We are Jasper and Barbara and we created this website as a means to inspire anyone who likes to travel the same way we do. We prefer to travel low budget, staying in guesthouses and taking public transport.

While we love nature and mountains a city with a good antique market, book shops, brutalist architecture and local food is just as high on our list.

The images you see are our view on the places we have seen and the people we have met.

about

4 weeks

23.10.2024 ---- 24.11.2024

JAPAN HARDLY NEEDS any promotion. Touching ground in the capital was exciting and also a bit scary. Our general state of overwhelm in Tokyo gradually shifted to a slower pace as we travelled along Honshu. Slowed down by the beauty of Japanese autumn and the art of public bathing our minds and bodies revived. All the while, the art and architecture lovers in us thrived on the oeuvre of Tadao Ando and Yoshio Taniguchi. This all while adjusting our standard of politeness, with a little confusion while slurping Tsukemen.

japan

5 + 3 days

Tokyo

5 days

Michinoku Coastal Trail

3 days

Japanese Alps

2,5 days

Kanazawa

4 days

Kyoto

3 days

Osaka

2 days

Art Islands

2 days

Hiroshima

itinerary

01

Capital

Tokyo

02

Population

124.5 million

03

Location

East Asia

04

Area

378 thousand km²

highlights

Arts islands

Photo taking is prohibited in a lot of the museums and this makes the experience all the mind blowing. We enjoyed both Naoshima and Teshima. Favourites were the Teshima Art Museum, Chichu Art museum and the Minamidera Art House Project. You don't even have to be an art lover to really enjoy what the islands have to offer since most of the installations are about experiencing space or the artworks in relation to the space.

Hiking in the Japanese Alps

Kamikochi seems to be the central hub to start many hikes in the Japanese Alps. At first the big crowds scared us a little, but they fade away gradually the further you hike. The autumn folliage side by side with the Azusa river was the ideal autumn scene. We stayed in Norikura Kogen, a village less than an hour away, with the advantage that the next day we had another walk in different autumn colours.

Oedo antique market

This antique market usually takes place every first and third Sunday. Sellers truly value the items they sell and display them in a way that make you want to buy everything. We found prices to be negotiable. If you happen to be in Kyoto at the right time though, according to a local the Heian antique market is the best in the country.

Bathing culture

There really is nothing better than relaxing in a public bath after a long and hard day's work. Most hotels even have one. The water is hot, but you feel wonderful afterwards.