Prisoner of Hopes

Tag: Japan

  • Departing Japan: Travel Goals Japan

    Departing Japan: Travel Goals Japan

    Saying goodbye is bitter sweet. After a month of life in Tokyo there are things I have come to love. Unexpectedly, what I think I will miss most is the Japanese toilet. The heated seat, the heated water bidet, the sound machines make even public restrooms a comfort. I will also miss the cleanliness. People…

  • National Garden: Travel Goals Japan

    National Garden: Travel Goals Japan

    It is our last day in Tokyo as we visit the National Garden of Japan in Shinjuku. The garden sits within 15 minutes of our house. We didn’t visit before because of the cherry blossom festival. There were huge crowds and timed entry for weeks. Today, things are back to normal and we can walk…

  • Takao: Travel Goals Japan

    Takao: Travel Goals Japan

    Today we planned to travel to Nagano to see the snow monkeys. But when we woke up, we just were not feeling like a long train ride in order to catch a bus in order to hike. Perhaps earlier in the trip it would have been worth it, but with only two days remaining in…

  • Museum Opening: Travel Goals Japan

    Museum Opening: Travel Goals Japan

    It is opening weekend at the Edo-Tokyo Museum. We are excited to visit. Unfortunately so are thousands of Tokyo residents. There are lines to form lines to get in line to buy tickets. Suddenly, I am not sure this is such a good idea. But we are firmly in the line to get to the…

  • Zoo In the Rain: Travel Goals Japan

    Zoo In the Rain: Travel Goals Japan

    I love zoos. At least I love them when they are modern, champion conservation, and have plenty of room for the animals. National zoos are usually stellar, so we didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to visit the National Zoo of Japan. We head to Ueno park, even though it is raining. We are…

  • Japanese Garden: Travel Goals Japan

    Japanese Garden: Travel Goals Japan

    We came to Kanazawa to see the castle. But the cherry blossoms are at their peak and a world famous garden sits just across the street. Kenroku-en garden is considered one of the best traditional Japanese gardens in Japan. I feel lucky to see it as the pale pink blossoms blanket the garden. It is…

  • Kanazawa Castle: Travel Goals Japan

    Kanazawa Castle: Travel Goals Japan

    Visiting Kanazawa castle requires us to take a train from Tokyo to Kanazawa station and then a bus to some spot further into the city . The bus stops are unnamed. This will be challenging. I have no idea if we are in the right spot, but the gps thinks so. So we hop off…

  • Tokyo Disney: Travel Goals Japan

    Tokyo Disney: Travel Goals Japan

    While we are in Japan, we decide we need to head over to Tokyo Disney. This has not been as easy as it seems because they don’t sell tickets on the property and for whatever reason I had a lot of trouble purchasing through the Tokyo Disney app. I finally worked everything out and today…

  • Our Very Odd Day In Odaiba: Travel Goals Japan

    Our Very Odd Day In Odaiba: Travel Goals Japan

    Odaiba is a teenager’s dream destination. We ride into the area on a futuristic area aerial train. It is raining steadily, making the harbor dark and gray. It is also cold and windy. Hopefully we can find plenty of indoor activities to keep us busy. Leaving the rail station, we cross the elevated walkways along…

  • Fuji-San: Travel Goals Japan

    Fuji-San: Travel Goals Japan

    When you think of Japan, you think of Mount Fuji. Iconically shaped, Fuji is a stratovolcano. At 12,389 feet, it is the highest mountain in Japan. My first glimpse of the mountain was from the train as we made our way to Kyoto a few days ago. It looked close enough to touch even from…