Komyozenji Temple: The Beauty of Japanese Autumn, Japan

As the summer heat slowly gives way to the crisp cool breezes of autumn, the cities across Japan will be slowly taken over by the striking shades of orange and red as the autumn leaves changed its color. This is the most anticipated moment where most of the people, especially the nature lovers and photographers are waiting for.

When the autumn season arrived, I love going outdoors and hunt down as many places as possible for the amazing fall foliage. So far, the most beautiful autumn that I saw in Japan was the serene rear garden at the Komyozenji, a Zen Buddhist temple located in the city of Dazaifu in the Fukuoka Prefecture. Komyozenji Temple is famous for its Karesansui (枯山水) Garden, commonly known as Japanese Rock Garden or Japanese Zen Garden.

Jinhae Gunhangje Festival 2016, South Korea

The Jinhae Gunhangje Festival is one of the largest cherry blossom festival in Korea that attracts a large crowd of visitors from around the world annually. Around early April, the glorious cherry blossom cover the whole Jinhae city, creating an enchanting atmosphere, and it is definitely the best moment to take a stroll along the endless street of cherry blossom trees.

3 years ago, I went to the Jinhae city for the cherry blossom festival, but the blooming of cherry blossoms had finished when I was there. I left the city with disappointment and I told myself  that I must go back again for the cherry blossom. I kept my promise and true enough, I was back in Jinhae city in 2016; the timing was perfect for the full-bloom cherry blossom this round.

Hwagae Cherry Blossom Festival 2016, South Korea

We were standing under the cherry blossom trees and looking at a signboard that written 한국의 아름다운 길 (Scenic Road of Korea). At that point of time, we realized that we were already walking along the 10ri Cherry Blossom Road also known as the Wedding Road. People believe that "if a couple walking down this road together hand in hand, they live happily together forever".

In spring, many visitors come all the way to Hwagae to enjoy a walk down the stunning Cherry Blossom Road, which is one of the main attractions of the Hwagae Cherry Blossom Festival. This scenic road with an endless view of cherry blossom stretch over 6 km from Hwagae Market to Ssanggyesa Temple.

Fukuoka Castle Sakura Festival 2016, Japan

Sakura (桜) is charming, irresistible and beautiful but short-lived; it takes one week to reach full bloom after the first opening of the blossoms and it lasts for a week before the blossoms start falling. During spring, visitors from around the world visit Japan for the ephemeral nature of life, Sakura (Cherry Blossoms).

The last time I enjoyed Sakura viewing (Hanami) in Japan was 10 years ago at Ueno Park, Tokyo. And 10 years later, I am glad that I came back to Japan for Hanami again; this time was at Maizuru Park, Fukuoka for the Fukuoka Castle Sakura Festival 2016.

Travel Journal: A Land of Countless Temples and Shrines (2006 Kyoto . 京都)

After Fuji, we went to the land of countless temples and shrines, Kyoto, also the former capital of Japan. The people in Kyoto said, "Even if you visit a temple/shrine a day in Kyoto, you still cannot finish all the temples/shrines in a year". This is true because there are over thousands of temples/shrines in Kyoto itself. 

The most efficient and comfortable way to get from Fuji to Kyoto is to take a Shinkansen also known as the Bullet Train. It was my first time trying out Shinkansen and the experience was great. Personally I would prefer Shinkansen over domestic flight.

Travel Journal: The Views of Mount Fuji (2006 Hakone . 箱根)

After a day in Tokyo, we traveled to Hakone for the volcanic valley and also to catch the view of nearby Mount Fuji. Hakone is a town located near Mount Fuji where you can enjoy hot spring, traditional Japanese inn and the beautiful nature; and it is a very popular destination for a short trip from Tokyo.

First Stop, we went to Lake Ashinoko or Lake Ashi, a crater lake with views of Mount Fuji. Our main activity there was taking a sightseeing boat and cruise around the scenic lake.