Justin Schultz posted.
Went on a trip to Matsumoto during the Obon holiday.
We arrived Friday and our first stop after checking in at our hotel was Matsumoto Castle. The statue in the first photo is of Banryu Shonin (播隆上人). Apparently he was a Buddhist monk and prominent mountaineer during the early 1800s. I thought it was interesting so I took a photo of it.
Matsumoto Castle was really incredible. I think it's definitely one of the most beautiful castles in Japan. If I had a better camera, I would have been able to take some nicer photos, but I'm pretty pleased with the photos I took, despite having taken them from my smartphone.
The inside of the castle was really awesome and I spent a lot of time looking at all of the different exhibits showing the weaponry used on the battlefield, etc. Most of the exhibits have English and Japanese too, which is nice if you don't speak Japanese but are interested in learning about the history of the castle.
On Saturday we took a bus to Kamikochi.
The bus to Kamokochi took about an hour longer than expected as there was a lot of people going there for the Obon holiday. The views were really incredible, and compared to the city of Matsumoto, the area was a nice cool temperature. One of the other bridges near Kappa Bridge (河童橋) was probably like 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the Kamikochi area too.
We hiked from Taisho Pond (大正池) to Kappa Bridge in about an hour. It was pretty good exercise and totally flat, so pretty much anyone can enjoy the walking trails.
There are a lot of scenic views along the trail from Taisho Pond to Kappa Bridge, and some of the views of the water were just magical. I wasn't able to capture just how beautiful the place is with my photos, but it's really gorgeous.
Once we got closer to Kappa Bridge we started seeing a lot of monkeys walking around too, which was kind of neat. Apparently their population is increasing in the area because people keep feeding them, so make sure not to do that if you visit.
On our last day in Matsumoto we decided to check out some other spots in town, and ended up visiting Nawate Street, a nice little shopping street with some cool shops and cafes. We got some ice cream and sat down by the river running through the town and relaxed for a bit.
After that we headed up to Joyama Park (the last photo). The walk to the park was pretty long with how hot it was outside but the view from the top was pretty incredible. It was a nice way to end our trip.
I think Matsumoto Castle and Kamikochi are definitely some of the best places to visit if you're sightseeing in Matsumoto, so definitely make some time to visit them.
Justin Schultz posted.
Was in Sapporo over the weekend for an errand and had enough time to stop by a few places before having to leave.
Took a walk through Nakajima Park early in the morning and saw a turtle and a heron relaxing by one of the ponds. There were also a bunch of ducks enjoying breakfast in the grass nearby.
Also managed to stop by Hokkaido Shrine and and the Sapporo Beer Museum, both of which were very cool. I really liked the architecture of Hokkaido Shrine, and it was fun reading the signs to read about the different emperors that had visited the shrine and in what year.
The beer museum was fun as well. Learning about all the history was really cool, and seeing the different advertisements used throughout the years was pretty neat as well. Ended up buying matching cups and I got a shirt as well.
Hokkaido Shrine and the Sapporo Beer Museum are definitely two of the best spots to visit in Sapporo if you ask me.
I would have liked to visit Shiroi Koibito Park as well, but they were already closed by the time we were able to visit, so I guess that’ll have to wait for next time. Was a great time overall.
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Justin Schultz posted.
Went to Fukushima over the Golden Week holiday.
On our first day we took a bus to Ouchi-Juku and had a great time looking at all the buildings and different shops. The negi soba (soba with a large leek) is famous there so my girlfriend ended up ordering that. She said it was a bit difficult to eat, but fun and tasted great. We also ended up trying a variety of different snacks in the area. The Age-Manju (deep fried manju) was really tasty and we actually ended up getting again later. I was able to take a photo from the famous photo spot at Ouchi-Juku as well (photo #4). I only have an iPhone camera, so the quality isn't the best, but I'm happy with how it turned out.
On the way back from Ouchi-Juku we returned via Yunokami Onsen Station and so we got to use the footbath that was attached to the station. It was a really great way to rest up after walking for so long.
The station itself was also really photogenic, so I snapped a couple photos from the platform and between the railroad tracks.
The hotel we were staying at for the night was in Aizu-Wakamatsu and on the way we found a nice little shop with a large akabeko cow outside and the staff was kind enough to take a photo of us with it.
For dinner, we went to a place called Sassa (左雨) and had a really great time. We ended up talking to the owners for a bit and they were super nice. It was also the best tonkatsu I've eaten in my entire life. It was cooked tp perfection, and the dressing that came with the salad and cabbage matched perfectly with it. We probably ended up eating way too many fried foods but it was all really tasty.
The next day we visited Tsuruga Castle.
The castle was quite cool, but it was a bit more crowded than Ouchi-Juku. Considering it was Golden Week, it wasn't much of a surprise.
Either way we had a great time. We started off going for a boat ride around the moat (I got my daily exercise in, as I was rowing the whole time lol). After that we went up into the castle and were able to see a view of the city from the top which was pretty cool. There were also live performances going on in the field in front of the castle which were fun to watch.
At that point it was about lunch time so we went over to the row of food stalls (photo #16) and grabbed a bite to eat. There were shops selling all sorts of goods as well, so we spent some time window shopping. After Tsuruga Castle, we went to Oyakuen Garden (御薬園). We ended up sharing a green tea by the pond and relaxing for a bit which was nice.
There were a lot of koi inside the pond and a variety of birds flying around as well, so the atmosphere was very relaxing. Photo #20 is supposedly the best view in the garden (it was written on a sign) so I snapped a photo of it. The photo doesn't do it justice, but it was a really incredible view.
All in all, we had a really amazing time in Fukushima, but we definitely would like to visit again, as there's a lot we didn't get to do still. I really wanted to try an akabeko workshop but we didn't get the chance, which was a bit disappointing, but we still had a lot of fun, so I can't complain.
I definitely recommend visiting Aizu-Wakamatsu if you have the chance!
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ID:1It's amazing that there are green onions on the soba noodles!This text has been automatically translated.
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Justin Schultz posted.
Went on a trip to Sendai last weekend and had an awesome time. We were only there for 2 days and 1 night, but we managed to do everything we wanted to.
On the first day we arrived at Sendai Station (the beautiful stained glass in photo #1) and had lunch, after which we headed over to our hotel, dropped off our bags, and then headed off to do some sightseeing.
Our first stop was Funaoka Castle Park. The cherry blossoms were really nice and there was a cherry blossom festival or something like that taking place and there were some food stalls as wells, so we picked up some snacks and relaxed for a bit. We were able to see the large Kannon statue from a distance but opted not to go all the way to the top because we had some other stuff planned.
After Funaoka Castle Park we made our way towards Shiroishi Castle.
On the way to the castle from Funaoka Castle Park there’s the famous Hitome Senbon-Zakura, which we were able to enjoy for the entire walk to the castle. The cherry blossoms along the river were quite the treat.
During our walk to the castle, we came across another cherry blossom festival with more food stalls. We had a couple more snacks and enjoyed the views before heading towards the station to get to Shiroishi Castle.
As we were walking to the castle I found some cool art on some shop shutters.
The path leading up to the castle was dotted with lanterns and was really pretty, especially as it was nearing sunset.
We arrived at the castle with just a bit of sunlight left and we were just lucky enough to take some nice photos.
After the castle, we had some dinner at a nice Izakaya and headed back to Sendai Station where our hotel was.
The first day was all about seeing the beautiful views of cherry blossoms, but the second day we decided to enjoy the history and culture of the area.
We started off by visiting Zuihoden, the mausoleum for Date Masamune. On the approach to the complex, we saw some interesting buildings where we stopped to take pictures and check out the architecture.
The row of trees lining the steps to Zuihoden reminded me of the famous row of trees at Togakushi Shrine in Nagano.
There were a lot of different structures, and learning about the history and what they were all built for was really interesting.
Unfortunately I have too many photos and can’t post them all here.
After we finished up at Zuihoden, which took a while because I wanted to read every single sign that we came across, we headed over to Sendai Castle (Aoba Castle).
Again, I have too many photos to post, so I’ll just leave it to the famous statue of Date Masamune. The view from the top of the castle was quite nice and the other structures around the castle grounds were really interesting to learn about as well.
After the castle, we were running out of time, and so we decided to start making our way back to Sendai Station. We ended up getting off a few stations early because my girlfriend had read that there was an event at Nishi Park.
I can’t post all of the photos, but it was a really big cherry blossom festival with food stalls, etc.
I highly recommend visiting Sendai during spring, as it’s definitely worth the trip. Most of the places we visited were not crowded at all, and we had an awesome trip.
Justin Schultz posted.
Went to Shinjuku Gyoen again, this time to see the autumn leaves before the season ends. The park was as beautiful as I thought it would be. Some of the colors were so vibrant as well, it was really nice. The park was nice and quiet and while it was a bit chilly outside, it was a nice chance to get some fresh air. Been busy lately and haven’t been able to go out as much because of it, so this was a nice change of pace
Justin Schultz posted.
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ID:1The shrimp tempura looks big and delicious!This text has been automatically translated.
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Justin Schultz posted.
Some photos of our trip to Sawara in Chiba Prefecture over the 3 day weekend a couple weeks back.
On the way to Sawara we stopped at Chiba Station and had lunch at a place called Common Café. I order a burger not expecting a lot, but it was the best burger I've had in a long time actually.
We arrived a bit late in Sawara and were kind of tired so we decided to just go to the hotel, shower and relax for a bit and then have dinner.
We had a reservation at a French restaurant called Mougins and it ended up being a really great experience.
After eating dinner we were headed back to the hotel and we heard some hayashi and cheering in the distance and we decided to check out what was happening. We found a dashi parading through the streets and they were stopping at different places to pick up alcohol lol. Apparently they'd been doing it every Sunday, I think since corona started.
It was pretty cool to see though.
The next day we went to check out the Sawara Historical District and after reaching our destination we decided to take a break at a cafe. We ordered a shaved ice and some sort of soda. They were both really delicious, especially the shaved ice. It was some sort of flavor using tea from Kyoto and milk. I forget what it was called exactly though.
We also stopped by the former residence of Inoh Tadataka, the famous Japanese cartographer.
It was quite interesting seeing where he lived.
After visiting his residence, we to the nearby museum and learned about his life and everything he did.
I was pretty blown away by how incredible he actually was. I was a bit surprised that I hadn't learned much about him when I was studying the history of Japan, but after visiting the museum I'm convinced he was truly a genius.
Unfortunately I couldn’t take pictures inside of the museum, but seeing all of the tools that he used to draw maps and learning how they worked was really interesting.
On top of that, the maps he drew were unbelievably accurate.
I think it mentioned somewhere that his maps were used until the 1900's, despite being drawn several hundred years prior.
His cartography was only one of the endeavors he pursued as well. There were also some documents that explained how he helped his town get through the famine, and also documents detailing how he dealt with local lords imposing taxes on his town.
Besides the museum, we also took a boat ride through the canal that ran through the historical district.
The canal was quite nice, and you could see the historical buildings that lined the sides of it while going through it.
We had to lower the cover on the boat for several bridges as the water level was quite high due to the recent rains, but that just made the experience even more memorable.
The tour guide on the boat mentioned how when the canal was used back in the Edo period, it was incredibly busy and boats would have been bumping into each other constantly while passing through.
During the boat ride through the canal I noticed some interesting statues on various lanterns and decided to check them out. They all turned out to be interesting and unique.
We ended our trip by having a late lunch near the historical district.
We had planned to take a train back to Tokyo but missed it by a few minutes.
Fortunately, a bus arrived at the perfect time and so we rode that back to Tokyo. It was much better than the crowded trains.
Overall it was a really good day-trip style excursion and I definitely recommend it!
Managed to find 2 poke lids too!
Justin Schultz posted.
Finally managed to visit Shinjuku Gyoen over the weekend
Been meaning to go here for a while now and finally had the chance
The park itself was quite large, it was a bit surprising how much space it actually takes up in the city.
There were a lot of cool stone lanterns and other structures to see throughout the park as well.
The Taiwan building was pretty interesting to learn about. Apparently it was donated to Japan in 1924 by Japanese people living in Taiwan.
The sign outside mentioned that it was a nice place to feel the breeze and it wasn't a lie either. It felt really nice standing on the balcony overlooking the pond. The breeze came through perfectly.
Unfortunately we didn't bring a blanket with us to the park but there were a lot of other people laying down on the grass and it looked like a nice place to have a picnic.
We stopped at one of the rest areas and grabbed some drinks as well. I got a lemonade drink that was really refreshing and she got a café latte.
We took a quick tour through the greenhouse at the end as well and it had a lot of cool plants inside. I found this flower with grey leaves that I thought was really cool looking.
I definitely want to return during autumn to see how the park looks after the leaves change!
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ID:1Everyone is surprised that such nature spreads out in the middle of the big city of Shinjuku.This text has been automatically translated.
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Justin Schultz posted.
Went to Takadanobaba over the weekend and decided to go to this ramen restaurant called "Ore no Sora" (俺の空).
There was a bit of a wait to get into the restaurant but after about 10-15 mins we finally got in and were able to order. They seemed to be taken measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and had spaces open between seats and only half the seats were filled.
I don't remember the name of the ramen that I ordered but they all seemed to be quite similar. Usually I would order a spicy ramen, but this one you had to ask for the spicy paste separately (it's free) so I just decided to try it without it.
The restaurant offers free large servings and so I did that as I was quite hungry.
The noodles were thinner than those of most ramen restaurants I go to, and I prefer thinner noodles so it was nice.
The bowl itself was really full of noodles. It didn't look like it was that much food at first, but it turned out to be a lot. We ordered a small rice dish covered with pork (no photo) to share and while we did finish eating it, we were incredibly full afterwards.
Personally it's not the flavor of ramen I would normally choose as it was almost like a fish and tonkotsu base, but even still it was quite good. I think if you like fish base ramen you'd really like this ramen.
Even though it's not the flavor I really like, I would still definitely recommend this restaurant as the food itself was of good quality. Definitely check it out if you're by Takadanobaba Station or just looking for some noodles
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ID:1It looks so delicious! I like pork bone ramen, so I definitely want to go there!This text has been automatically translated.
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