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Osaka: Top 10 Things To Do
Osaka, Japan’s third largest city, is only 30 miles from the ancient capital of Kyoto. So, it makes sense, to me at least, to base yourself in one city and visit the other. We opted to make Kyoto our base and do a day trip to Osaka. Here is my pick of the Top 10…
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Japan in Three Weeks (Tokyo to Hiroshima, Shikoku and Kyushu)
We spent 3 weeks exploring Japan, starting with a few days in and around Tokyo. Then we validated our JR passes and worked our way south west along the coast of Japan’s biggest island, Honshu by train. After a brief detour to the island of Shikoku, we replaced our JR rail cards for a hire…
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Horinouchi Park Parkrun Guide
Horinouchi Park parkrun takes place in Horinouchi Park, Matsuyama every Saturday at 8 am. The park lies inside the moat around the base of Matsuyama Castle, which looms over the town of Matsuyama from atop Mount Katsuyama. How to get to Horinouchi parkrun Matsuyama is in the north west of Shikoku, Japan’s third largest island,…
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Hikarigaokakoen Parkrun Guide
There are five parkruns in the suburbs of Tokyo. Perhaps the easiest to get to, due to its direct link to Shinjuku, is Hikarigaokakoen parkrun. The event takes place every Saturday at 8 am in Hikarigaoka Park around 8 miles north of central Tokyo. How to get to Hikarigaokakoen Parkrun The start is a ten…
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Dazaifu in 1 Day
Dazaifu, the former capital of Kyushu, Japan’s third largest island, is renowned for the Tenmangu Shrine, which is said to bring visitors good luck. The city is also home to an excellent museum. Situated just 10 miles south east of the island capital of Fukuoka, Dazaifu is a very popular day trip destination. How to…
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Beppu in 2 Days
The city of Beppu, which is situated on a bay in the north east corner of the Japanese island of Kyushu, is famed for its geothermal activity. Steam belches forth from vents all over town – a particularly wonderful sight on a cold winter’s day. In addition, there are numerous hot springs across the area,…
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Nagasaki in 1 Day
We spent a day in the Japanese city of Nagasaki, on the island of Kyushu. This historic port city has played a prominent role in foreign trade for many centuries. However, on 9 August 1945, it became famous for another thing as Nagasaki suffered being the second Japanese city to be destroyed by an American…
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Fukuoka in 1 Day
Fukuoka is the largest city on Kyushu, Japan’s third biggest island and the closest city to mainland Asia. It is joined to the main island of Honshu by a tunnel and a bridge. Fukuoka is made up of two former towns: the castle town of Fukuoka and the merchant town of Hakata. The two towns…
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Hiroshima in 2 Days
When planning our trip to Japan, Hiroshima was at the top of my bucket list. ‘Dark Tourism’ might not be for everyone, but having studied history at university, I am always fascinated to visit places where things happened which shape the world we live in today. Even if those things were terrible like in Auschwitz…
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Matsuyama in 1 day
Today, we are taking a train which hugs the northern coast of the island of Shikoku for 100 miles then heads south, still along the coast, to the island’s largest town, Matsuyama. The city is famous for its hot springs, namely the 19th Century Dogo Onsen Honkan. We have established that the old man doesn’t…
Jane's Midlife Journey 