The Shinobazu pond (不忍池)

Bentendo's pagoda

The Shinobazu pond consist of three sections, and it is possible to walk right through the middle of the lake thanks to a bridge built in 1907.

The boat rental service on the Shinobazu pond

Birds on the lotus section of the pond

While we were walking on the bridge we saw an ojiisan feeding the birds with rice corns. When we
stopped to watch he asked me if I wanted to feed the birds too, and gave me a handful of rice.

Feeding the birds

One of the birds chased away almost all the other birds..

Bentendo

As the temple and the pond attracts many visitors, especially during the weekend, there is also a chance you'll find some small food stalls that sells Japanese food like takoyaki and okonomiyaki (we preferred kebab this time :P)

Japanese food stalls

Ueno Koen is also a nice place if you like doing pull-ups. When Yuma and I go jogging to the park, he always stops up to do some exercise here :)

Ueno Koen is also great for exercising, especially if you like doing pull-ups.

All in all, a nice place to visit for a lazy day..!

This post is just so full of brilliant ideas to make your life easier I could resist sharing it with you guys. I'm not going to write much about the content of the page - rather, I'll show you the 10 initial tips and tricks introduced on the page. At the end of the post I've included a how to do video of my favorite among them, the Ninja Fold.

We say that clothes create people, and it is often thought that people who dress by the latest fashion are  among the more successful members of our society. The fashion police is always ready to judge the ones that have not understood that pink is the color of the season, or that gladiator sandals are so two-thousand and late. We often forget that there is an ethical aspect of following our passion for new and shiny at all (or rather less) costs.
I watched the video below, and could not hold back my tears. It is absolutely gruesome, but by sharing it I hope that I can help raise awareness and that maybe some of you out there also will start questioning the way we treat captivated animals for the sake of fashion and cash.


In a time where most people are living wealthier lives than at any other point in our collective history we have a shared responsibility to also care for those who don't have a voice in our society. Animals are not commodities, but living beings.

I would like to end this post with a famous quote attributed to Mahatma Gandhi:

A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members

Thank you!
And remember, sharing is caring.

Maybe you have already heard about the Japanese burger chain called "Freshness Burger" and their campaign to make women eat more of their burgers? If not, you should check out this video for a short introduction:
So, as introduced in the video it is apparently considered bad for Japanese women to open their mouth wide while they eat. Instead one is supposed to have a small cute mouth, referred to as an "ochobo". The Japanese burger chain tried to solve this issue by creating a "Liberation Wrapper" with the face of a pretty lady printed on it. As a gaijin living in Tokyo this was something I just had to see for myself.


Yesterday I went with my boyfriend Yuma to visit our closest Freshness Burger restaurant out of curiosity for their Liberation Wrapper, and of course to feel the "liberation" of being able to devour a huge hamburger without having to worry about appearance. To our big disappointment the lady behind the counter claimed that the Liberation Wrapper had only been a Halloween-gimmick, and that they didn't have any pretty burger wrappers left (I'm not sure if this is the case for all Freshness Burger restaurants, or just the one we visited).. Way to ruin my day, right?! So I had no choice but to draw my own pretty mouth on the wrapper to be able to really enjoy the taste of the hamburger without feeling ashamed of myself. The only minor problem is that I'm not really that good at drawing. Here is the result:

I created my own Liberation Wrapper to try and consume the hamburger with my dignity intact..

Ok, I have to admit that I'm not being totally serious here.. Who would have guessed.. Although it was a bit disappointing that I could not get my picture taken with the real Liberation Wrapper I have to admit that I don't see myself becoming a frequent customer at Freshness Burger either way. And I'm certainly not going to buy a burger just for the sake of a wrapper ever again.

Are you planning to visit Kyoto and worry about getting to the city from Kansai International Airport?
The definitely easiest way to get to Kyoto from the airport is to reserve a seat on the shared ride shuttle service called the Yasaka Kansai Airport Shuffle. I used their bus 3-4 times during the time I lived in Kyoto, and it always saves me the stress of getting to my destination in Kyoto (or finding lost family members who have arrived for a visit).
All you have to do is reserving a seat through their internet page. By providing the address you'll be staying at in Kyoto, the driver will take you all the way to your destination. You have to share the bus with other travelers as well (the limousine bus takes max 8 passengers), and might thus have to wait for a little while until the other passengers arrive at the designated area.

When you arrive at KIX, go to the Yasaka Information Desk on the 1st floor of Terminal 1.

Once the bus arrives in Kyoto the passengers get dropped off according to their destination. It might thus take some additional time if the other passengers are bound for a closer address.

The price for one person is 3500* yen (1750/children under 12), and you can also receive some handy discounts if you:

• Reserve online (200 yen off)
• Order a roundtrip (200 yen off)
• Group - 3 or more people (200 yen off)
• Family - One parent + up to two children (Half price for children up to elementary school age)
• Student - Middle school and up (500 yen off. Remember to bring student ID)
• Seniors - 70 and up (500 yen off)

*You can bring one large suitcase for free, but have to pay 1000 for each additional bag.

Note also that reservation online has to be done before 6:00 pm Japanese time the day before your flight.

For more information about the shuttle bus and reservation, click here.

---

Hotel Booking:

Hotels in Kyoto
Hotels in Osaka

---

• All blogposts from Osaka
• All blogposts from Kyoto
• Top Attractions in the World Heritage City Kyoto
• Jidai matsuri - 時代祭 - The Festival of Ages
• 紅葉 Red-Leaf Season in Kyoto 2014!
• Kansai International Airport to Kyoto: Easy Access by Airport Shuttle
• Sightseeing in Kyoto: Kitano Tenmangu Flea Market
• White Pigeon Wedding Modeling in Kyoto! 
• Modeling for Kyoto Weddings: My Japanese Wedding, or the day I (Almost) Married a Stranger
• Spring in Japan: Sakura Season and Hanami in Kyoto!
• All blogposts about hotels
• Travel in Japan: Top 10 Japanese Ryokan Hotels chosen by Experts
• Tokyo Hotel Special: 20 Grand Opening Hotels 2016 - 2017
• Tokyo Hotel Special: 2015 & 2016 Brand New Tokyo Hotels
• Lodging in Tokyo: 10 Fancy Budget Hotels for an Unforgettable Stay
• Osaka & Kyoto Hotel Special: Grand Opening Hotels 2016 - 2017
• All blogposts about Japanese hotels/ryokan
• Chichibu: Heritage Minoyama Ryokan
• Gunma: Kusatsu Onsen Nisshinkan
• Hokkaido: New Furano Prince Hotel
• Kanazawa: The Ryokan with a Noh Stage - Hotel Motoyu Ishiya
• Nagano - Yudanaka: Aburaya Tousen Ryokan
• Niigata: Shikinoyado Minoya Ryokan
• Niigata: Iwamuro Onsen - Hotel Ohashi Yakatanoyu
• Nikko: Nikko Tokinoyuu Hotel
• Nikko Astraea Hotel in Oku-Nikko - Nikko National Park
• Osaka: The Bridge Hotel Shinsaibashi
• Saitama: Heiseirou Onsen Health Center 
• Shikoku: Rotenburo Heaven at Hotel Kazurabashi
• Tokyo: A Night at the Majestic Hotel Okura Tokyo
• Tokyo: Meeting Hachi the Owl at WISE OWL HOSTELS TOKYO
• Tokyo: Hundred Stay Tokyo Shinjuku Serviced Apartments & Hotel
• Tokyo: Remm Roppongi - A night in the Town that never sleeps
• Tokyo: Futakotamagawa Excel Hotel Tokyu - A Suburban Choice
• Tokyo's First Robot Hotel - Henn na Hotel Maihama Tokyo Bay
• Yokohama: Yokohama Royal Park - The Landmark of Yokohama
• Yokohama: Hotel Edit Yokohama - A Western-style Boutique Hotel
• Smarter Hotel Booking: Agoda Secret Deal
• Getting you the Best Hotel Rates: Agoda Insider Deals
• All blogposts from Japan 

Earlier this year Mt. Fuji was included in UNESCO's World Heritage List, making it Japan's 17th site on the list. As result the old volcano has experienced increased popularity, and not surprisingly the number of climbers who want to reach the top of Mt. Fuji is also on a rise. But although the view from Mt. Fuji is supposed to be very nice (when I climbed Mt. Fuji last year the weather was so bad we could not see much besides the heavy clouds), it is perhaps even better to climb one of the nearby mountain to take a look at Mt. Fuji from afar.
Last weekend I went on a trip to the lake area around Mt. Fuji along with my BF Yuma and his parents for a two-day hiking/onsen/tourist-trip. Our first goal was to climb some of the small mountains surrounding Mt. Fuji in order to get a good view of the mountain. The area around Mt. Fuji is quite mountainous, and there are many routes to choose from. We had first planned to climb Ryugatake (龍ヶ岳), and we started out by the camping area by lake Motosuko (本栖湖) on the west side of the famous volcano. It is easy to find the track from there, and once you get to the sign that marks the entrance to the mountain trail you can follow the path all the way to the top.

 Apparently there are some legends behind the name Ryuugatake (Dragon Mountain) too. They all are quite similar, and build around the story that a dragon protected a village from Mt. Fuji's lava during an eruption. For more information about hiking Ryuugatake, see this page (Japanese only).
After our day in the mountain we spent the evening at a traditional Japanese hotel (Ryokan) called Fuji Ginkei, situated by lake Kawaguchi (河口湖) with a nice view of Mt. Fuji. At the ryokan we were met with the utmost service, and after having gazed at Mt. Fuji from the hotel's outdoor hot bath (Rotenburo 露天風呂) it was time for Japanese style dinner. Traditional Japanese washoku (和食) food is another expected Japanese contribution to the World Heritage List, and unless you either can't stand raw fish or are generally skeptical to unusual food you're guaranteed to get a lot of satisfaction out of a full course washoku dinner. The staff really pay attention to the details, and every plate we got served looked like some sort of art.

 The next day it was quite cloudy so we could not get a proper view of Mt. Fuji from the hotel.. I've added this picture from Fuji Ginkei's homepage, depicting their outdoor onsen and Mt. Fuji:
There are several interesting places to visit in the area as well. We visited the Ichiku Kubota Art Museum, where in addition to exquisite kimonos you can enjoy the beautiful garden and various treasures collected by the artist himself from all around the world. Ichiku Kuboto became famous after having rediscovered the Tsujigahana dying technique that had been lost since the 17th century. His museum featured a large number of kimonos he has made through his life, but unfortunately visitors are not allowed to take photographs inside the museum. I've only snapped a couple of pictures of the garden.
 I wouldn't recommend this place if you are afraid of being stuck underground.. But if you can cope with it, then this might be quite a unique experience to add to your list of adventures. It is not a very famous place, so there is not that information available. Place and description can however be found here.
All in all Mt. Fuji makes a great travel destination even if you don't intend to climb it. There are many places to visit in the area, and I personally think seeing Mt. Fuji from afar in itself is a must for anyone visiting Japan.

I would also like to add that I had a fantastic weekend with Yuma and his parents, and I'm lucky that I have such wonderful people in my life. Hopefully we'll get to spend some quality time together again in the near future.

Related blog posts

• All blog posts from Yamanashi Prefecture
• All blog posts about Mt. Fuji
• Climbing Mt. Fuji!
• Traveling Japan: Mt. Fuji and its Vicinity
• Mt. Fuji & Sakura Viewing: Maruyama Kouen (丸山公園) & Iwadono Castle (岩殿城)
• Hiking in Yamanashi: The view of Mt. Fuji from Mt. Iwadonosan to Chigo-Otoshi
• Paragliding in Japan: Panorama View of Mt. Fuji with Sky Asagiri (スカイ朝霧)
• Sightseeing in Shizuoka: Fuji Safari Park
• Roundtrip in Japan: Hakone & Mikawaya Ryokan

Hotel Kaneyamaen

Fuji Royal Hotel Kawaguchiko

Kawaguchiko Country Cottage Ban