Spring in Japan is truly magical. The moment you walked down a street or enter a park, you're greeted with Sakura (Cherry blossoms), swaying back and forth as though saying "Konichiwa! Welcome to Japan!"
This trip I went to a town called Aomori (Northern Japan), four hours away from Tokyo by the Shinkansen. A small town, but nevertheless, a beautiful town filled with the friendliest people who are willing to help you find your way, even if you can't speak a word of Japanese! If you're like me and love small towns where people are friendly, sceneries are breath-taking, and the crowd isn't overwhelming, Aomori is definitely a place to visit. Kyoto is definitely more touristic. It's a pretty city with lots of culture in their buildings but the crowd can be overwhelming. I really enjoyed learning about the Japanese Tea Ceremony in Kyoto though. It was such a great experience. I was reminded of being mindful throughout the whole process, something I think everyone takes for granted once in a while. Tokyo. A place of fashion, tall buildings, and lots of suits. What I love about Tokyo is that, you can find yourself in a busy train surrounded by men with suits and ties, crowding together like sardines in a can one minute, and then find yourself in the middle of the cast of Super-Mario & Luigi driving go-carts on the main road the next. During my birthday this year we boarded a plane to Phuket, hopped onto a speedboat and embarked on a journey to The Racha Island in Thailand.
The resort was beautiful. The people were friendly. The scenery was breathtaking. The food was decent. On my birthday itself, we went Deep Sea Fishing. I've never done it before so it was a lot of fun for me (besides being seasick half way through!) We set sail at about 10am, and managed to reel in about 3 tuna's, 15 inches each! Which for me is a really good achievement, considering I've never done this before. So, guess what we had for lunch? Yep! Tuna Sashimi - fresh from the boat. We had our meal as our boat was anchored by a quiet island, where we jumped into the ocean and swam til our fingers wrinkled and skin toasted. And pretty much had tuna for the next few days of our stay at the resort...cooked all kinds of ways - sweet & sour...fried...tomyam soup... |
PHOTO-BLOGA photography series of different places or genres I have captured as a travel-grapher and my daily life with my camera. Archives
April 2018
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