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Iwaki

Kyoto and Iwaki

Matthew Alfred Jones

• 2 min read
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View from Kiyomizu-dera across Kyoto at sunset, with Yasaka Pagoda rising above autumn trees, historic buildings and distant mountains beneath a colourful evening sky.
Photo by Su San Lee / Unsplash

Right so it is now 21 days (3 weeks) till I be in the air heading from Abu Dhabi towards Narita Airport. So now seems like a good time to come out with another post and without further ado here we go!!!

Nagoya - Nagashima Spa Land

Tempozan Harbor Village in Osaka, featuring the giant Tempozan Ferris Wheel, waterfront marina, modern buildings and blue skies filled with scattered white clouds.
Photo by Gabriel Burgos / Unsplash

Between traveling from Osaka to Kyoto which is only a 13 min ride on the Shinkansen I will also be travelling to Nagoya to channel my inner thrill seeker and go to a theme park which has some fun and quite big rides. I can't wait to go on the Steel Dragon 2000 which goes at about 95mph. There is also a fireworks festival.

Kyoto - Old and Traditional Capital City of Japan

Evening view across Kyoto's Higashiyama district, with traditional tiled rooftops, illuminated streets and Yasaka Pagoda rising above the city against distant mountains.
Photo by Daisy Chen / Unsplash

Kyoto is a major tourist hotspot and is also the cultural capital of Japan which is no surprise as it is home to a bunch of things like different Buddhist Temples, Shinto Shrines, The Imperial Palace and loads more.

A bunch of thing on my to do list for Kyoto are:
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove - A bamboo forest with pathways running through it and it is near a monkey park as well.
Amanohashidate - A town north of Kyoto which has a big massive sandbank and amazing views out towards the sea of Japan.
Kyoto Railway Museum - Museum with loads of history about the Japanese railways.
Mount Kurama - A nice hike up and about a 584m mountain with a shrine on it.
Oban - Japanese national day of the dead remembering those who passed on since the last Oban festival occurred. Also has fireworks and in Kyoto there is a special one.

Iwaki

This city is located 33 miles south of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power plant and is quite a mountainous area with hidden gorges and parks nearby. While I am there, I will be visiting the Spa Resort Hawaiians which is a waterpark that comes highly recommended and boasts the largest open air hot spring in Japan.