The world’s most amazing fish market:
Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo
When you think of Japan, one of the first things that comes in mind is sushi, sushi, sushi! When we visited Japan in 2015 for the first time, our number one activity on our to-do list was trying some delicious maki’s and nigiris! And so we did… Lots of them. And some new sushis we never tried before, of course. Since we are such big sushi fans, we couldn’t resist visiting the world’s most amazing fish markets. Yes, I’m talking about the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo. This is the market which starred at the art house movie Hiro dreams of sushi, one of my favorite food documentaries. It is highly recommended to watch this film if you’re a true sushi fan and you want to know everything about how the fish is selected and prepared. ‘ Cause Hiro knows it all…
During our 7 month trip through Asia and South America we’ve stayed in over 70 different hotels. For each city and country we had a tight hotel budget, all hotels we booked where in the low to midrange price of the available hotels in the specific city. We always looked for a hotel with a special ‘feel’ : small boutique hotels or guesthouses with a personal touch. We encountered some real gems during our many stays, however, the hotels described below are our absolute favorites:
1. Miyajima Guest House Mikuniya – Miyajima (Japan)
Why go: Hospitality, Unique experience, Beautiful rooms with unbelievable views
The Island of Miyajima is one of the highlights of Japan: the beautiful scenic views attract loads of tourists during the day, therefore we recommend you to stay at least one night on the Island. In the afternoon, when the tourists go back to Hiroshima, the island becomes more tranquil and mysterious. We chose to stay at Guest House Mikuniya, a short walk from the world famous Itsukushima Shrine and it’s huge Torii Gate. The small Guest House is beautiful in every detail: decorated with Japanese art and furniture. There is a lounge where you watch DVD’s, read a book, learn how to make origami or enjoy some Japanese tea. However, you will likely not be spending too much time here. The friendly owner Mr. Masaharu Terazawa treats his guests like friends and adds a personal touch to the whole experience.
We already were in love with the place without having seen the highlight of the Guesthouse, our room. We stayed in a beautiful traditional Japanese style tatami room with a stunning sea view. It’s amazing to wake up in the morning, opening the window blinds and see the huge red Torii Gate staring at you. It doesn’t get much better then this in life.
Address:
327 Chue-machi, Miyajima-cho, Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima, Japan, 739-0523 http://miyajimamikuniya.com/
Japan is full of surprises when it comes to local customs, fashion, art and gadgets. Find out what peculiar things surprised us the most during our round trip through the country.
ARTISTIC MANHOLE COVERS Japan is known for its beautiful art which you find in temples, museums and art galleries. Yet, there’s another art form which we found quite startling. When walking through a street in Japan – be it in a city or a village – you notice that manhole covers are beautifully decorated. I’ve read that this curious phenomenon started in 1985, when a bureaucrat working at the ministry of construction came up with the idea to let municipalities design their own manhole covers.
I really liked to spot the designs in every city I visited. We photographed them to make a cool collage. There seems to be more than 6.000 artistic manhole covers all over Japan, each of them containing local symbols. Curious isn’t it?
With over 2,8 million inhabitants, Osaka is Japan’s third largest and (after Tokyo) second most important city. The city is only 30 minutes away from it’s refined little brother Kyoto, however there is a world of difference between the two. Osaka is a modern, big and flashy city, with huge neon lit buildings, elevated highways, interesting architecture and… beautiful green parks.
We really enjoyed Osaka (maybe because there are many similarities with our hometown Rotterdam?). Therefore we’d like to share our favorite areas with you!
Our journey through Japan in September 2015 has been simply marvelous. All of our expectations were met and even exceeded! What stood out to us were the lovely, polite and friendly Japanese people.
They are excellent hosts and really make you feel at ease. Also, they are very proud of their culture and country and they show it!
Obviously, we took some fantastic footage of different cities we visited in Japan. Geerard (as always) made a cool compilation of the material we have. The result? A stunning video that shows some of Japan’s most beautiful places, its culture, and much more… Get inspired!
There’s much to say about Japan and its ancient culture which has left many traces in the form of remarkable temples, arts and crafts, customs, traditions and an excellent cuisine. Traveling through the country has been a true delight. I’ve left each city or village with a pleasant feeling. However, I must admit that I found Miyajima – a small island located in front of Hiroshima – to be one of my favorite places I’ve visited in Japan!
With a bit over 1 million inhabitants, Hiroshima does not make the top 10 of Japans biggest cities, however it is in my personal top 3 of places to visit in Japan. Hiroshima’s inhabitants are friendly and outgoing, the local food is excellent and the atmosphere in the city is buzzing and upbeat.
There are so many things to do, see and eat in Hiroshima. I compiled a top 5 of must do’s.
Kyoto is by far one of the highlights of Japan. We loved its temples, beautiful gardens, colorful shrines and the savory food we tasted at local restaurants and the Nishiki market. Furthermore, there’s this special ambiance you sense in the old quarters which throws you back to Japan’s ancient times.
Let us share with you the beautiful sights we visited in Kyoto, from a colorful market to impressive shrines and lively quarters with gorgeous Japanese handicraft. Enjoy our blog!
Japan has a lively craft beer movement with many micro breweries offering their own local specialty beers. When we travelled to Japan, I sent myself on the quest to drink at least one local craft beer per city/region we were about to visit. During our stay I got more and more enthusiastic about the taste and quality of Japanese beers. That’s when I decided to share my experience with you!
Kyoto is by far one of the highlights of Japan. The city has it all, but most of all, it has culture, lots of ancient heritage, an exquisite gastronomy and style! Let us take you along the beautiful sights, a colorful market and the impressive shrines scattered all over the city.
Enjoy it! We hope we can inspire you to visit this magical place once.
Kyoto Travel video – produced by Geerard Siereveld
When traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto by Shinkansen, you will pass the city of Nagoya. Though many tourists skip this city, we decided to schedule in a day at Tokyo’s and Kyoto’s less known brother: Nagoya, the hometown of Toyota.
Shinjuku – electronics and entertainment area in Tokyo
A couple of months before traveling to Japan, we watched a travel program which inspired us to visit Shinjuku ward in Tokyo. We were immediately intrigued by the abundance of electronic shops, entertainment spots, neon lights and busy streets. This was the right place to indulge ourselves in the Tokyo madness, at least for once!
