日本旅行
A trip through Japan
Photos from a journey through Japan in the spring of 2019.
30
April
2019
東京
Tokyo
Neon lights, alleyways, lots of people and delicious food.
Golden Gai district — a little section of narrow streets and cafes and bars that are packed together. These bars often consist of no more than 10 seats, placed directly in front of the bartender.
Akihabara — a district solely devoted to all things electronic and anime. From retro computers to the newest tech and fringe vinyl toys, you will find it here.
Shinjuku Omoide Yokocho — a labyrinth of bars and cafes in small smokey alleys. You're sitting half on the street with crowds of people walking around you and restaurant owners work like crazy to get your food prepared on time.
Yanaka — a traditional neighbourhood of Tokyo. In contrast with most districts of metropolitan Tokyo, this area has old buildings, a relaxed atmosphere, and no hype whatsoever.
05
May
2019
金沢市
Kanazawa
Kenroku-en garden is one of the top three gardens of Japan. Its neighbouring castle has been rebuilt many times.
Kenroku-en garden (Six Attributes Garden) is one of the top three gardens of Japan. It follows the six characteristics of a perfect landscape: spaciousness, seclusion, artifice, antiquity, waterways, and panoramas.
The castle of Kanazawa has been destroyed by fire many times. Every time it has been rebuilt. It still uses the same innovative timber constructions as in the old times. The roof is made of lead, turned white by being exposed to carbon dioxide. Some say it's for aesthetic purposes, others say it was used as stock to be melted into weaponry when needed.
08
May
2019
指宿市
Ibusuki
A sleepy city with black, volcanically heated sand spas
It's really sleepy at night. It's dark and there aren't many people around except for a few taxi drivers.
09
May
2019
屋久島
Yakushima
A magical rainforest on a subtropical island. Locals say it rains 35 days a month.
Shiratani Unsuikyo — a lush, green, moss covered forest with ancient cedar trees. The forest was used as inspiration for the movie Princess Mononoke.
The forest somehow has an otherworldy feel to it. Branches curl around and worn out trees give the impression the forest has a hidden life of its own.
Yakushima has a lot of ancient trees (Yakusugi) that are more than 1000 years old. High rainfall and low soil nutrition forced these trees to grow very slowly, but they built up high amounts of resin, which protects them from decay.
11
May
2019
長崎市
Nagasaki
Vibrant, open-minded city on the sea-side
Shian-bashi — a mix of izakayas, expensive cars and seedy bars. Very much alive at night.
12
May
2019
ハウステンボス
Huis Ten Bosch
A replica of an entire typical Dutch village as a Japanese theme park
Every Dutch building houses a Japanese attraction, like a robot diner or a virtual reality roller coaster.
Huis Ten Bosch is largely made of imported tiles and material from the Netherlands. It really looks and feels like a hyper-perfect Dutch village. Until you notice the surrounding mountain landscape.
13
May
2019
端島
Hashima
Hashima, or Gunkanjima (Battleship Island), an abandoned island with undersea coal mines.
The island was continuously inhabited from 1887 onwards with the sole purpose to mine coal. It housed more than 5250 people around its peak in 1959. The mine was closed in 1974 and the island has been abandoned ever since.
To support the workers, apartment blocks were built, along with a hospital, community centre and schools for their families. They've built a cinema, a swimming pool and rooftop gardens.
14
May
2019
京都
Kyoto
Cultural capital of Japan, a temple on every corner
Jōjakkō-ji Temple is one of the more quiet temples in this area. You can climb up a couple of stairs to have a nice view of the green surroundings.
The Nishiki Market is packed with little food shops. Its surrounding area is less crowded and you can find some nice coffee places and fancy shops there.
15
May
2019
直島町
Naoshima
A group of islands around Naoshima hosts the Setouchi Art Triennale
Every three years, the islands in the Setouchi area host an art festival. You can hop from island to island and jump on a bike to discover art works that are scattered around the area.
18
May
2019
大阪
Osaka
City of street food
The Dōtonbori district is famous for its abundance of street food restaurants.
International and Japanese tourists alike visit these streets to indulge in all the food Osaka has to offer.
Around Shinsaibashi you will find second hand fashion, and a bit further down the streets some boutiques. People dress more expressive here.