Vikingess Voyages

Saturday, December 31, 2016

Kusatsu Onsen: A visit to the Sainokawara Park & Open-Air Rotenburo Bath

Anette 3:12:00 PM

Credit: the Sainokawara Rotenburo official page About 10 minutes walk from the Yubatake in the center of Kusatsu you can find one of Japan's largest outdoor hot springs; the Sainokawara Rotenburo (西の河原露天風呂). This outdoor hot spring bath (rotenburo) is situated in the middle of the Sainokawara Park,...

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Travel

[Hotel Review] Kusatsu Onsen Nisshinkan (草津温泉日新館)

Anette 12:05:00 AM

Photo: Hotel booking page Kusatsu Onsen Nisshinkan is a small family ryokan with only 12 rooms situated one minutes walk away from the yubatake (湯畑) in the center of Kusatsu. Nisshinkan is the oldest ryokan in Kusatsu, and was built more than 300 years ago in the Edo period. Right next to the...

Friday, December 23, 2016

Travel

Kusatsu Onsen: A Guide to Kusatsu's Free Hot Springs

Anette 8:35:00 PM

The center of Kusatsu Onsen - Yubatake Kusatsu Onsen is, as the name suggests, a hot spring resort area known for its many hot springs - onsen. Here you can find a wide range of small bathhouses open to the public. The temperature of these baths vary from almost lukewarm to boiling hot,...

Sunday, December 18, 2016

Onsen

Weekend in Kusatsu Onsen: A Yumomi Experience (湯もみ体験)

Anette 12:36:00 PM

Kusatsu Onsen is situated in Gunma, a prefecture to the north of Tokyo and Saitama. Kusatsu is one of Japan's most famous onsen resorts, and tourists travel from near and far to experience the healing hot springs of Kusatsu. The hot spring water in the center of In Kusatsu can hold up...

Monday, December 12, 2016

Youtube

Gunma: A Snowy Weekend in Kusatsu Onsen Video

Anette 10:18:00 PM

Last weekend I went on a trip with friends to Kusatsu Onsen, a famous hot spring resort in Gunma prefecture. We had a great time in Kusatsu, and got to try out various cultural experiences. I'll be back with more posts with pictures from Kusatsu but in the meantime, here is a video from our weekend...

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Yokohama

Yokohama: Christmas Market at the Red Brick Warehouse

Anette 11:21:00 PM

The Christmas season is upon us again, and even in Japan the cities are decorated for the season. In Japan Christmas is seen as a dating season more than anything else, and it is certainly a great chance to enjoy a romantic date with your love. During a recent visit to Yokohama, Japan's second largest...

Sunday, December 4, 2016

Yokohama

Yokohama: Autumn Views at Sankeien Garden (三渓園)

Anette 5:35:00 PM

The Sankeien Garden is a traditional Japanese garden located in Yokohama's Naka Ward. The garden, which opened in 1906, was the creation of a wealthy businessman who used the space of the garden to reconstruct seventeen historical buildings brought from other cities such as Kyoto and Kamakura. Some...

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Travel

Chiba: Winter Illumination at the Country Farm Tokyo German Village

Anette 10:14:00 PM

Just a couple of hours drive from Tokyo you can find the Tokyo German Village, an theme park that is inspired by.. You guessed it right; Germany of course. Don’t let the name of the park fool you though; this park is not really situated in Tokyo but on the Boso Peninsula, more precisely in a place...

Sunday, November 27, 2016

Travel

Sightseeing in Bagan: Tanaka and Sunset Hunting at the World Heritage Pagodas

Anette 9:57:00 PM

During our stay in Myanmar we spent a couple of days in the ancient city of Bagan, famous for its more than 2200 pagodas spread out on the wide plain. Climbing some of the ancient pagodas could sometimes make us feel like we were in the middle of an Indiana Jones movie, but at the same time this...

Friday, November 18, 2016

Travel

Lodging in Tokyo: 10 Fancy Budget Hotels for an Unforgettable Stay

Anette 10:01:00 PM

Tokyo is a city of innovation, and this is also reflected in the metropolis' variation of accommodation alternatives. In recent years there has been a surge in the number of modern and creative types of accommodations you can find both in and in the vicinity of Tokyo, and to make an overview of the...

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Travel

Day Trips from Bagan: A visit to Mt. Popa and Taung Kalat

Anette 11:00:00 PM

About 50 km southeast of Bagan you can find the holy Mt. Popa, which is both an inactive volcano and Myanmar (formerly Burm)'s most important pilgrimage site for believers of the 37 Burmese Nat-spirits. Although the name Mt. Popa is more well-known many of the people who travel to the volcano...

Saturday, November 5, 2016

Travel

One day at Inle Lake: Indein Village and the Shwe Inn Thein Pagoda

Anette 1:05:00 PM

As a part of our visit to Inle Lake we went on a day trip around the lake to see various parts of the local life style culture, a trip that included among others a stop at a lotus weaving factory and the Jumping Cat Monastery. After our short stop at the monastery our boat driver took us through...

Monday, October 31, 2016

Southeastasia

One day at Inle Lake: The Jumping Cat Monastery - Nga Phe Kyaung

Anette 11:08:00 PM

The Nga Phe Kyaung monastery is both the biggest and oldest monastery in Inle Lake. Among tourists it is still known as the "jumping cat monastery" - a name it got because of the cats living there, who had been trained by the monks to jump through little hoops. You can see a simple YouTube clip...

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Travel

One day at Inle Lake: Lotus weaving of Inle Lake - Khit Sunn Yin

Anette 10:42:00 PM

Inle Lake is often featured on lists of Myanmar (formerly Burma)'s top places to visit with its floating gardens, wooden villages on stilts, and local fishermen catching fish with cone shaped bamboo while they row with their legs. This charming lake was the end destination for our 3-day trekking...

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Travel

[Hotel Review] Shwe Inn Tha Floating Resort at Inle Lake

Anette 9:25:00 PM

To hotel's page Water bungalows on Inle Lake After having participated in a 3-day trekking from Kalaw to Inle Lake it was time to spend some relaxing time at the Shwe Inn Tha Floating Resort, one of the few hotels located directly on the Inle Lake. Our guide from the trekking tour had...

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Trekking

Myanmar: Trekking from Kalaw to Inle Lake

Anette 4:33:00 PM

Villagers on their way home We arrived early in the morning in the town of Kalaw with the night bus from Yagon. Our plan was to book a tour with a local guide and go for a three day two night trekking from Kalaw to Inle Lake right after arrival in Kalaw. However, as you already might know the...

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Tokyo

[October only] Autumn Time Sale – Up to 50% discount on Tokyo & Yokohama hotels

Anette 11:50:00 PM

Planning a trip to Tokyo this autumn? If you are looking for some good deals on hotels in Tokyo and/or Yokohama you can check out the following deals from hotel booking site Agoda. Be aware that the offers are only available for bookings done before October 21st! This time sale has come...