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. 

Travel Journal: A Spring Day in Tokyo (2006 Tokyo . 東京)

Japan is one of the most beautiful destinations in the world. What I love about this unique place is their language, culture, food and nature scenery. Furthermore, with their 4 distinct seasons, you can visit this amazing place any time of the year.

In 2006, I visited Japan in spring season to witness the sights of cherry blossoms, also known as Sakura. In order to view the cherry blossoms blooming, you need some planning and luck especially if your trip is short. The best time to enjoy Hanami in Tokyo is around late March to Mid April.

Travel Journal: My First Pin on The Endless Traveling Map (2005 Hong Kong)

This is my very first travel post after 10 years of traveling. So let’s go back to the start! In 2005, I visited Hong Kong, one of the well-known places in Asia. During that time I don't know anything about travel, don't have any favourite destinations or anything that I want to see. It was a family trip and I just followed.

Traveling in ten years back was very different from now. We didn't have a smartphone, a good camera and the information from Internet was not as much as today. Word of mouth is pretty useful at that time; we got most of the recommendation from the mouth of our friends and relatives. And when we were on the ground, we rely on hardcopy tourist map a lot and also asking the people around to get to our destination.