Mike Gfeller's Blog

Posted By Mike Gfeller on January 18, 2015

I loved everywhere I went in Japan, but I thought I would post my top five favorites in the event anyone is planning a trip.  Granted, these are my top five, but I think it would be hard not to enjoy them irrespective of your particular sentiment.

1.  Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto, Japan.

There is a gravel road leading up to it but you can’t see anything until you round a corner and then suddenly it is there.  It took my breath away.  It is as beautiful in person as it looks in the pictures.  Simply a wonder to behold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.  Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima, Japan.

This place is sacred ground.  I felt it from the moment I got close to it.  If you go to this park and are not affected by it you must not be human.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Miyajima, Japan.

What’s not to love?  You take a water taxi from Peace Memorial Park out to the island of Miyajima.  The deer walk right up to you.  There are fabulous shops along a path that winds along the western shore leading to Itsukushima Shrine.  These shops have everything from souvenirs to oysters to sweets.  You can hike the island as well if you are up for it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.   Higashiyama – Kyoto, Japan.

For those of you that read my blog posts, you might recall that Wolfgang and I went to Higashiyama on Tuesday immediately after walking around the Kiyomizu-dera temple.  Higashiyama was wonderful and very old.  There were lots of shops with local crafts on display, but they were pricey.  It was here I bought some spicy sesame sauce and you can see the shop in the picture, just past Wolfgang down the hill to the right.  This sauce was confiscated at customs because it was more than four ounces.  Learned my lesson on that one.  Next time I will ship it to the states.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.  Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo, Japan.

This is where you can find Hachiko.  It is also where you will see the hordes of people you expect when you think about Tokyo, because Shibuya is a very popular place and is featured often on television and in movies.  There are tons of great stores, including Tokyu Hands, and great restaurants.  The lights here at night are also pretty spectacular.

Categories: Japan Blog
Tags: