Matt's Travel Blog – An Englishman in Japan (Again!) (Page 2)

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Sign for the Wieliczka Salt Mine featuring two miners holding tools on either side of the mine's emblem, mounted on a white wall.

Wieliczka

The Salt Mines - Wieliczka 3th August After resting for a day, I went to Wieliczka which is about 30 mins from where I was staying to go to the salt mines there. They have been used for more than 700 years, since the Middle Ages and only about 2% of

Poland and Germany

Poland and Germany

Well, it was time to go to Poland, and this trip was a lot less planned than Japan was, but I did get to do most of what I wanted to do. Flying to Poland 29th July First off, the flight and the Schengen zone. This was my first trip

The Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) and the Palace of Westminster in London, viewed across Westminster Bridge beneath a dramatic sky filled with large clouds.

Mini Trip to London

Hello everyone, this is a little blog about my long weekend trip to London and some of the things that I got up to. Originally, I was planning to just come down and see the Spirited Away stage show, but I decided to turn it into a long weekend away.

Close-up photograph of a globe focused on Europe, showing countries including Poland, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, with city names.

So What’s Next?

Hello everyone, you probably haven't heard from me for a while and if you haven't then you might have been wondering what I will be doing next. Last year I decided that it was time to look up cheap holidays during the summer and Krakow, Poland

Office desk with a laptop on a stand, wireless keyboard, calculator, notebook and printed business charts displaying graphs and performance metrics.

Japan Finance and What is Next

Hi all, well you might notice some changes to the website over the next few months, but more on that in a bit. So, my budget for Japan was £4,500 which I actually stuck too (not including the extra flight home that I had to book) and here is

Illuminated festival float decorated with lanterns and carvings, paraded through the streets of Kazuno at night, accompanied by musicians and participants in traditional dress.

Towada and My Final Nights Away

So here we are now going towards my final few nights in Japan and as much as most people usually say it when on holiday, I really don’t want to go back home. There is so much to discover out here that I deffo want to come back and

Preserved steam locomotive No. 233 on display inside the Kyoto Railway Museum, featuring a black boiler, red buffer beam and historic railway exhibits surrounding the engine.

Osaka/Kyoto Part 2

I called this one Osaka/Kyoto part 2, but I may as well have named it Kyoto part 2 as I didn’t really do anything else in Osaka, but at least it gives me more of an excuse to come back to Japan again (Something I am already looking

Spa Resort Hawaiians mascot in a hula outfit, surrounded by tropical decorations, carved figures and a beach backdrop inside the resort.

Iwaki and Hakodate

Time to go to Iwaki 17th August Today it was time to move on from Tokyo to Iwaki in Fukushima Prefecture. Iwaki is about 30 miles south of the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant where the disaster happened back in 2011 with the Tohoku Earthquake (9.0-9.1 magnitude) which

Exterior of Matsue Castle showing black wooden walls, white plaster sections, defensive window shutters and a large stone foundation beneath an overcast sky.

Matsue and Sakaiminato

I am sorry that this one has taken so long to get out. Due to an unstable internet connection meaning that I lost about half of this post and an incoming typhoon meaning I have had to change some plans around and move my schedule up too. I am also

The Dapper Dans barbershop quartet perform on Main Street at Tokyo Disneyland, entertaining guests from a white wheeled bandstand with Cinderella Castle visible in the distance.

Back to Tokyo – The Unexpected Trip Back

So back to Tokyo it is then unexpectedly, but it was better to get out of the typhoon’s way then to stay where it was going, especially after looking at the news and the damage it has caused. So, on the 14th I moved back to Tokyo literally a

Group photo at an Indian restaurant in Japan, with language café participants gathered together, posing for a picture after a cultural exchange event.

Osaka/Kyoto Part 1 - Osaka, Kyoto and Nara

Hello again everyone this time I am off to Osaka to have some fun. Moving to Osaka Day 10th August Getting to Osaka was quite easy, but also fun, why you ask well, it was a long trip back through the mountains to Okayama where I had to change to

Typhoon forecast map showing a projected storm track across Japan, with forecast circles indicating possible positions over five days and a timestamp of Aug. 11, 15:00.

Sorry

Just a quick update. I am sorry that the Matsue post and Osaka part 1 are behind. There is currently a typhoon heading towards me and I am trying to pack everything in before it hits here.

Lanterns float on the Motoyasu River in Hiroshima at night during a memorial ceremony, with the Atomic Bomb Dome and city lights reflected in the water.

Hiroshima and Miyajima

Moving Day Again 4th August So, I won’t bore you with the details about bullet trains again, but there was another nice Ekiben involved. Today was the day I moved on from Nagasaki to Hiroshima which took just less than 3 hours. By bullet trains and limited express trains.

Nagasaki Station sign displaying the station name in Japanese and English, with additional location information visible on a platform within the railway station.

Onward to Nagasaki

770 Miles on Japans Rail Network 2nd August So, a few days ago I got my first taste of a bullet train as I can say, flipping heck, they don’t half go fast. To put things in perspective, Motorway speed in the UK is 70MPH which equates to about

Tokyo Disneyland entrance arch decorated with a 40th Dream-Go-Round anniversary banner featuring Mickey and Minnie Mouse beneath a cloudy sky at the park entrance.

Onward to See More of Tokyo and DisneySea!

I am sitting here on the Shinkansen heading towards Nagasaki (well Shin-Kobe as that is where I change trains) travelling at about 260-270 KPH (161-168 MPH) in my green class car and on the free Wi-Fi which is again awesome!!!! Exploring a Bit of Tokyo 31st

Visitor standing behind large FUJIYAMA letters at Fujiyama Tower, with Mount Fuji rising in the background above forests and scattered clouds on a clear day.

The First Few Days!

So, I am starting to write this on the way to Fuji-Q highlands which is a 2-hour journey. The Aircon and free Wi-Fi on the bus is awesome. Update - Managed to sort out the photos on the Shinkansen Wi-Fi and had to reset the web server.

Person wearing glasses, a light blue shirt and wireless earbuds takes a selfie indoors under blue lighting, with geometric wall designs and a fire exit sign visible behind.

Abu Dhabi Airport

First Stop!!

So today I woke up in the morning with a strange feeling, today is the day I travel!!!! I have never been a fan of take-off and landing when it comes to airplanes, but the rest of the time was a brilliant and wonderful time. I ordered a Priority

Green rice fields stretch across a rural Japanese valley, with scattered houses, irrigation channels and forested mountains under a bright blue sky with drifting clouds.

The Last Days Before Japan!

Hello again, so it is now just over 7 days till I fly, and the nerves are starting to kick off now. So, this is the end of my blog until I get to Japan or at least until I hit Abu Dhabi. Sendai - Modern city founded in 1600 by

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.

Kyoto and Iwaki

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 Between traveling from Osaka

Stone walls and moat surrounding Matsue Castle, with historic wooden castle buildings, pine trees and calm green water reflecting the landscape on an overcast day.

Matsue (The Place You Probably Haven't Heard of) and Osaka

Hello everyone, scary thought is that in 4 weeks’ time I will be in the air heading towards Tokyo *panic*. So without further ado, I will be going over what stuff I will be doing when I stay in Matsue Matsue - Capital of Shimane Prefecture Matsue is a city all

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Atomic Bomb Dome), a preserved brick and concrete structure with its distinctive steel dome frame, standing beside the Motoyasu River under clear skies.

Nagasaki and Hiroshima

So it has been about 10 days since the last post was published and it has been quite a busy time finishing off what I want to do in Japan (I have quite an extensive itinerary, which I am sure won't all go to plan). Now I am

Tokyo Tower illuminated at dusk above the city skyline, surrounded by high-rise buildings, busy streets and distant views of Tokyo Bay beneath a cloudy evening sky.

Abu Dhabi Airport

Tokyo

Yo everyone, so I know I am bit late posting this, so without further delays, I want to tell you a little about what I will be doing in Tokyo and how I will be getting there. After I travel out of Manchester Airport it will be about 20 hours

Close-up of a wooden hourglass with blue sand resting on pebbles, symbolising time passing, travel preparation and the anticipation of an upcoming journey.

Where Has the Time Gone!

Well, here I am sitting in front of my computer looking forward to my week off work but hang on! Since when was It only 60 days till I arrive in Japan!!! When I was starting a countdown for Japan it was 250 days, time really does fly and I