Where do I even start? Well, today I went out to Nikko National Park. Saw some more shrines and lots more cedar forest which was lovely, the shrines were chinese inspired shinto and buddhist themed which made them all kinds of beautiful. Then we headed off, away from the tiny town, to another crater lake followed by a beautiful waterfall and then head back into the city to Ginza. I chose to walk back to my hostel from Ginza, about an hour through Tokyo as the su...

Well, I can see what all the fuss is about! After facing Tokyo peak hour traffic at 7am this morning, I got to the bus station and hoped on our 'luxury coach' that had less leg room than a darn plane. Our tour guide was nice, Michio, but kept talking away from the microphone. The drive out of Tokyo made me realise I had swapped tall trees for towering skyscrapers, everywhere. I miss the trees! Then suddendly, Mt Fuji showed up in the distance and I forgot about ...

Ah, one of the last days of travel. My pack would weigh well over 20kg now I believe, as I have accumulated a lot but sacrificed nothing. That will not be the case when I leave, there's a lot I can leave behind and I'm looking forward to it! I left my hostel, and waited an hour for the next Shinkansen to Tokyo and got myself a coffee - they do excellent iced coffees here! After 2 hours on the train, I stepped off into 32 degree sun heat and 90% humidty and after...

Every day I have been travelling, I think "it can't get better than this, this is it - this is the peak" but today was on a whole new level. With the wise words of John Muir in my backpack, I endured 6 hours of public transport, a random 5000 yen bus and train fee and the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life. It all started at 7am with a train ride through the mountains, overlooking the cities as I passed. Then I got on a bus at Shi-Shimagyama for 1....

Where do I even beging to describe my day, today? It all started with my first ever starbucks - not too much, but not very Japanese! Then came the train ride through the most incredible Japanese rural countryside. Every angle had a mountain, and rice paddies and people who waved at the train and little towns, following seeing that I have a view of the Japanese alps from everywhere you stand in Nagano - including my hostel and the train station. You can't escape ...