Visit With Us (Rich and Helen) @[email protected]
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Welcome! We are British couple Rich and Helen, full time cru
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Day 12 of our âȘ@RivieratravelCoUk1⏠Grand Japan tour and weâre heading up into the mountains towards the city of Kanazawa.
ad| Kanazawa is famous for producing 99% of Japanâs gold leaf but thereâs so much more to the city than that. We started at Kenrokuen gardens, which is widely regarded as one of Japanâs three most beautiful landscape gardens and despite it being another drizzly day we enjoyed a wander around these peaceful gardens, complete with lakes, bridges, teahouses and colourful flowers. Opened in 1871 it boasts Japanâs first fountain, an unusual feature in a Japanese garden, and even more unusual as it is a natural fountain with no mechanics to make it happen.
As the second largest city to escape destruction by air raids in WWII, Kanazawa still has a lot of historical buildings so next we visited one of the oldest parts of the city, the Higashi Chaya geisha district. We had a wander around the quaint streets. As it was still morning we didnât spot any geishas but we did marvel at all of the gold leaf products for sale in the gift shops.
From Kanazawa, we drove to Gokayama, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for its traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses, some of which are more than 250 years old. It was such a pretty little place set in the mountains, giving us a completely different perspective of Japan.
The last order of the day was a more had an on experience - making traditional washi rice paper postcards from scratch - it was a lot of fun and we got to keep the postcards we made. Itâs been so interesting to spend some time away from the big cities and tourist hotspots and see a different side of Japan â€ïž
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Day 11 of our âȘ@RivieratravelCoUk1⏠Grand Japan tour and our first full day in Toyama.
ad| Unfortunately the gorgeous weather weâve enjoyed the last few days seems to have left us with rain and clouds greeting us this morning. But it didnât dampen our spirits as we set off on the coach to the Kurobe Gorge Railway.
Carpeted by a beautiful forest the Kurobe ravine is one of the deepest gorges in Japan. Originally built to help construction of the Kurobe Dam, we boarded an open sided train at the end of the gorge for the nigh on hour long 20km ride along a stretch of the gorge. Although the weather wasnât on our side the views of the gorge and the glacier river bed were still pretty stunning.
Back at the hotel later that afternoon, the rain lifted a little bit so we headed out to take a walk to the north of the city to the Canal park, home to âthe most beautiful Starbucks in the worldâ (according to some sources đ) - well we couldnât resist seeing that could we? Unfortunately it was too cloudy to see the mountains in the background (the main reason for claiming this title!) but we enjoyed some drinks on the terrace with Helen trying (and enjoying!) her first ever matcha tea latte.
Finishing off the day with a steak dinner with new friends from our travel group this very damp day in Toyama has still managed to be a memorable one đ
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Day 10 of our âȘ@RivieratravelCoUk1⏠Grand Japan tour and itâs time to leave Kyoto to head to the Alps.
ad| With our departure from Kyoto not scheduled until midday we decided to get up early today and go back to Inari shrine to walk the full torii gate trail. This shrine is nick-named the Thousand Torii gate shrine but in reality it is thought to have about ten thousand Torii gates! The whole trail all took us just under two hours and covered 4km of beautiful woodland in the heart of the city. It was a bit of a climb to reach the summit especially in the humidity but about three quarters of the way up we were rewarded with lovely views over the city.
At midday y we headed by foot over to the station to catch an express train to Tsuruga before connecting to the Shinkansen to take us to our next destination Toyama.
Arriving quite late on the day we just had time to wander around the local vicinity finishing up by sampling a local speciality, black ramen.
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ad| Today on our âȘ@RivieratravelCoUk1⏠Grand Japan tour we had a free day so we decided to head out of Kyoto to nearby Kobe. Seeing as it was a Sunday we were able to take a very special train that only runs at the weekends. Called the Garaku train the six carriages are themed and decorated accordingly - each one representing a different season in Japan. We chose carriage 3, the cherry blossom spring coach with outward facing seats to enjoy the scenery.
Arriving in Kobe late morning we set off on foot to explore the city heading first to the City Hall which has a 24th floor observation deck to see over the city and out to the nearby dockyards and sea. After a wandering in the nearby park we headed back to the city centre along the main shopping street before a quick visit to the main city centre shrine. But the main reason we were here was for Kobe beef so we found Steakland and joined the queue for lunch. Our Kobe tenderloin were cooked on a hot plate in front of us and was delicious - the meat was so tender and the whole thing only cost ÂŁ25!
After lunch we boarded the train back to Kyoto getting off near Gion to have another wander around this district on our own and we were lucky to spot another Meiko walking down one of the side alleys - it made my day. The walk back to the subway took us through the busy Shijo Dori shopping area, still really busy even though it was quite late on a Sunday evening.
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Starting the second week of our âȘ@RivieratravelCoUk1⏠Grand Japan tour we had another full day with our wonderful guide Matsue around the beautiful city of Kyoto.
ad| Our first destination of the day was Fushimi Inari Shrine in southern Kyoto, dedicated to the Shinto god of rice, Inari. Famous for having thousands of torii gates, they form a network of trails up the hillside of the sacred Mount Inari. With the full trail being an uphill 4km walk taking around two hours to complete, we knew we wouldnât get round it all in the half hour of free time we had. But we did as much as we could in time we had making sure to pick up a tourist torii gate souvenir.
Then it was time to sample another Japanese beverage, this time of the alcoholic kind, as we made our way to a sake factory. After a short video on how to make sake we had a couple of samples to try. We must admit weâre still not sold on sake though we did enjoy the beer flight of beers brewed at the factory.
Our next destination was Japanâs oldest permanent capital, Nara, starting with a lunch stop. Feeling less adventurous than usual we both settled on a McDonalds as we had wanted to try a Samurai burger since we got here.
After lunch we had a short drive to the impressive Todai-ji temple. Until recently, Todai-jiâs main hall held the record as the worldâs largest wooden building (even though the present reconstruction from 1692 is only two-thirds the original size). Inside is dominated by a 15-metre-tall seated Buddha, one of Japanâs largest bronze Buddha statues. It really was the most impressive temple weâve ever seen.
Surrounding the temple is lovely parkland where masses of tame deer roam free. Considered for centuries to be messengers of the gods, the gentle deer are revered in the city and have even learnt to bow at visitors in return for a deer cookie.
After another long day we didnât head out far for dinner, stumbling upon a rather cool basement foodhall at Kyoto tower where after a nice G&T at the bar we enjoyed some delicious wagyu steaks at Nick Stones there.
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Weâre now a week into our âȘ@RivieratravelCoUk1⏠Grand Japan tour and finally starting to learn some of our fellow travellers names đ
ad| With 3 full days to explore Kyoto the first order of the day was to learn how to make matcha tea with a traditional tea ceremony at a local tea house. Once we were all seated our beautifully dressed tea master took us through the rituals of a tea ceremony, finishing up with the chance to sample some of the sweet treats that accompany the tea and then make our own matcha tea to taste - which, by the way, we loved!
From here we drove to the Golden Pavilion, which dates back to the classical Muromachi period of Japanese temple design and is exactly what it says it is - a temple coated in gold leaf. With blue skies and good weather it was perfectly reflected in the lake beneath it.
Next on this full day tour was the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, a maze of walkways lined with towering green bamboo columns. After walking through the bamboos we had the chance to wander the shopping centre and get some lunch at the railway station where we tried fried gyoza and pork shumai followed by a local favourite, Kori shaved ice flavoured with mango, delicious and refreshing.
Then we visited Nijo Castle, an iconic monument in the heart of Kyoto. Built in the 17th century, itâs famous for its unique wooden floors designed to creak like a nightingaleâs song, thus warning its occupants of any impending stealthy attack. The numerous rooms of the castle were decorated with Japanese murals and Tatami flooring but not much else leaving us pondering what life would have been like as a shogun with so few comforts.
Finally, we took a walking tour through Kyotoâs Gion district. Itâs the classic image of Japan and home to geisha and Helen was thrilled when we spotted some Maiko (trainee geisha) in taxi and then in one of the side streets.Â
What an action-packed and exhausting but unforgettable day exploring this multifaceted city.
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Day 6 of our âȘ@RivieratravelCoUk1⏠Grand Japan tour and itâs time to leave Hiroshima for the culture capital of Japan, Kyoto.
ad| As we werenât leaving Hiroshima until 9am we took the chance to wander up to the Peace clock in the Peace Park which every day at 8.15am, the time the atomic bomb exploded over the city, plays a chime to remind everyone of the horrors of nuclear weapons. It was very moving to just sit and listen with tourists and locals alike as the rest of the city seemed to fall quiet.
Having completely fallen in love with Hiroshima we were sad to leave but were excited about our next destination Kyoto. A four hour coach ride brought us to Kyoto, the old imperial capital of Kyoto where we had a four night stay.
On our way there we enjoyed a stop at Okayama, home to the serene Korakuen Gardens. Built in 1700, Korakuen is renowned as one of Japanâs most exquisite gardens, with various themed gardens, lakes, quirky bridges, shrines and teahouses.
Arriving at our hotel @kyoto_centuryhotel late afternoon we headed out to explore the station area over the road from the hotel. âA station!â you may say, but this is no ordinary station, itâs out of this world. Twelve stories of escalators, LED stairways, shops, foodhalls, restaurants, a roof garden and a skywalk - we spent over an hour wandering around finding our bearings.
Feeling peckish we decided to try a tonkatsu restaurant for a delicious dinner of miso soup, sticky rice, shredded cabbage and tempura pork, mine accompanied by a rather large prawn! It was another delicious meal and we managed it all with chopsticks.
We canât wait to show you more of Kyoto!
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Day 5 of our âȘ@RivieratravelCoUk1⏠Grand Japan tour and we woke up to glorious blue skies over the beautiful city of Hiroshima.
ad| After a leisurely breakfast we set of by coach to the south west of the city to catch a ten minute ferry across to the small island of Itsukushima in Hiroshima Bay, known to the locals as Miyajima, or âShrine Islandâ.
Once here we had a guided tour around the downtown area finishing off at the Itsukushima Shrine where we then had some free time. We decided to head down to the beach to see the famous giant Torii gate up close. Set in the sea at high tide it seems to float on the water, but since it was low tide we were able to get very close to it.
We then had some time to explore the tourist streets by foot sampling some Momiji Manju or Maple Leaf Cake. Shaped like a Japanese maple leaf (momiji), which Miyajima is famous for in autumn, it is Traditionally filled with sweet red bean paste which I tried, while Rich had a custard one. We then thought we would get a lemonade as island is well known for growing lemons but unfortunately Rich had his drink stolen by one of the rather forward deers that roam the island đđ
With our time on the island up we headed back to the ferry and back to our hotel for an included buffet lunch before a free afternoon. With such gorgeous weather we headed over the road to visit Hiroshima castle before taking a short stroll out of the city centre for a peaceful hour wandering the serene Shukkien Japanese gardens.
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Day 4 of our âȘ@RivieratravelCoUk1⏠Grand Japan tour and itâs time to head west to Hiroshima
ad| Leaving the Hakone hotel in pouring rain we headed to Mishima station where we boarded the Shinkansen bullet train to Hiroshima, negotiating a change at Kobe along the way. We covered over 455 Miles reaching speeds of 180mph, arriving into Hiroshima just after lunchtime.
With a quick stop at the hotel to drop our stuff off we set off on foot with our guide for a walking tour of this beautiful city. We walked from the conveniently located @rihgaroyalhotelhiroshima through the Peace park passing the Genbuko Dome, the Childrenâs Peace monument, the Peace Flame and the Peace Dome before a rather harrowing visit to the Peace Memorial museum.
Our guided tour over, we wandered back to the hotel via Hondori shopping street. Feeling peckish we stopped at the Okonomi-mura food precinct. Set over four floors these street food style ârestaurantsâ serve Hiroshimaâs famous speciality: Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. Cooked on teppanyaki style hot plates in front of us, chef starts with a pancake which is then layered up with cabbage, bean sprouts, bacon and noodles with seasoning from fish flakes and seaweed powder. Topped with a fried egg coated with a special terriyaki type thick sauce and more seasoning mine was finished off with spring onions. We were then given a sharp palette knife type cutting utensil which we ate the okonomiyaki straight off of. It was delicious and all for about ÂŁ7 each.
Heading back to the hotel in time to enjoy the view as the sun set over Hiroshima castle from our room on the 22nd floor, we were glad we had another day to spend in this wonderful city.
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Day 3 of our âȘ@RivieratravelCoUk1⏠Grand Japan tour and itâs time to say goodbye to Tokyo.
ad| This was the day that we hoped to catch a glimpse of Mount Fuji but with heavy clouds as we left Tokyo we were not all that hopeful. We had about two hours on the coach to get to our next destination Hakone and about an hour in we caught a glimpse of Fujisanâs shoulder through the clouds.
Our guide Masa decided to change the order of our tour in the hope that the clouds would clear over the mountain later in the morning. So we headed first to the Kubota Itchiku Art Museum dedicated to the Kimono artist Itchiku Kubota who devoted his whole life to reviving the lost art of Tsujigahana silk dyeing. The museum exhibited a number of his amazing kimono workpieces and was itself set in beautiful woodland.
After our museum tour we boarded the coach again to head to Lake Kawaguchi for the picture perfect shot of Mount Fuji. But alas it was not meant to be - we could only see the base of the mountain. However we enjoyed a delicious ice cream flavoured with red and green grapes while we waited patiently to see if the skies would clear. They didnât!
Eventually we had to give up and leave but a stop to pick up some lunch at a local supermarket rewarded us with a glimpse of her peak.
Next, we headed south to the mountain resort of Hakone and Lake Ashi for an unusual sightseeing cruise aboard the Japanese version of a 19th-century pirate ship which would take us from one point on the lake to our hotel a bit further down. The lake side hotel was a short walk from where we disembarked the pirate ship (not a sentence we expected to write on a tour of Japan đđđ).
As the entire area around the hotel is geo-thermally active, we had the chance to try one of Japanâs unmissable experiences â bathing in an âonsenâ, or hot spring, at the hotel, which Helen did as a soon as we arrived (no pics of that Iâm afraid - no swim wear allowed đ).
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Welcome! We are British couple Rich and Helen, full time cruise and travel content creators, focusing on luxury and expedition cruising.
Since late 2018 we have been documenting our cruise and travel adventures, finally making the decision to leave our previous careers in 2020 to concentrate solely on our YouTube channel, website and other media outlets.
Our aim is to inform, advise, entertain and share our extensive knowledge and experience of cruising around the world.
Every second of our content is 100% original and from our own cameras. If we don't experience it ourselves, it doesn't go in our channel.
Thank you for visiting, please consider subscribing and WELCOME to the big, beautiful world of Visit With Us!