JAPAN
Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park, located in Yamanouchi, Nagano, allows visitors to see Japanese Macaques (snow monkeys) bathing in natural hot springs (onsen). The park is situated in the monkeys' natural habitat, in the valley of the Yokoyu River. "Jigokudani" means "Hell's Valley," referring to the boiling water that spouts out of the ground, despite it being frozen, and it being surrounded by steep cliffs and extremely cold forests.
From Kanazawa, we took a day trip to Tojinbo (東尋坊) in Fukui, a one kilometer stretch of basalt cliffs along the Sea of Japan. The cliffs are a unique geological formation that can be seen in only three places in the world and nowhere else in Japan.
We left Osaka for Kyoto on my last day of work for the year, which was a meeting for all of the teachers in my city. It ran until about noon, we had okonomiyaki for lunch with my colleagues. Then, we left for Kyoto right after that.
While we were in Kyoto, we decided to take a little trip and check out Shirahige Shrine (Shirahige Jinja 白鬚神社), located on the western side of Lake Biwa in Takashima. It's famous for its "floating" torii and for being responsive to prayers of longevity, matchmaking, having a baby, better luck and prosperous business.
When we first decided to stay in Kanazawa (金沢市), Ishikawa (石川県), we did so because it was a good central location for other places we wanted to visit - like Tojinbo Cliffs and Shirakawa-go. We had no idea how much there is to do in Kanazawa!
Just a glimpse of how pretty Amagasaki can be! I don't get to stroll through here very often, as I normally am just rushing through it to get to the train station, but what a nice stroll it is. :) I took these photos on a really beautiful day in the summer, I wish it was that sunny now! Winter is upon us and it is freeeeeezing.
About a month ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Hokkaido with my mama and aunty! It's been almost 8 months since I've last seen them and it was great to be with my family again! We stayed mostly in Sapporo and had a very relaxing and leisure-filled vacation.
Deer. Temples. And that's basically Nara. Deer roam around freely, as messengers of the gods in Shinto religion, of Todai-ji (東大寺), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Photos from my trip to Nara include deer at Nara Park (奈良公園), Todai-ji (東大寺), Kofuku-ji (興福寺), and Kasuga Shrine/Kasuga-taisha (春日大社).
Sakura (cherry blossoms) have just begun to bloom in Japan! And you know what that means...? I finally did some Japanese shit in Japan.
Nabana no Sato (なばなの里) was easily one of our top must-see places to go to during our trip. Located on the island of Nagashima in Kuwana, Mie, it is one of Japan's best winter illuminations (probably the best).