Ibaraki-ken Travel Blogs | Travelogues | Travel Journals

I am officially a tourist in Japan. Jana, Annie, and I went to Mito where Jana and I switched over our visas. I went from an instructor to a visitor. I have no job and no purpose right now. It is a strange feeling.   We also went to the bank and closed our accounts. Then it was to the post office where we informed them we were moving and gave them our addresses. The final stop was at the Town Hall where we informed them of our visa change. (This was important because we don’t w...

Andrea and I woke up at 5:35 and were in the lobby by 5:45. We checked out, grabbed a taxi to the airport, and got in line. While we were in line we were asked the standard questions: “Do you have any liquids?” “Do you have anything that could be used as a weapon?” “Has your luggage been out of your sight?” We were then informed that our carry on luggage would be checked numerous times.   We got our tickets and then went through customs where the computer crashed and we had...

When I thought about choosing a place where I could spend my exchange semester, I knew that I would love to do it either in South America or Japan. Considering both possibilities Japan suddenly won and I spent there one of the best times of my entire life. I just love that country, its history and customs. It's so mysterious and it's just a question if you dare to make the attempt to discover its secrets.

Vast road, big parks, few people walking, you can hardly imagine that its just 50km from Tokyo. About 40% of the city is covered by park, forest or farm. There are 3 universities, and 60% of Japan's national research centers in here.

There is a shrine called Toshoguu in Mito. It was located almost invisibly. There are a lot of Toushouguu in Japan, and this one seemed to be restored its colour recently.  

Alright, so here it is. This blog is dedicated to my backpacking journey to Europa!!First off, let me just briefly tell you about my travel plan.On December 8th (Saturday), 2007, I'm departing from Narita International Airport and arriving in Frankfurt am Main, Germany on the same date (about 15 hours flight with one transfer in Copenhagen, Denmark). I'll be exploring the city of Frankfurt for a few days and leave for Nürnberg (famous for Christmas markets!), then for Christmas I'm planning ...

The past weekend was jam packed with interesting events. On Saturday, I met up with my old Japanese TA from the States. We had lunch at a Japanese restaurant in Harajuku. Afterward, we walked over to Meiji-shrine or Meiji-jingu, which is a quiet seclusion from the madness of Harajuku. Surrounded by Cypress trees, this shrine was erected in honor of Emperor Meiji in 1920. The original was destroyed during the Second World War and was rebuilt shortly after, but you couldn't tell this by looking...

This was actually my 3rd trip to Japan and I did it because of my japanese girlfriend I had that time. This country is in many ways so different to what Westerners are used to, so mysteriours, that usually visitors either love it or hate it. There's not much in between. I learned to appreciate Japan already during my first trip and I knew I had to come back. China was something completely different. More chaotic, more dirty and more unpredictable. Like the big clumsy brother of Japan.

Martin and I caught the first ferry to Wakkanai. I am now back in Ami and Martin is making his way to Tokyo. The ferry ride was beautiful and we could see Rishiri –zan for the entire ride.   When we got to Wakkanai, Martin headed for the train station and I went to an onsen for a couple of hours before I headed to the station. The airport onsen was very nice. For 1,000 you get two towels, a bathrobe, and you can spend as much time as you want in the onsen. The onsen had four baths: ...

We made it back and are now catching up on our sleep. I feel horrible. I coughed almost every night and I don't think either of us got a good nights sleep because of it. Even with the coughing and the loss of my voice I had an amazing time. I cannot believe I saw and did so much!

The next day Akiko, her sister and young son and I all drove up to Lake Biwa National Park to enjoy the day.  It was one of the first times for me to be in a car in Japan that was not a taxi.  It was just simple Toyota but compared to cars of that type in Canada it was very modern.  It had built in GPS and a camera in the back bumper to help with parking.  I wish my bis came with a camera in the back so I could see the idiots that wlak behind me when I am backing up my 45 ...