The weather was really nice and the flowers were beautiful.
I was hoping to see the yukitsuri, but unfortunately they'd already been taken down.
We bought some bikes recently so we decided to ride them to the park.
It's been really nice to get a bit of a leg workout in instead of riding trains all the time.
It was only about 25-30 minutes too and we were able to avoid all of the packed trains and get some fresh air.
I was pretty happy that we got to see the popular view from the top of the hill (3rd photo).
I've seen many photos of it before and finally was able to see it for myself.
I never knew that the park had turtles in the pond either, so that was pretty cool to see.
There were a bunch swimming all over the pond, sitting on rocks, etc.
We managed to spot a crane as well, but it was in a spot were we couldn't really take a good photo of it so I decided to pass and just admire it without a photo.
We stopped for a short break at one of the small cafes inside the park and got a quick snack.
I'm not a fan of manju, but my girlfriend likes them so she got a coffee and one sakura manju.
She seemed to like it, but decided to take off the flower from the top as she didn't want to eat the petals.
The melon soda float was nice too.
Definitely a nice place to visit and hoping to visit again in the fall to see the leaves after they've changed color.
We had such a good time last time we went we decided we wanted to check out the cherry blossoms this spring. Managed to visit some really nice places.
We originally wanted to use the rental bicycles that they have in front of the station but we got there past noon and all of them were taken unfortunately.
Fortunately for us, it ended up getting a bit colder later on so it actually worked out.
We got lucky as there was a really convenient sightseeing bus that rolled through the station to all of the major places in the city every 45 minutes or so.
We checked out the cherry blossoms at Gyoda Castle and they had the Hanachozu (花手水, pots of flowers floating in water). We were able to see a few of these throughout the city which was nice.
They also had traditional umbrellas on display in a few areas around the castle which was really pretty.
After Gyoda Castle we visited the Sakitama Burial Mounds which had some really beautiful views of the cherry blossoms.
There was also a flock of herons flying around the area but I wasn't able to get a very good photo of any of them.
Luckily we got some great photos of the cherry blossoms and the main mound and had a really enjoyable time.
We also stopped by Suijo Park and there were some food stalls in the area, but we got there when everything was just about closed so we only got to see a few of the vendors.
We managed to get a really tasty lemonade and a latte though. Both tasted really good.
Surprisingly there were a lot of cosplayers at the park.
We probably saw like 20-30 people cosplaying using the bridges and cherry blossoms in the area.
On the way back to the station we managed saw this river during the bus ride and so we backtracked a little bit after getting to the station (about 5 minutes walking) and got to enjoy some really phenomenal views of the cherry blossoms along the river.
There were hardly any people there as well, surprisingly.
Just some more photos to wrap up our trip to Nikko.
I took a bunch of photos of different monuments and buildings that seemed important or had lavish decorations.
I can't make out what the writing on the monument says but I can at least make out the kanji for heart (心).
I also liked the golden palanquins inside the the building in the forth photo, although I'm not sure if they were used at some point or are simply for decoration.
The other photos are from Futarasan Chugushi Shrine (二荒山中宮祠神社) located in front of Lake Chuzenji.
Unfortunately we didn't have time to go inside the shrine but I was at least able to take some nice photos of the torii gate.
Apparently it has a kagura hall as well and the entrance to Mt. Nantai is located inside the shrine as well.
And finally, just an assortment of food that I haven't posted yet.
All of it tasted great.
It was definitely a trip I'm never going to forget!
There were so many awesome monuments, landmarks, and buildings that it'd be impossible to fit it all into one post.
I was so glad that I had my mobile battery with me because I was taking so many photos that I was just burning through my battery lol.
I really liked how the incense burner looked and I tried looking up how old it was but I wasn't able to find anything about it, only the one in front of Tokugawa Ieyasu's burial site.
I would have liked to use the chozuya as well, but unfortunately it was closed off due to covid.
I also liked seeing the sake barrels as well as they always brighten up shrines.
The "Ippon Toro" lantern was interesting as well.
I'd never heard of Empress Tofukumon'in before either, so it gave me some interesting things to read about Japan's Edo Period.
Apparently she helped rebuild prominent temple in Kyoto and collected art and pottery from famous artisans of the time and even those of the past.
Some buildings I'd have to look at a map to know their names but there was definitely no shortage of decorations.
Unfortunately we weren't able to take photos inside some of the main buildings, but a few of them had ceiling paintings done by famous painters.
Many of them were birds, and I'm not an expert, but I think they were mostly cranes and they were all really beautiful.
On the second and final day of our trip we woke up and ate a light breakfast followed by some udon and soba at a nice little restaurant on the way to the Kirifuri Highlands (霧降高原).
We were originally planning on hiking up to the observation deck around 880 meters up the mountain, but it proved to be a little farther than we thought it would be an had to stop at around 650 meters as there was a massive staircase to reach the observation deck and not everyone in the group was up for the challenge lol.
Not having the proper gear didn't help much either.
Most people had on snow shoes and they could easily trek through the snow but wearing just boots or tennis shoes we were a bit under-equipped and decided it'd be better not to overdo it.
We got to see some really amazing views and talk to an 85-year-old man who told us what gear we should buy if we're planning on hiking in the snow, about how the dam located on the mountains across from us rises and falls during the day/night, and how this was his ~60th time climbing the mountain but the woman he came with has done it more than 300 times.
She had to turn back early that day, but those are some impressive numbers!
After enjoying the outdoors we headed over to Nikko Edomura/Edo Wonderland (日光江戸村) and had a blast exploring the theme park.
We arrived at about 2pm so we got a nice discount on our all-day passes.
Walking around we got to see all of the different buildings that gave the theme park its Edo-Period-feel.
We also got to see the oiran procession (花魁道中) which was really awesome as well.
It seemed like they tried to make it as accurate as possible too.
The way the courtesan walked was in the traditional figure eight style which, from what I've read, is not easily done, so I assume that this is a sort of special type of profession as she was doing it (to my untrained eye) perfectly.
One funny thing was that the girls in red in front of the courtesan had to slouch somewhat because they were too tall and the theme park obviously can't employ children to play the role like they would have traditionally.
We also got some temporary "tattoos."
They got some cute Nyan-mage tattoos and I got a Shinsengumi tattoo lol.
After that we watched a really awesome performance inside of the ninja theater, but we weren't allowed to film or take photos so I don't have anything to post unfortunately.
It was really cool seeing the ninja actors jumping off of rooves and fighting though.
On top of that we also tried out the ninja maze where I was unfortunately the last one to make it out as I got unlucky and hit a dead end at the last part of the maze.
This was a really fun experience as there were a lot of hidden and revolving doors that you had to find to escape the maze.
We also did the shuriken experience and I managed to get 3/5 but I gave one of my shuriken to my girlfriend in the hopes that she would stick one in the target but unfortunately she wasn't able to lol.
I guess I was technically 3/4 because of that.
Overall the whole trip was a blast and we got to make some awesome memories out in Tochigi.
I definitely recommend it as a travel destination!
Took a trip out to Nikko, Tochigi over the three day weekend and had an incredible time.
The purpose of the trip was to celebrate my girlfriend's sister's college graduation so we wanted to make it as memorable as possible.
I don't have enough room to fit this into one post so I'll post the rest throughout the week.
We started out from Tokyo and had lunch somewhere Nikko Toshogu Shrine.
I'm not sure if Yuba is a local specialty but it seemed like literally every single restaurant in the area was selling it so I'm assuming that was the case.
It was my first time trying it and it was pretty interesting I guess you could say.
It tasted alright with the soy sauce and radish but I think I prefer normal tofu instead. Either way it was a nice experience.
After eating we headed out to Nikko Toshogu Shrine nearby and man was it amazing.
Everything was so lavishly decorated that I couldn't stop taking photos.
The pagoda was incredibly beautiful as well and the snow covering the Nikko area made everything even more beautiful.
I was lucky enough to get a really nice shot of the corridor full of lanterns while no one was walking through the area as well.
I also took a photo of the torii gate at the top of the steps as it had a very strong presence and signaled the end of the long journey up the steps to reach the inner shrine.
Unfortunately the main gate was undergoing repairs so it was completely covered in tarp and surrounded by staging so I wasn't able to get a photo of it, but I did get some really cool shots of the main shrine.
I tried as hard as I could to get some good photos of the grave of Tokugawa Ieyasu, and while I think the photo of the gate isn't bad, I think I'd need a better camera to get a good shot of the crane and his tomb.
That being said it was still really awesome to see.
After checking out the shrine we headed out to Kegon Falls and I managed to get some really nice videos and some decent photos as well.
I can't post the videos or I would.
It was really awesome seeing the icicles surrounding the waterfall and all of the frozen scenery as well.
Even just taking the lift down to the waterfall was an experience.
After we left the waterfall observation deck and went back up the elevator we got some suiton (水団, flour dumplings in soup) and shared it between the three of us as a light snack before dinner later that evening.
We also visited Lake Chuzenji and admired the scenery there for a bit as well.
We didn't spend a ton of time here so this photo was the best I could do.
I like that I was able to get the sign in the shot though so I can't complain.
After enjoying the view of the lake we headed to our hotel and ate dinner and had some wine.
The place we stayed at was called "Lamb Chop" (ペンション・ラムチャップ日光).
The food was great and service provided by the the owners was top notch, so I definitely recommend checking it out if you're looking for a place to stay in the area.
After dinner we headed back to our room and I was so exhausted I fell asleep almost instantly.
And that was the end of day 1! I'll post day two tomorrow since this post is getting quite long now!
Went to Hachioji over the weekend and had a blast exploring the area. We were able to check out the Musashi Imperial Mausoleum (Emperor Taisho and Emperor Showa's Burial Sites), eat some amazing food at a restaurant called "Gonsuke" (ごん助) and a bunch of other stuff.
The Musashi Imperial Mausoleum was really amazing, it reminded me a lot of Meiji Jingu Shrine with the wide gravel paths through the forest, although I have a feeling this forest is natural and not man-made.
Also the burial mounds seemed really traditional and reminded me of the burial mounds from the Kofun Period.
The restaurant Gonsuke was so incredible.
They had all sorts of different course menus and it was my first time trying boar meat too lol.
I haven't had game meat in a long time so it was really cool getting to try it again and cook it over an irori (I think it's an irori) with actual coals. Can't wait to go back and explore the area again more.
I'd love to hike up Mt. Takao and see everything else the area has to offer. Beautiful city
We went to a small restaurant in Meguro called "Meguro Flat" over the holiday and had a really nice lunch together. The place had a nice atmosphere and seemed very multicultural. There were newspapers on the walls in some other languages (I'm not sure what languages, but they were Latin based at least) and posters of wines from different countries and the menu was interesting as well. If I remember correctly, jerk chicken is a local specialty of Jamaica and I've never had the chance to try it before, but this place was offering it so I decided to order it. It tasted really nice and the salad that came with it was refreshing. There was also a spoonful of mashed potatoes on the side with the pickled carrots and the place also offers all-you-can-eat bread! I love bread so that was a plus. My girlfriend ordered an assorted platter and the cream in the middle went really well with the bread so we got another free basket to eat it with lol.
Incidentally, I look like I'm posing for the camera, but I was actually just admiring the atmosphere of the restaurant lol. Anyways, it's a nice place, so anyone visiting Meguro or looking for something to do should check it out. It's like a ~5 min walk from the station. I think the nighttime menu might be different as well, but I'm not certain of that.
Some more photos from the Shinagawa Aquarium since I wasn't able to post them all yesterday.
I have a lot of pictures of jellyfish but it's so hard to take good photos of them, and it's the same for fish as well.
A lot of them are just too small and so the photos came out blurry.
Anyways, these are some of the better ones I was able to take.
I really liked how the iguana was just chillin on the branch and warming himself up with the UV lamp. I haven't seen an iguana in a long time.
I was happy I was able to take some decent photos of the sharks as well. I'm not exactly sure what types of sharks they are but they're still really cool to see. The smaller one seemed like he was tired and when I first passed him and he was sleeping in the back of the tank but when I came by again he was at the front moving around slowly.
I was pretty happy with the stingray photo as well, and I'm not sure what the long stingray-looking animal was, but it was interesting. It might not be a type of stingray at all, I'm not sure because it was my first time seeing it, but it kind of looked similar I thought besides the tail area.
Penguins are always cool too. I like the emperor penguins. Their hair always reminds me of Boris Johnson's?
Then just a couple pictures from the dolphin show area. I got a nice melon soda float and then there's a picture of a dolphin listening to his trainer's instructions lol. Thought it was cute
Went to the Shinagawa Aquarium for the first time last weekend.
It was my girlfriend's sister's birthday and so we made reservations for a restaurant and bought tickets to the aquarium in advance.
We ate at Grill & Bar AW55, they had an all-you-can-eat salad bar, a drink bar with different types of flavored water, and some soup as well. All of it tasted really good, I really liked the Bolognese pasta, but the salad and soup both tasted delicious as well.
After eating we went to the aquarium and it was really awesome, I liked seeing the jellyfish (as always) but the dolphin shows were really awesome as well. We actually stayed long enough to see the afternoon show and the night show, both with different themes.
On top of that, we unintentionally got to participate in a wedding?. It was totally unexpected, they even did a special show with the dolphins to celebrate it. It was quite the spectacle to see.
After enjoying the aquarium we went to get some dinner and found this hole-in-the-wall yakiniku restaurant that was unfortunately going out of business, probably due to the pandemic.
Luckily for us, all drinks were 100 yen... Between the 3 of us we ended up ordering like 25 different drinks I think, we started with a round of beers that each would normally cost 600 yen, for just 100 yen, and after that we ordered a bunch of different meats and just drank every different type of drink on the menu lol.
I was trying everything; plum wine, sours, beers.. we were a little drunk on the way out of the restaurant but we ended the night with some cake around 11pm still!
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