Japan Trip 2013
Last week I flew out to Japan to attend my cousin’s wedding. I’ve been to Japan many times before, but this trip was different in that I went to three cities that I’ve never been to before: Fukuoka, Osaka and Kyoto.
Fukuoka
I started off in Fukuoka, where my cousin was holding his wedding. I soldiered through the jetlag and alcohol to celebrate with friends and family. He’s not only my cousin, but a long-time friend that I grew up with in Ottawa. I’m so super happy for him and his wife! :)
Fukuoka reminded me of Tokyo, but much more compact and less people. It was really easy to get around and the Tenjin area downtown was super-cool. I also had some of the best ramen I’ve ever had in my goddamn life in Fukuoka.
Osaka
After spending a couple of days in Fukuoka, I headed over to Osaka with the crew. We stayed smack downtown in America-mura, Shinsaibashi.
Osaka was nuts – there’s just so much going on. All the people, billboards, bright lights and the hostess girls that try to pick you up will make your head spin.
Osaka was also a lot grungier and more ‘hip’ than other Japanese cities I’ve been to. There was more litter and gum stains on the streets (not cool), and when we were drinking in the park at night a group of skaters entertained us with some pretty rad tricks (super cool). Listening to the locals speak in Kansai dialect was really cool.
Kyoto
I think Kyoto is my new favourite place in the world. It’s just so… pristine and full of history. The streets and train stations were insanely clean, a huge contrast from Osaka.
We checked out three temples & shrines that day: Kinkakuji temple, Kiyomizudera yemple, Fushimi Inari shrine. My favourite was the Fushimi Inari shrine. Seeing the long path with hundres and hundreds of torii (gates) for the first time was a surreal experience.
We were only in Kyoto for half a day so we really only hit the tip of the iceberg. There are so many more temples and shrines that I need to check out. I’m definitely going to make another trip there the next time I go to Japan.
Afterthoughts
Really going to miss Japan. It was a short trip but it was jam-packed with fun, great food, alcohol, and new experiences. I’m back in Narita now, just chilling at the airport… I might try and finish up the next parts for the Shopify Theme from Scratch tutorials.
Going to fly home to Ottawa in a bit, then Florida on Monday for CSS Conf. I exciiiite!
THE END
4 Comments
This makes up for the fact that there is still no continuation to the tutorial. Just had my first trip out to Japan in March/April, did an epic trip with friends on the JR Rail Pass all around Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto/Hiroshima/Miyajima. Definitely my favorite place in the world after SF.
@Ben that’s wicked! How long were you there for? I definitely want to check out Hiroshima next time I’m there.
Yeah it was great, flew there for $345 roundtrip on Korean Air from SFO at apparently the best time of the year, March 20th-April 8th, got to see hanami and everything :D
$345 roundtrip? That’s a bargain and a half! Sounds like a wicked trip :)