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Category Archives: Asia

Kinkaku-ji Temple- Kyoto’s Golden Pavilion

A late afternoon rain gently pattered down on my umbrella as we walked along a tree-shaded path in northwest Kyoto. The light was dim, the day’s last remaining sunlight unable to break through the clouds. The further along the path we got, the faster I walked, eager to see one of Kyoto’s most famous sites....

Koyasan- Guide to Visiting the Sacred Sites of Mt. Koya

Koyasan- sacred, traditional and somewhat mysterious- was one of the most rewarding places we visited in Japan. In this quiet mountain town, we not only got a glimpse into the time-honored ways of Japanese religious life, we got to experience it. We stayed overnight in Buddhist temple, sampled the customary vegetarian cuisine and attended a...

Danjo Garan- Koyasan’s Central Temple Complex

As a sacred site for Buddhism in Japan, Koyasan features many temples dedicated to the practice of Shingon Buddhism. While each is important in their own way, none is as central to Buddhism in Koyasan as the Dai Garan Complex. About the Dai Garan Complex (Danjo Garan) Since the founding of Koyasan in 816, the...

Fushimi Inari Shrine- A Mountain Path Like No Other

It was unlike any mountain path we had walked before. Thousands of vermilion coloured torii gates lined the way, sheltering us from the forests of sacred Mount Inari. On and on we walked, through the seemingly never-ending tunnel of gates at Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari Shrine. The further we walked, the older and less dense the...

Visiting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

Hiroshima, Japan. August 6, 1945. 8:15 am. A bright flash lights up the sky. A fireball 300 metres wide burns with intense heat, 4000°C. Morning commuters disappear, vaporized or turned to carbon in an instant. A mushroom cloud floats up. A powerful shockwave flows over the city, destroying Hiroshima in stages. Buildings become shrapnel, blown...

What to Expect on Your First Trip to Japan- A First Time Visitor’s Guide

It’s hard not to love Japan. Beautiful and evocative, Japan awakens your imagination and captures your heart. Japan is a nation that’s not afraid of innovation and progress, yet is passionately protective and proud of its culture. Temples, shrines, peaceful gardens and traditional customs, co-exist with towering skyscrapers, futuristic architecture, speeding bullet trains and a...

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We are Rhonda and Mike, a Canadian couple who make it a priority to travel every chance we get!

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