Inuyama and Nagoya

For our last day, I decided to take it easy on the newcomers. They were obviously tired already so I just chose two castles for the day. Something more traditional in contrast to the city sprawl of Tokyo. After arriving in Nagoya and leaving our baggage in the lockers at the station, we took a 30 minute train ride North to Inuyama.

https://flic.kr/p/FRWJSe

We got off at Inuyamayoen Station and walked by the Kiso riverside where you can spot the castle keep jutting out at the top of the hill. There were several local vendors setting up along this same path.
https://flic.kr/p/FPDLr3

Cherry trees were also abundant along the path but only a few were in full bloom.
https://flic.kr/p/EWFWuP

https://flic.kr/p/EWuTb7

We arrived a bit before the castle opened so we explored a few shrines around the vicinity.
https://flic.kr/p/FHLtjf

https://flic.kr/p/FrPKVu

https://flic.kr/p/FPD4x9

Inuyama Castle is one of five castles (Himeji, Hikone, Matsue and Matsumoto being the other four) considered as national treasures in the country and is the oldest standing castle keep in Japan.
https://flic.kr/p/FRW53F

https://flic.kr/p/FHKTEw

At the top you get nice views of the Kiso River and the castle town.
https://flic.kr/p/FHL1UG

https://flic.kr/p/EWuhim

https://flic.kr/p/EWCtV2

We went back to Nagoya via Inuyama Station so we could pass by the castle town for lunch and buy a few souvenirs.

There were more people in Nagoya Castle than the last time I was there. Sakura season really brings out the festive nature in the Japanese!
https://flic.kr/p/FrPb6A

https://flic.kr/p/FRVKFR

The lovers taking a break
https://flic.kr/p/FRVHaZ

https://flic.kr/p/FRVDUv

There were some martial arts duels ongoing as well.
https://flic.kr/p/EWEP3X

https://flic.kr/p/EWEM3e

https://flic.kr/p/FL4pgi

It was still early in the afternoon when we finished walking around Nagoya Castle. I wanted to visit a riverside park in Nagoya known for being one of the best cherry blossom spots in Japan but I saw that my companions were already beyong exhausted. So I cut the sightseeing short and took them to Oasis 21 to rest up until we had to leave for the airport. There’s always a next time! 😀

Hanami and Yozakura in Tokyo

I had a list of hanami spots to check out in Tokyo but had to cut it significantly. The exhaustion of the previous day at Disneyland had us leaving our accommodations around 11AM – very late by my standards!

Before joining the sakura viewers, we had brunch at Sushizanmai in Ikebukuro.
https://flic.kr/p/FPAdLL

Tokyo Disneyland

Confession time! I like Disney movies but not so much that I would be super excited to go to Disneyland. I’ve had several chances to go to one over the years (Hong Kong and Tokyo before this trip) but it just wasn’t something I felt I needed to do. This trip, I acted as the guide for my brother and his girlfriend, whose only request was to go to Disneyland. If I were given the choice, I would have gone to Disneysea since this was a theme park unique to Tokyo. However, my brother’s girlfriend was a huge Pooh fan so we ended up going to Disneyland.

https://flic.kr/p/FHHKjh

Experiencing the Weirdness of Robot Restaurant

I’m back in Tokyo again! This time I tried to catch sakura season (more on that in later posts) but first I had to go someplace I’ve wanted to see ever since my sister showed me her videos 2 years ago – Shinjuku’s Robot Restaurant! I didn’t have anybody to watch it with when I was here last December so I didn’t go here back then. Now I’ve got my younger brother to join in on the craziness so I got us seats via Japanican. Prices are higher if you buy on site so if you’re interested to see this, book online.

https://flic.kr/p/EWtFbs

Minalungao National Park

My brother told me about this place in Nueva Ecija where the turquoise water of the river runs between limestone cliffs. I searched and saw several blogs on this seemingly “undiscovered” place, the Minalungao National Park. Apparently, its a place known to locals but only (relatively) recently to outsiders thanks to the power of social media. I suggested to my colleagues that we visit it as a potential site for their ecology classes (and to swim and beat the summer heat).

https://flic.kr/p/FwVWQQ

Siargao revisited

My first trip this year was to siargao with my family. We explored more of the island than in my previous visit. We rented a van to bring us around the entire island and exploited the largest contiguous mangrove forest in the country. We were only able to surf on the day of our departure since the tide cycles weren’t the most convenient during our stay.

Kids playing at low tide
https://flic.kr/p/CQxikE

Winter onsen experience in Kusatsu

Kusatsu is recognized as one of the top the onsen resort towns in Japan. Originally, I just wanted to go to any onsen during my trip. When I saw how accessible Kusatsu was from Tokyo, I made sure I made time to go there. Dipping into a hot spring on a cold day is one of my favorite winter activities after trying it in New Zealand.

Yubatake – source of Kusatsu’s hot spring
https://flic.kr/p/D5ZWnj

Looking for Mt. Fuji in Hakone

The following day, I tried to get a better view of Mt. Fuji. I decided to go to Hakone instead of the Fuji 5 Lakes area because other bloggers said that in the event of bad weather, there was more to see and do in Hakone. As I approached the transfer station of Hakone, I saw Mt. Fuji again in all its glory. I didn’t take pictures because it looked like the weather was going to be perfect in Hakone. Wrong! I never saw Mt. Fuji again. I did enjoy going around Hakone though.

Hakone Open Air Museum – Because I love walking around nature, I loved the concept of an open air museum.
https://flic.kr/p/CGUmeq

Nokogiri-yama

After recovering from my illness, my friend brought me across Tokyo Bay to see Mt. Nokogiri. I had my first sighting of Mt. Fuji as we excited the aqua tunnel but my lens wasn’t long enough to take a good photo of it.

You can reach the peak of Nokogiri-yama by driving, walking up or taking the cable car. We did the latter since it was also my friend’s first time here. Be prepared for a hike if you’re visiting here, but don’t worry, it’s manageable.

There are several dozen buddhas along the path but only two were carved directly on the mountain face.
https://flic.kr/p/CZvcxd

Other sights for a Tokyo tourist

These photos were taken while walking around all over Tokyo. I would have gotten more but I got sick for 2 days and that limited my mobility. There’s always a next time!

Akihabara Electric Town – home of otaku culture
https://flic.kr/p/Ccypzm