got woken up by a quake
(yes I know you can see me in the window!)
Overall it's something I'll remember forever and looking at the photos just makes me want to go back (although when it's slightly cooler). As with all things like this it's impossible to explain my experience which is annoying as I'd like others to know what an amazingtime I had.
Anyway, pimp over Any questions just ask! If not feel free to have a browse of the blog and see the rest of the photos and the video of my being rubbish at sword fighting The best bit is the last 30 seconds 
- GP
30 months ago I decided that I wanted to go to Japan (Q saving and being skint)! As of the day I left the country it was my first holiday in 10 years and also the first time I had been away by myself. The trip of a life time was 1 month travelling around Japan (Tokyo through the country down to Hiroshima and back up, mid July to mid august 2011). The trip was totally bespoke and I ended up doing everything from sword fighting to a tea ceremony to climbing some mountains. Some of you may have seen the link in my sig and some mentions in other related threads as it seems to come up now and then.
Not much to say on here unless people ask, most of the details are on my blog (cj-japan.blogspot.com) and although unfinished as I haven't gotten round to writing up my diary from it or doing the video (this may take some time
) but all the details from the trip are on the website.Easiest way to pimp-this-thread is with some piccies, I took about 1300 photos and it was incredibly hard picking my top 10, so i didn't, I picked my top 20 (which was still hard). A mix of my fave pics and character snaps. Don't expect and Khaaan or Raymond DoF pictures, purely holiday snaps
The weapon of choice was a TZ-10.Apologies in advance as these might be fairly big
1 - Harajuku. This is in Tokyo and can probably be loosely compared to Camden. I chose this photo because it shows the city suburbs well, above ground power, the building style etc.
2 - This is a picture of me and a Master of Tea Ceremonies and cooking instructor at her house at the outskirts of Tokyo. She trains people in various traditional arts and cooking
3 - This is a shot at the entrance to Asukasa Temple and shopping street
4 - Mt Fuji (as it would be rude not to have a photo). This was actually taken on a rope-way car several hundred meters up the side of Mt Hakone heading up to lake Ashinoko in Hakone
5- These are 5 stored pagodas, everywhere in Japan
6 - Nishihongwanji Temple - there was a festival going on at the time
7 - This is Gion on Kyoto. If anybody has seen the film "About a Geisha", this is the spot some of the scenes were filmed
8 - This is Fushimi-Inari, over 100,000 torii gates!
9 - Japanese street again in Kyoto with 2 ladies in Kimonos. Kyoto is trying to bring itself back as the traditional city - you get a discount shopping in a Kimono
10 - Golden Pavilion - Photos don't do this justice, it was hard to look at directly due to being so bright and reflective. it is real gold leaf on the outside
11 - Me with a deer at Nara, you can pet them all you want as they are tame as anything. one of them eat the map out of my pocket...git.
12 - Daibutsu temple. This is HUGE. Inside is a 16m tall 500 ton buddha. the building was constructed around the statue as it was so big
13 - Osaka night skyline. pity the camera didn't capture it too well (user error tbh)
14 - Osaka castle. they all look like this, pretty cool! The dolphins on top are usually around 2.4m tall
15 - Hiroshima A-Bomb dome. Theres to much to say about the atmosphere here to put into words. I visited on the eve of the 66th anniversary of the bomb landing
16 - O Torii gate in Miyajima, the tide comes in and around it to give it the appearance of floating
17 - Traditional Japanese garden and house!
18 - This is the sort of food I was served at the Ryokans. NOM.
19 - Me at the top of Mt. Takao. This ws a bloody hard climb (41 degrees celcius in 80 - 90% humidity)
20 - View of Tokyo skyline from the Hilton, same night as I got woken up by a quake
(yes I know you can see me in the window!)Overall it's something I'll remember forever and looking at the photos just makes me want to go back (although when it's slightly cooler). As with all things like this it's impossible to explain my experience which is annoying as I'd like others to know what an amazingtime I had.
Anyway, pimp over
Any questions just ask! If not feel free to have a browse of the blog and see the rest of the photos and the video of my being rubbish at sword fighting The best bit is the last 30 seconds - GP
