January in Japan
I spent January 2012 Tokyo, Japan interning at a Japanese advertising agency. Beforehand I spent some time in Osaka and Kyoto, the region where I studied abroad in 2010. Here are some highlights of my travels.
Kiyomizudera 清水寺
Kiyomizu is one of the oldest, most beautiful, and most popular temples in Kyoto. It was constructed entirely without the use of nails. Legend has it that if you jump off the deck and survive the 13 meter fall, your life dream will come true. Full post here.
Osaka Aquarium 海遊館
In Japanese, the Osaka Aquarium is called the ocean (海) play (遊) building (館), and it certainly lives up to its name. I went there with one of my friends I met while studying abroad and saw more sea creatures than I think I ever have in one place at a time. Full post here.
Hatsumōde in Nara 奈良の初詣
For the ritual of Hatsumōde, the first shrine visiting of the year, my wonderfully generous friend Shintaro’s family took me to Nara, home to the biggest Buddha statue in the world and an army of ill-tempered deer. Full post here.
Fushimi Inari Taisha 伏見稲荷大社
A place I never got the chance to visit while I was studying abroad, Fushimi Inari is home to over 1000 tori gates. Full post here.
Umeda Sky Building 梅田スカイビル
One of the tallest buildings in the Osaka skyline, it has a 360-degree observatory at the top.
Tokyo Skyline
One day I traveled over to Odaiba, a man-made island in Tokyo bay that houses the Fuji TV Headquarters.