I flew from Hong Kong to the old Tokyo International airport at Haneda and took the monorail into town. Since I had a Japan Rail Pass I decided to get moving. First I went down to Nagoya to visit a friend and took a side trip to Kyoto. Then I headed all the way up north and spent almost two weeks touring the island of Hokkaido. Then it was back to Tokyo and on to Korea.
Ryoan-ji Temple, Kyoto. This is a Zen temple in Kyoto with a famous rock garden.
Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto. The Gold Pavilion. One of the buildings in the Rokuon-ji (Deer Garden Temple) in Kyoto. Covered with pure gold leaf. The original of this structure dates from the 13th century, but was burned down by a deranged monk in the 1950's and rebuilt. The building houses relics of Buddha.
Kyoto
Kyoto
Fall flowers, Kyoto
Fall colors. Kyoto
Kyoto
Kyoto
Aomori Bay. I took the bullet train (Shinkansen) from Kyoto to Tokyo and then an ordinary overnight train from Tokyo to the northern port city of Aomori. From Aomori I took a ferry to the port city of Hokkaido, Hakodate. Now that the Sein Tunnel is open this ferry service no longer exists.
Aomori Harbor. The ferry across the straight here took about four hours. There was lots of floor space to crash out on and the typical amusements.
Japanese inn, Hokkaido
This is a typical rural railway station in Hokkaido. So uncrowded compared with the rest of Japan.
Birch Trees, Hokkaido
Rural road, Hokkaido
Hot springs, Akan National Park, Hokkaido
Hot springs, Akan National Park, Hokkaido
Lake Akan. This volcanic lake, located in Akan National Park, is home to the famous spherical algae called "Marimo". There are a number of hot spring resorts in the area.
Lake Mashu, Akan National Park, Hokkaido
Small Hokkaido village.
Lake Akan
Ainu Home - The indigenous people of Hokkaido are called Ainu. Their culture and language are quite distinct from the ethnic Japanese. They sometimes hide their identity to avoid racial discrimination.
Rural road, Hokkaido
Lake Akan
Lake Kussharo - Akan National Park
Nap on the train
Japanese Inn, Sapporo
Hokkaido
Hokkaido
Fishing nets, Hokkaido
Fishing boats, Hokkaido
From Hokkaido I headed back to Tokyo by train. This is some gate hardware at, I think, the Imperial Palace
Tokyo
Tokyo
Panda. Ueno Zoo, Tokyo
Ueno Zoo, Tokyo
Stone wall, Tokyo (Imperial Palace?)
Pachingo Parlor, Tokyo
Shopping street, Tokyo
Tokyo Tower
Tokyo garden. From Tokyo I flew on to Seoul.
| Introduction | England | Scotland | Europe |
| Turkey | Iran | Afghanistan | Pakistan |
| India 1 | India 2 | Nepal | Burma |
| Thailand | Malaysia/Singapore | Indonesia 1 | Indonesia 2 |
| Hong Kong | Macau | Japan | Korea |
Photographs and text copyright Michael Newman and William Garsden: 2024