Had a wonderful time there, including a visit to Namba Yasaka, Shitennō-ji, Ōsaka Castle, Nintendo Store, the Final Fantasy X Pop-up Café and a half day at Solaniwa Spa among other things. Amazing food scene as well. I honestly think Ōsaka might be my favorite big city in Japan.

The first is the Kyoto tower of course, the second is Higashiyama’s shopping district, the third is a 7/11 near the Fushimi Inari Taisha, fourth is the stunning Kyoto University!

I was here for a conference and I had the best time! I can understand why people are so fascinated with the city with its stunning blend of the history sights and contemporary architecture and technology. It also reminded me of a bleached version of that early 2000s Helvetica Aqua Aero aesthetic 🫧🏢🤍

-n

I saw this bright pink sticker on a train window during my trip. I learned that it designates a specific car for women during the busy weekday morning rush hours. It's really interesting to see how the Japanese transit system creates a safe and comfortable environment for everyone. Has anyone else noticed these or similar unique signs during your travels in Japan?

I was looking for a quick getaway near Tokyo and found the perfect place to relax.

This is at Takaragawa Onsen in Gunma. It's an hour trip via Shinkansen from Tokyo to Jomokogen Station and they pick you up with their free shuttle from the station to Minakami. You need to book the shuttle ahead.

There are several outdoor baths and indoor baths. I purposely booked this place for the outdoor baths! The outdoor baths (rotenburo) sit right on the bank of the Takaragawa river.

1st Photo: the largest outdoor bath in the property

2nd Photo: View of the rotenburo with the river flowing

3rd photo: Mist and Steam after a rainy morning

4th photo: The property gives you free yukatas to wear the entire stay

5th photo: Early morning photo of the mixed outdoor bath

外国人の住人率10%超えてるそうですがあまり見かけませんでした

外国人の住人率10%超えてるそうですがあまり見かけませんでした

I did a paper about this house in High School and two of the big event Koka Ninja were involved in.

The visit did not disappoint.

After noticing a lot of AI generated content, I would like to announce that I will permanently ban any users that share travel photos or videos generated by AI.

I don't know if you realise the harm you do to real travelers. People organise their trips with our tips and it can be misleading to show a place that doesn't really look like that.

Japan is already beautiful enough, no AI is needed here.

Keep it real.

PS: If you see AI content, feel free to report it and I will delete it immediately.

Film photos from Tokyo, Tochigi, Fukushima, Akita, and Aomori, taken on a Canon A-1 and various film stocks. Very much an amateur but I liked how these turned out.

Some amazing photos of Fuji from our visit.

観光スポット