Today we went to Todaiji Temple, home of the largest bronze statue of Buddha in the world and one of the largest wooden structures in the world. The temple is in Nara, about an hour south of Kyoto by train. …
Great Days on Miyajima
Miyajima is known for one of the quintessential images of Japan… the floating torii gate. While the torri gate does not actually float in the water, the iconic image of the torii gate surrounded by its own reflections in the…
Hike to Mitaki Temple and the Bamboo Forest
We did a fun hike yesterday to the top of Mitaki (Three Waterfall) Temple. An employee at our hotel told us about it, and boy was it a real treat! We left Hiroshima station, the prefecture’s largest station and a…
Visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial
On Wednesday, we visited the Hiroshima Peace Park, including the Atomic Bomb Dome, the Children’s Peace Memorial, the Flame of Peace, and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. It was very moving and very powerful for all of us. It is…
Nagashi Somen
The other day, we had a fun new experience that involved bamboo, ramen, and lots of water. For the first time, we had the chance to try Nagashi Somen – loosely translated as Flowing Noodles. Nagashi Somen is a summertime…
Daruma Temple
Today, after the big typhoon faded and the wind started to let up, we made it to both the Daruma Temple and the Daruma Factory. From what I understand, the Japanese Daruma doll began as a representation of the priest…
Kusatsu Hot Springs
Today, we went to Kusatsu Hot Springs. It is located in the mountains of Gunma Prefecture in the town of Kusatsu. The volcanic hot springs is known for having the largest volume of hot water flow in the country, more…
Visiting Our First Japanese Temple
We got to teach the boys about visiting a Japanese shrine today. Shrines and temples are everywhere in Japan. Many are world famous heritage sites while others can be found tucked in between tall skyscrapers in downtown areas. The…
Reflections from the Airplane
We have made it onto the airplane on the first leg of this wild adventure, and it is feeling a bit surreal. We are officially nomads, homeless with only backpacks on our backs. The past week has been a flurry…
Did they win the lottery or something?
The other day I was asked by a friend how we could even consider selling most of our stuff and our home for a big one year adventure. She continued by admitting that, although she loves travel and was incredibly…