Author Archives: hollyGS

Nagano to Kanazawa Japan

January 18, 2020 by hollyGS

I woke up at 6am and went downstairs to have coffee. we packed up slowly and left our airbnb in Nagano around 8:45am. We then walked to Nagano Station where we found some breakfast to eat on the train ride to Kanazawa. Jives and Gaby got some baked goods, while I went for a delicious looking vegetarian bento box and a glass jar of sake with a sakura blossom in it. A nice man helped us purchase our train tickets […]

Categories: Asia, Japan • Tags: adam lambert, cherry blossom season, cherry blossoms, garden, geisha district, how to, Japan, JRpass, kanazawa, kanazawa catsle, kenrokuen garden, nagano to kanazawa, plum blossoms, samurai district, see asia, see the world, self guided, self guided walking tour, spring time, tourism japan, travel japan, walking tour, what to do, what to see

Kanazawa JAPAN | Self Guided Walking Tour

January 11, 2020 by hollyGS

Here is the LINK to the self guided walking tour MAP of Kanazawa Japan. Stop 1 Kanazawa Station We start at Kanazawa station, where you will find the iconic modern tori gate, and most recognized landmark in Kanazawa Japan. This beautiful gate was completed in 2005, along with the re modeling of Kanazawa station. You can easily get to Kanazawa from Tokyo via Shinkansen in as little as 2.5 hours. Stop 2 Higashiyama Higashi Chaya District (Geisha District) The Geisha […]

Categories: Asia, Japan • Tags: adam lambert, backpacker, backpackers, backpacking, budget travel, cheap travel, geisha district, Higashiyama Higashi Chaya District, kanazawa, kanazawa castle, kanazawa station, Kenorokuen Garden, Nagamachi neighborhood, oyama shrine, samurai district, see the world, self guided, self guided walking tour, torii gate, tourism japan, travel asia, travel blog, travel japan, travel vlog, walking tour

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Togakushi Chu-Sha and Okusha | Day trip into the snowy mountains from Nagano Japan.

December 22, 2019 by hollyGS

I woke up at 6:30am and went downstairs to have a coffee and catch up on some writing, this very post in fact… Everyone else woke up around 7:45am. We left at 9:10am to try to catch the bus at Nagano station to go to Togakushi Shrine. We bought round trip tickets at the bus ticket office (across the street from the train station) for 2400 Yen. The next bus was at 10:40am so we went to get some breakfast. […]

Categories: Asia, Japan • Tags: backpackers, backpacking, budget travel, cheap japan, cheap travel, do it yourself, hike, Japan, JRpass, nagano, north japan, ramen, self guided, self guided walking tour, snow, soba, temple, togakushi, togakushi chu-sha, togakushi okusha, top 10, tourism japan, train travel, travel japan, what to do, what to see, winter travel

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Nikko to Nagano | Japan Travel Guide (JR pass) Zenkoji Temple, Nagano street food

December 14, 2019 by hollyGS

We woke up early to check out of our Airbnb and get on a train by 7:35am, to head to Nagano. We got the customary vending machine coffee and headed off! We took the train fro Imaichi to Utsunomiya. At Utsunomiya station we gave our JR passes to the lady at the desk, who arranged the rest of our transportation to Nagano. We then boarded a unreserved Shinkansen to Omiya. From there it was a 50 minute Shinkansen to Nagano. […]

Categories: Asia, Japan • Tags: airbnb, arcade, Asia, backpackers, backpacking, budget travel, buying tickets, cheap japan, cheap travel, do it yourself, how to, Japan, JRpass, nagano, nikko, north japan, photo booth, purikura, self guided, self guided walking tour, shinkansen, taiko drums, top 10, tourism japan, travel japan, zenkoji

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Nikko | Kanmangafuchi Abyss and Taiyuinbyo Mausoleum

December 7, 2019 by hollyGS

After trekking up the cedar lined trail to Takino-o Shrine, we decided to visit Taiyuinbyo Mausoleum. This is where the 3rd Tokogawa Shogun is enshrined, the grandson of Ieyasu. Admission is 550 Yen. This shrine was set into the mountains and you had to climb many stairs to see it. This shrine was gorgeous! There were lanterns donated by Daimyo feudal lords to the Shogunate. We then descended the mountain and left the national park in search of food. I […]

Categories: Asia, Japan • Tags: backpacking, bake jizo, cheap japan, children spirits, children statues, daimyo lords, disappearing statues, do it yourself, ghost statues, ieyasu, imaichico, Japan, jizo, kanmangafuchi abyss, katsudon, nikko, ramen, self guided, self guided walking tour, taiyuinbyo lemitsu, takino-o, tokogawa, tourism japan, travel japan, travel vlog

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Nikko, Japan | Self Guided Walking Tour (off the beaten path and secret temples)

December 1, 2019 by hollyGS

Here is the link to the Map for the self guided walking tour. MAP 1- Imaichi JR Station We stayed at Imaichi, one stop away from Nikko on the JR line. We would totally recommend this because #1 you get to see Nikko before the tourists from Tokyo arrive each day #2 it’s just outside the city, so you get a local experience. 2- JR Nikko Station (Tourist information centre) We took the train one stop (4 minutes) and arrived […]

Categories: Asia, Japan • Tags: Asia, backpacking, budget travel, cedar, cheap japan, do it yourself, futarasan shrine, ghost jizo, ghost statues, gyoja-do, hike, imaichi, Japan, JR nikko, kanmangafuchi abyss, nikko, nikko national park, omotesando, rinnoji, sanbutsudo, self guided, self guided walking tour, shinkyo bridge, shiraito falls, taiyuinbyo lemitsu, takino-o path, takino-o shrine, tokogawa, toshogu, tourism japan, travel japan, travel nikko, unesco, walking tour

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NIKKO |Off the Beaten Path. Exploring the 103 religious sites (and hidden temples)

November 30, 2019 by hollyGS

We started our day off at Shinkyo Bridge, where we crossed the street and entered Nikko National Park. Nikko National Park contains 103 religious sites and is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. We had watched videos and had seen just how busy Nikko can get, so we decided to visit a few of the “off the beaten path” locations. We also were able to enjoy a gorgeous hike through the cedar forest! The first temple we arrived at […]

Categories: Asia, Japan • Tags: backpacking, budget, budget travel, cheap travel, do it yourself, futarasan shrine, gyoja-do, hike, ieyasu, inari, Japan, nikko, rinnoji temple, sanbutsubo, self guided, self guided walking tour, shinkyo bridge, shiraito falls, taiyuinbyo lemitsu, takino-o, temple, tokagawa shogun, Toshogu shrine, tourism japan, travel, travel blog, travel japan, travel nikko, travel vlog, unesco, 二荒山神社

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Nikko Japan | First Impressions and Exploring

November 30, 2019 by hollyGS

We woke up really early, around 6am and headed out to the Imaichi train station (a neighbourhood in Nikko). We got a hot coffee from the vending machine along the way (because it was -10C in late March). The train took about 2 minutes to get to Nikko station from our accommodation. There was hardly anyone in Nikko. I guess most of the tourists come from Tokyo on days trips. We stopped at a bakery and got some sweet and […]

Categories: Asia, Japan • Tags: budget, budget travel, buying tickets, cheap japan, cheap travel, do it yourself, how to, Japan, JRpass, nikko, nikko national park, sakura season, self guided, self guided walking tour, shinkyo bridge, spring, temple, travel japan, walking tour, what to do, what to see

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Arriving at Haneda Tokyo JAPAN (Heading to NIKKO) JR passes and How to

November 28, 2019 by hollyGS

Here is a video we made about arriving in Japan and then heading to Nikko! We woke up at 4:30 am and checked out of our hotel in Beijing without any problem. The nice man at the reception desk helped us to call a cab . The ride took 3o minutes and cost 120RMB plus a 10RMB toll fee. We didn’t need to check in to this flight because we had our boarding pass already from the first leg of […]

Categories: Asia, Japan • Tags: 12goasia, airport, backpacker, backpackers, backpacking, Beer, booking, budget travel, cheap japan, cheap travel, ghibli, haneda, how to, Japan, JRpass, nikko, sakura season, shinkansen, tottoro, train, travel blog, travel japan, travel vlog, vlog, what to do, what to see

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