A giraffe in front of Mt. Fuji (taken from Fuji Safari Park's homepage)

For people wanting to see the sacred Mt. Fuji while in Japan it is possible to combine the trip with other activities in the vicinity, and a visit to Fuji Safari Park might be an enjoyable option for both young and old travelers. The park is located in Susano in Shizuoka Prefecture, and can be reached by car from Tokyo in about 1 hour 45 minutes so it is also an option for a day trip if you don't want to spend the night. Last weekend I and some friends stopped by the safari park as a part of our trip to Shizuoka where our main goal was to go paragliding with Mt. Fuji in the background.

Ikebukuro is a vibrant area where you in addition to an endless selection of places to shop and dine can find what might be Tokyo's widest selections of pet cafes. I have previously written about my visit to a bunny cafe in the area, and about Tokyo's one and only penguin bar, which also happens to be located in this part of the metropolis. This time I went to check out one of Ikebukuro's Owl Cafes with some of my friends.

Tokyo certainly has its collection of unique bars and cafes, and you can find anything from cat cafes, dog cafes and bunny cafes to reptile, owl and hedgehog cafes in this busy metropolitan if you feel the need to pet a furry friend. If you're however more in search of some rare options when it comes to nightlife you could always pay a visit to the penguin bar in Ikebukuro.

As the old saying goes; monkey see, monkey do! In Jigokudani - literarily Hell's Valley - the monkeys have learned to enjoy bathing in the hot spring, and if you visit the valley you can see both young and elder monkeys monkeying around or just soaking in the hot water. Although these monkeys belong to a very common Japanese species called macaque, the monkeys living in the snowy areas of the country are more often referred to just as that - “snow monkeys” (スノーモンキー). You can find macaque monkeys all over Japan, but it is only the snow monkeys in Nagano's Jigokudani that are known to take hot spring-baths, a peculiar sight that attracts visitors from all over the world.

Sleepy fox

In Miyagi there is a special place called the Zao Fox Village where you have the opportunity to get close to foxes in their natural environment (or at least as natural as it can get in a human-made village).
The fox (キツネ ・ 狐) has a very special place in Japanese mythology where it has made its appearance in a number of stories, and among its many roles it is known as the messenger of the rice god Inari. With their cat-like appearance it is no wonder that these furry creatures are adored by a lot of people.

Sendai Washington Hotel

The Westin Sendai Hotel

Mitsui Garden Hotel Sendai

Sendai Royal Park Hotel

• All blogposts from Sendai
• The City of Trees: A visit to Sendai and the Aoba Castle
• Sightseeing in Sendai: The house of Bansui Doi (晩翠草堂)
• Dining out in Sendai: Ruriza (瑠璃座) in Kokubuncho (国分町)

• All blogposts from Miyagi Prefecture
• 8 Months After the Tohoku Earthquake: Trip to Ishinomaki
• Japan: Foxes, Foxes and more Foxes!! A visit to the Zao Fox Village

• All blogposts from Japan 

Experiencing Miyake Island Part 1

With its 6,852 islands Japan sure has enough islands to choose from for those who like to explore the wild nature on the outskirts of Japan's bustling cities. Just a couple of hours south of Tokyo and the Izu Peninsula you can find the Izu Islands, a group of volcanic islands that administratively are a part of Tokyo. These islands are relatively easy to get to, as you can reach some of the islands by plane in about an hour or so from Haneda airport. If you're on a budget it is also possible to take a night ferry from Tokyo's Hamamatsu-cho getting you to some of the islands in as little as 6 1/2 hours.

Although we had a great time exploring Miyake Island the main reason we decided to travel there was actually to be found right outside the neighboring Mikura (御蔵島) Island: Wild dolphins! Before we came to Miyake Island I had heard that one could swim with wild dolphins here, and as dolphins are among my favorite animas we simply had to go on one of these tours. I personally dislike seeing dolphins and other whales in captivity (please check out the documentary Blackfish if you haven't yet seen it), so getting the chance to swim with the dolphins in their natural environment was a great opportunity to get close to them without intervening too much in their daily life.

On our way to Mikura Island

Mikura Island seen from our boat

Of course the downside of swimming with dolphins in the wild is that it all happens so quickly - the guide will drop you off the boat so that you are in the dolphin's path, and you'll get a glimpse of it as it swims by you. This is repeated a number of times, and if you're lucky the dolphins will show interest in you and come closer once or twice- sometimes so close that you can even reach out and touch them if you want. Which you of course should not do, as it will frighten them and make them swim away from you. Either way the dolphins are eager swimmers, and before you know it they will be out of sight again. It is kinda like playing hide and seek, as you know they are out there somewhere even when you can't see them. Instead you'll hear them sing to each other and watch them from afar as they play around on the bottom of the sea.

Curious dolphins

As we kept on jumping on and off the boat in our attempt to get close to the dolphins the whole process got quite tiring to be honest (yes, I got seasick and ended up feeding the fishes if you know what I mean). Still, the few moments where we had a dolphin swimming up close to us or passing by only a meter or so from us really made the experience worth it. Seeing the dolphins in their natural environment was simply amazing!

Dolphins in the sunlight

Yuma's best attempt at taking a selfie with the dolphins

Sometimes you can get really close to the dolphins, but they're often gone again before you even realize it

During the last couple of weeks I've had a visit from my mother and grandmother, and while I've been busy with work during the weekdays we did take some small trips during their weekends here.
For the first weekend we took the Shinkansen bullet train down to Kyoto, where we changed to the JR line heading for the ancient capital Nara. Despite having lived two years in Kyoto this was actually my first time visiting Nara.. Just about time for a visit then, one could say.!

Sakura flowers by the Himuro Shrine

We were visiting Nara early in the cherry blossom (sakura) season, and luckily there was one small shrine along the way to famous Todai-ji (東大寺) temple called Himuro Shrine (氷室神社) where the flowers already were blooming. Apparently this shrine has a history stretching back to year 710, and it is also known for having some of Nara's earliest cherry blossoms.
We also found some other cherry blossom trees by some of Nara's famous temple buildings. Among them was, as mentioned, Todai-ji. In the picture below you can see Todai-ji and a blooming sakura tree.

Todai-ji in itself is one of the main temple buildings in Nara, and is of course a must to visit if you have the chance to travel here. With what is known as the world's largest wooden building the main hall known as the Daibutsuden (or the Big Buddha Hall) was a marvelous sight. We all felt pretty small in front of the gigantic bronze Buddha statue inside the hall called the Great Buddha (Daibutsu). It weighs 500 metric tonnes, and is the largest bronze statue of Buddha in the world.
But there are other things to see besides the temples in Nara. In fact, Nara is pretty well-known for its many deers. Nara's yuru-kyara is in fact a deer with Buddha-head (although just like Ishikawa-ken's mascot hyakuman-san he is struggling with his lack of popularity, it seems he just isn't kawaii enough for the Japanese people..). In the Shinto religion deers have been regarded as messengers of the gods, and in Nara the deers roam the grounds as they please. Tourists can buy them snacks, and we saw a lot of fat deers that seemed to have eaten too much of the snacks they are fed by tourists. Although the deer of course are wild animals and might butt you if you tease them they are generally used to people and very friendly. Yuma and I used the opportunity to take some selfies with them, and it didn't seem like they minded.

You can write your wish on a deer-shaped ema (絵馬)

A lazy deer that had gotten too much food from tourists

The deers are literarily lined up to greet you.

While we did spent most of our time in Nara roaming around in the parks and visiting temples our main reason for the short visit to Nara wasn't just the sightseeing. My boyfriend proposed to me at the end of last year, but our parents still hadn't had the chance to meet each other. This time my mother and grandmother had the chance to meet Yuma's parents for a nice lunch at an old ryokan (Japanese traditional style inn)/restaurant called Kikusuiro.
The building dates back to the late 19th century, and along with the restaurant and hotel business they also arrange weddings here. I have added some pictures from our lunch below:
Our trip to Nara was very short, but we still got to see a lot in only two days. Most of the places we went by were quite typical tourist attractions, but for people visiting who are interested in eating at a historical Japanese restaurant I would definitely recommending stopping by Kikusuirou.

• All blogposts about Cherry Blossom
• Mt. Fuji & Sakura Viewing: Maruyama Kouen (丸山公園) and Iwadono Castle (岩殿城)
• Tokyo Cherry Blossom Spots: Nakameguro's Meguro-gawa River (目黒川)
• Hiking in Tokyo: Sakura viewing (花見) at Mount Takao
• Cherry Blossoms and Jogging in Tokyo: The Imperial Palace (皇居)
• The Tsubame Sakura Matsuri: Cherry Blossom PR & Last Minute Preparations
• Behind the Scene of the Tsubame Sakura Matsuri Festival - The Oiran Dochu
• Sakura Season in Kansai - Hanami in the Expo ’70 Commemorative Park!
• Spring in Japan: Sakura Season and Hanami in Kyoto!
• Spring in Kyoto: Ritsumeikan University Orientation Week and Cherry Blossom Hanami!
• Sakura Season: Weekend Trip to Nara