Maria und Joschka in Japan

Nach 21 Tagen sind wir heute auf dem Heimweg. Wir verlassen Tokio mit einem lachenden und weinenden Auge. Zum einen freuen wir uns auf unsere Freunde, Familie und die...

With 37.2 million inhabitants, Tokyo is the largest city in the world. With so many inhabitants, there is plenty of room for niches and specialization. In short, Tokyo has...

... he builds parks. In Onuma, a few hundred years ago, the emperor at that time stopped for a break on his journey. He found the place so beautiful that he had it developed...

Hokkaido is the northern, large island of Japan. Here you can find large ski resorts, a lot of green land, and some specialties. In addition to the Hokkaido pumpkin, which is...

Since we treated ourselves to a JR Pass for Green Cars, we are allowed to use the first class in the Shinkansen. That means: after boarding, we are provided with a warm towel...

Another special feature of the city of Yamanouchi is that there is a group of macaque monkeys living here who have made it a habit to bathe in the hot springs. The monkeys use...

I wonder how the Japanese manage to have such good skin? One ingredient in the recipe is definitely the visits to the onsens. Here in Yamanouchi, hot water flows from the ground...

We ate at a small sushi restaurant on the recommendation of our hosts. At first, it was a bit strange that the 'restaurant' was directly integrated into the owner's apartment....

After 7 days in Osaka (about 2.7 million inhabitants), we are now relaxing in Yamanouchi (12,000 inhabitants). Yamanouchi is known for its ancient onsen tradition and its...

We've heard that the Japanese are hospitable. What we experienced yesterday still surprised us. At a Shinto shrine in Kameoka, we met Nobuyoshi, an old man from the village. He...

Located in the heart of Osaka, Osaka Castle is a magnificent castle surrounded by an impressive complex. Inside the castle is a museum that explains the history of the castle...

One highlight of Japanese technology culture is the huge electronics markets. We visited one of the largest, the Yodobashi Camera Multimedia Store. If you thought that the...

In Nara we visited the Todai-ji Temple. There lies the largest Buddha statue in Japan. The body is a proud 15 meters tall, plus the head. The statue is housed in a massive...

... Then they want deer cookies. At least that's how it works in Nara. Deer have been living in harmony with the residents there for a few hundred years. For about 10 years,...

Waste separation is taken very seriously here in Japan. Before arriving, our Airbnb host had already informed us that we must follow the waste separation rules, otherwise we...

A street in Gion - the historic district of Kyoto

Today we visited the Fushimi Inari-Taisha temple. From there, a path leads up to Mount Inari, lined with 1000 red gates. Unfortunately, the path was extremely crowded with...

Today's offer: Mud and Sweat. Mud: an isotonic drink with artificial melon flavor. Maria wouldn't buy it again. Sweat: Slightly bitter, typical sports drink. A bit bland but...

Who doesn't know it - the train arrives, the doors open and immediately a crowded group of people getting on and off forms. The Japanese don't like that. Neat rows form...

In Osaka and other major cities, there are beverage vending machines on every other corner. For the equivalent of 1€, you can get everything from water to tea, but also crazy...

A delicious and vegetarian meal! Thus, the vacation is saved. Today, upon request, we received omelette with rice without pork. We also had garlic soy sauce, together making a...

Live translation with Google Translate in Japanese

We already experienced the kindness of the Japanese yesterday 🙂. When we were standing in front of a store and trying to figure out what to buy, the shopkeeper came out and...

Now, first read the toilet operation manual.

I find the movie selection at Lufthansa positively surprising.

With airport security in the background. They seem to be preparing for large numbers of passengers.

Let's go to Osaka! Via Luxembourg, Munich, and Tokyo. In total, we will have been traveling for 24 hours by the time we fall into bed in Osaka.