If you want to see temples in Japan, you must go to Kyoto. There are literally thousands of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in Kyoto. We started off at the Zen Buddhist temple Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavilion (which was covered in gold leaf) which, of course, meant we had to head across town to visit Ginkakuji, the Silver Pavilion (which didn't seem to have anything to do with silver??). To round out our multi-day temple trekking marathon we stopped in to ...

As we have learned very quickly, traveling through Japan can be a real test of your logistics skills. Getting to Mt Koya involved a train not covered by our Japan Rail Pass, a cable car not covered by anybodies pass, and a public bus just to add flavour. Mt. Koya, which is not a single mountain but rather a group of mountains, is primarily known as the world headquarters of the Koyasan Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism- it is located in an 800 m high valley amid ...

Having mastered the art of traditional Japanese furniture; beds (mats on the floor), tables (no legs), chairs (pillows), toilets (don't ask)- it was time to try our first ryokan in the town of Nara. Ryokans are accommodation facilities which are imbued with the traditional culture of Japan- living in a room with Tatami (straw mat) flooring, changing into a typical Yukata (robe) after taking an Onsen hot-spring bath, sleeping on a Futon (bedding) put down dire...

To get from Hiroshima to Osaka, we hopped on one of Japan's famous bullet trains. These things are fast. How fast? Short of Captain Kirk yelling at his Engineer to "beam me up Scotty", it's Star Trek warp drive fast (240-300 km/h in regular service)! The front end even looks like a narrow spaceship Enterprise. In addition to getting you to your next destination in record time, this speedy venture has many other untold benefits. DH usually uses these confi...

Our short break to avoid the heat, humidity, and crowds of Japan in August is over and it's time to stuff the backpacks again (why does it seem like they're getting heavier?). One of DH's best friends, Deb P, is convinced that the only country in Asia is Japan, which is either a testament to her ability to sleep through virtually all history and geography classes during her formative school years, or an overall indictment of the Canadian educational s...