I left Tokyo on Monday morning to start a 7 day jaunt around Japan which began with a train journey to Kyoto.

For the next week I'd be taking advantage of the most useful tool any visitor to Japan can have in their armoury. The "JR Pass" is your golden ticket to visiting all four corners of Japan within a given time period, bought prior to entering the country.

I opted for the 7-day ticket.. and within those 7 days I was able to travel anywhere in Japan, as many times as I wished via train, bus, subway, ferry, or any other mode of transport marked with the "JR" logo. Flash your ticket at the station or platform and away you go.. it's as simple as that. It offers great value for money if you plan on making many journeys within the given time period, so I planned on covering a lot of ground and seeing as much as possible while my pass was valid.

It was my first ever trip on the Shinkansen bullet trains.. and it was superb. The journey from Tokyo on the eastern coast to the centrally located city of Kyoto was comfortable, efficient and as expected, rapid.. I'd arrived within a couple of hours.

I'd booked to stay at the Kyoto Hana Hostel and use it as a base for the next 3 nights while I explored other parts of Japan using the JR Pass. I was hoping to see what Kyoto had to offer the afternoon I arrived, however the weather was far from welcoming, in fact it was hammering it down. So much so, it reduced me to a day indoors at the hostel which was a shame as I wanted to make the most of the next 7 days.. instead I used the time to work out some sort of itinerary.

I put my plan into action by getting up early the following morning and making my way to the train station to jump on the Skinkansen. I was heading west to Hiroshima for a day of education, arriving before 9.00am thanks to the lightening quick bullet train.

I knew very little about the history behind the world's first deployed atomic bomb that the United States dropped over Hiroshima in 1945, but by the time my day was done, I came away educated and completely staggered by what I had learnt.

I visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial/Peace Park, Memorial Hall for the bomb victims, Honkawa Elementary School, and the Memorial Museum.

I'm not one for museums, I usually lose interest really quickly, but for the first time ever the Memorial Museum managed to hold my attention throughout. It was interesting, insightful and powerful, yet quite distressing to learn about the mass destruction the atomic bomb caused. I never expected it to have such an impact on me.

It felt strange, and at times overwhelming to be walking around a city where one of the worlds most historic moments in time occurred.. there was a very somber atmosphere in the air. When the nuclear bomb exploded on the 6th August 1945, 90% of Hiroshima was completely wiped out, and over 80,000 people were instantly killed. The irony is that I found the place to be incredibly calm and peaceful wherever I chose to explore.

Soon after, I made a short journey to the coast where I jumped on a ferry over to Miyajima Island where a famous shrine is located. The "Great Torii" is a free standing gate in the middle of the sea and is part of the Itsukushima Shrine. The Shinto Shrine is unique in that it looks as if it is floating in water during high-tide and is considered to be the boundary between the spirits and the human world.. which for someone like me sounds like a load of complete nonsense.

I took a walk down the main visitor's street called Omotesando which is filled with gift shops, restaurants, coffee shops, ice cream shops, candy stores, art and historical artefacts. It wasn't particularly interesting, just another tourist trap.. the many wild deer roaming the streets offering the only form of entertainment as they continually crept up on tourists attempting to steal their bags.

It would be weird to say I had an enjoyable day learning about what happened in Hiroshima all those years ago, but it certainly was interesting. To be honest, if this major historical event had never occurred there wouldn't be all that much to see, the city itself is pretty dull and slow-paced.

Thanks to the awesome bullet train I was back in Kyoto by 6.00pm. I grabbed some food at a nearby Teppanyaki restaurant (which had horse meat on the menu!) then settled in for the evening at the hostel.

It was my last day in Kyoto and there was finally signs of sunshine. There are a ridiculous amount of shrines and temples scattered around the city which I don't particularly have an interest in, but I thought I'd at least check out one while I was there. I chose to visit the most popular and unique shrine of them all.. The Fushimi Inari Shrine.

This particular shrine is famous for its thousands of orange vermilion torii gates which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. The trails lead into the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari and is supposedly the most important of several thousands of shrines dedicated to Inari, the Shinto God of rice.

There were hundreds, if not thousands of people making their way through these trails. I had a wander to the peak through all the orange gates which had black Japanese writing carved into their frames.. but as always, I didn't particularly understand the fascination over them.

I made a swift exit and jumped on a train taking me to a close neighbour of Kyoto and another of Japan's major cities.. Osaka.

I hadn't heard great things about Osaka but I thought I'd check it out since I was nearby. The city is known for its modern architecture, nightlife and hearty street food. I headed for its main historical landmark.. the 16th-century shogunate Osaka Castle, which is surrounded by a moat and a large park with plum, peach and cherry-blossom trees.

The castle is an impressive and imposing sight, and is visible from all parts of the city. It offers panoramic views over Osaka from the viewing balconies at the top of a steep spiral-like staircase.. however, it was yet another congested tourist-trap.

I'd had enough of the crowds and wandered back through the park for a bit of breathing space before heading back to Kyoto.

As in Tokyo, Kyoto also has another world thriving beneath its surface. Maybe not on the same scale as the capital, but the underground expanse of shops, restaurants, bars, malls etc, which filter out into the nearby suburbs from the main train station is huge. I could walk to my hostel door from getting off the train by barely stepping foot outside.

Speaking of huge.. the Kyoto station acts as a main hub for the city. As well as all the aforementioned going on, it also extends upwards too.. it is absolutely massive! Its open-plan design allows you to stand inside the ground floor and watch 12 floors of escalators lined up one after the other, transporting people out of sight where a sky garden awaits.. literally a stairway to heaven if there was one. Each floor offers a vast array of shopping, food, drink and entertainment. The size and height of the building is so massive that they use the hundreds of concrete steps by the side of the escalators to perform a light show at night.

It was time for a change from visiting the major cities of Japan by continuing to get the most out of my JR Pass and exploring somewhere much different. I was heading south-east from Kyoto to the mountains of Kumano Kodo.

It would take a train and two buses over a 5-hour journey for me to arrive at my destination of Yunomine. You'd think with being out in the sticks and very few buses in circulation that the transport would be less reliable, but no, not in Japan. Still on time and just as efficient as everywhere else in the country.

Yunomine is a quaint little collection of inns tucked into a small valley deep in the heart of the sacred mountains of Kumano. Yunomine Onsen was discovered about 1,800 years ago, and it is thought to be one of the oldest hot springs in Japan, as well as being an integral part of the over 1000 year old Kumano pilgrimage tradition. Pilgrims performed hot water purification rituals in these piping hot mineral waters after their long journey in preparation to worship at Kumano Hongu Taisha.

I'd arrived to the tiny village early in the afternoon. The bus dropped me off by the side of the road next to a fast flowing creek which had steam emanating from the water. A cluster of chalet-style huts sat by either side of the creek with an abundance of surrounding greenery. There was literally no-one else in sight as the rear of the bus disappeared up the road.

I was staying at a newly opened hostel, a sister to the hostel I stayed at in Kyoto. Decked out in authentic Japanese furniture with traditional panelled partitions and tatami flooring.. it was cool. Even better was that I was one of only two people staying there that evening.

The Onsen culture in Japan is apparently very rich, but the strong connection with spiritual culture found in Yunomine is unprecedented. The owners urged me to try out the famous Tsuboyu down the road.. so I did, following a challenging exchange with an old Japanese dude who attempted to show me the ropes. It may have been broken English but he made it very apparent that I must wear no clothing!

Tauboyu is a small cabin by the creek that runs through Yunomine Onsen where you can privately bath in this small stone lined Onsen for up to 30 minutes. It is one of the only hot spring that you can bathe in that is registered as UNESCO World Heritage.

Man it was frikkin hot, like seriously hot.. so hot I had to keep topping it up with the cold water hose. And yes, it was weird sat there inside a hut by the side of a creek having a hot bath. It was more amusing than relaxing.. "If my mates could see me now," I kept thinking.

I finished up in the hut and wandered a few yards down the creek where I saw a woman dunking little nets of food into the hot water and tying them to the side. She had sweet potato, mushrooms, green leaves and eggs on the go.

A unique experience at Yunomine Onsen is to cook eggs in the public hot spring cooking basin called Yuzutsu. These are called "Onsen Tamago" or "Hot Spring Eggs".. I fancied a bit of this. I bought a half a dozen eggs, placed them in a net, tied it to the side of the creek and left them to slowly cook in the hot water. 15 minutes later.. bosh, they were done.. perfect hard boiled eggs cooked in the natural hot water of the onsen.

A few onsens were also available to use at the hostel so I made my way back and took advantage of the outdoor option which was more like a jacuzzi.

I had a whole kitchen at my disposal in the evening so I rustled up a Japanese style curry for myself before jumping into my large capsule bed for a great nights sleep.

I was up early and on the move again in the morning for a totally different experience. I had to take three buses that would wind through the countryside to a small secluded temple town in Mount Koya called Koyasan.

Heading in the same direction were three other middle aged people from California.. if it wasn't for us the buses would have been empty. They turned out to be great company to pass the time on our journey there.

Mount Koya is the center of Shingon Buddhism.. an important Buddhist sect which was introduced to Japan in 805 by Kobo Daishi (also known as Kukai), one of Japan's most significant and important religious figures. Since then, the temple town has developed around the sect's headquarters that Daishi built on Koyasan's wooded mountaintop with now over 100 more temples existing around it.

Around half of these temples offer a unique experience where you can stay overnight and get a taste of a monk's lifestyle, eating vegetarian monk's cuisine (shojin ryori) as well as being able to attend the morning prayers.

Temples have never done anything for me, however experiencing how the monk's live was definitely more intriguing. After the bus had dropped me off I made my way to the Sekishoin Temple where I had a room booked for the night.

Having removed my shoes at the entrance I was greeted by one of the monks who took me to his messy office and sat me down like a child on the floor next to their traditional low-lying tables. I've no idea how but between us we somehow managed the check-in mostly using mime.

He showed me around the large three floored temple before finally taking me to my room, which again was exactly how you'd imagine a Japanese living space to be decked out, and complete with traditional Futon bedding.. which is basically a thin mattress on the floor.

The weather was crap but I had to go and have a look around the town. As it says on the tin.. there were temples everywhere! I had a wander and bobbed my head in to a few before diving in to a restaurant to grab a bite to eat. I only went and bumped into the guys from California again so I sat down with them while I ate my lunch.

I'd not paid for a tea time meal that evening but the monks had cooked me one following a phone call to my room. Even though I explained I hadn't paid, they were adamant I should have it.. go on then! The dining room, which was a large empty space by the time I had made my way down, had a small low-lying table placed in the centre of the room with a variety of small dishes ready to eat.. I presumed it was for me. So I sat down, legs crossed, and attacked this vegetarian grub with my improving chopstick skills. Half of it was delicious, the other half was rank and a little bit weird!

The most popular attraction in Koyasan is a night time tour of the cemetery which leads to the temple of Okunoin, one of the most scared places in Japan. This temple is the site of the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism. Instead of having died, Kobo Daishi is believed to rest in eternal meditation as he awaits Miroku Nyorai (Maihreya), the Buddha of the Future, and provides relief to those who ask for salvation in the meantime. Apparently they still bring him food every day too.. WTF?!

It was 7.30pm, and though it was lashing down and pitch black I thought I'd take a look while I was here. I had no intention of paying for the tour, and with it being pitch black, no one batted an eyelid when I latched on to the back of a hundred strong mob.

Off we went, walking into the cemetery following one behind the other.. it was seriously hammering it down now! After 15 minutes of walking by one gravestone after another and getting drenched at the same time, I did think to myself, "what the hell am I doing?!" I can tell you I was the only one wearing shorts that evening!

Eventually we came to the temple, and were told to be quiet, no food and drink allowed inside, and no photographs! "Wait.. we're going inside?" I'd come too far not to follow this through after blagging my way onto the tour.

Turns out I got more than I bargained.. I had to leave my sodden shoes at the door and was given some sort of hymn sheet before sitting myself on the floor facing some sort of altar right in the middle of all the tourists and those who had genuinely come to pray.

Then it started.. the monks came out and began chanting repeatedly, the same thing over and over, as one by one folk moved to the front to burn incense while praying. This went on and on for a good 15 minutes and showed no signs of ending. "What have I got myself into here? And how the hell can I get out of it?!"

The only way was to stand up in the middle of everyone and tip-toe my way around the seated people without falling over and hoping I not to cause too much disruption. After another 5 minutes of plucking up the courage I just went for it and didn't look back. Embarrassing, but sod it, no-one knew who I was.

Phew!! But now I was stranded about a mile deep into this pitch black cemetery. I started walking calmly in the direction we came from, but the mind started playing tricks, and the more you think about it, the more tricks it plays. So what started off as a calm walk, quickly changed into a brisk walk, and then a quick jog! Ha

Anyway, I got myself back to the temple without being attacked by ghosts, and I surprisingly ended up having a cracking nights sleep on the Futon mattress.

Morning prayers are a daily ritual at the temples and guests are encouraged to partake so I decided to make my way downstairs at 7.00am to check it out.. this time seating myself by the nearest exit. This proved to be my best decision yet as the ceremony was a carbon copy of what I had experienced the evening before.. 5 minutes later I was back in my room.

Breakfast was served in the large dining hall, this time I wasn't on my own. The low-lying tables were lined up in two rows, and guest sat legs crossed facing one another while tucking into the monk's vegetarian breakfast, which again was odd.. half delicious, and half disgusting.

That was my time up in Koyasan.. it was an interesting and completely unique experience that I'm glad I made the effort of travelling into the mountains for.

The journey back to Kyoto was quite extensive involving one bus, a ridiculously steep cable car and another three trains. However, once again it was made simple by the fantastic Japanese transport.

I arrived back in Kyoto shortly after midday and had planned on one final assault of the city but relentless torrential rain brought an end to that idea.. the only time I managed to step out was to grab myself a bite to eat.

The torrential rain continued into Sunday morning when it was time for me to leave and head back to Tokyo. The lovely owner of the Santana Guest House kindly dropped me off at the station so I could avoid a drenching and catch my final bullet train before my JR Pass expired.

I had a great week exploring some major parts of Japan as well as some of those that are lesser known. I expected a little more from the major cities of Kyoto and Osaka so I've come away feeling slightly disappointed. Nevertheless, it has been very interesting and insightful. It's safe to say.. I'm all templed out!

Time to return to Tokyo.

Sayōnara xx