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by Guest Blogger, Kate Dernocoeur Our group of twelve Westerners pauses at the temple gate where the imposing Nio statues stand guard. We are new to the proper etiquette, so Tom, our guide, teaches us to bow upon entering the temple grounds. One of us rings the giant bell to announce our...
Miyajima Island is one of those very attractive places that I’m afraid is going to get destroyed by tourism. Originally settled in the ancient times, it is very near Hiroshima and features a historic shrine, the iconic Torii gate, a park, lots of deer and a bustling area of touristy shops. It...
A lot of people know about Kabuki theater in Japan, including me, but who knows about Banraku? Not me, but I loved it. Called Banraku, the puppets I saw on a recent trip to Japan were about four feet tall, took three people to operate and had really lively facial expresses. After a few...
When our tour guide said we’d be going to the “scarecrow village” on the island of Shikoku in an area called Iya Valley, I really had no idea what to expect. Later I learned that travel writers call it one of the most mysterious and best kept secrets in Japan. Lucky me, I got to […]
I visited both Atomic Bomb sites in Japan in 2023 and they really had an impact on me (see blog post Japan Atomic Bomb sites) but probably what touched me most about the experience was the story of Sadako. She was a two year old when the bomb decimated her home town, Hiroshima, but […]
One of the most memorable parts of the trip I took to Japan in April (2023) was seeing the Atomic Bomb sites in both Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Talk about emotional. It’s one thing to hear about the mushroom cloud in school or books. It is another to face up first hand what damage the […]
Arts and crafts in Japan is a huge topic. My gosh, one could write books about the topic, the history, the craft, the various kinds. I can’t possibly do that in a blog post and I’m no expert so I’m simply going to record some different experiences I had in Japan April 2023 with […]
Nagasaki isn’t on most people’s itineraries when they plan a trip to Japan. It’s too bad. It’s a wonderful city with a lot of history, charm, art and culture. I went there April 2023 on a Espirit Travel: Cuisine and Culture trip to Western Japan and I’m so glad I did. I will share […]
I spent a lot of time looking down when I went to Japan last April. Not because I was afraid of tripping or falling but because I wanted to be sure to see the manhole covers. They are everywhere in the Land of the Rising Sun. According to a lovely little book about Japan […]
https://designdestinations.org/wp-admin/edit.php I love castles and always have going back to my first trip to Europe in 1971 where my new husband and I got a car and drove from London to Inverness visiting a castle a day. The history, the design, the mystique of times gone by all captivated...