The theme for this weekend is from a country you have visited or a favorite place in your country that you have visited. I'm sharing postcards for the former.
Last November 2016, I traveled to Japan with my partner and four other friends. Our first destination was the old capital of Japan, Kyoto.
I would admit that I was faked in a kinda ignorant way by women walking around in kimono. I thought these are real Japanese women who roam around as part of their local tourism board initiatives. But then, I came to a realization that many of them are tourists who have rented a kimono for the day. Many boutiques offer such experience including photo shoots.
I can still remember how delighted I was when I received this postcard and the explanation behind the photo back in December 2016. This was one of the fishes we were wondering about the name when we're in our Japan holiday. It's a narrow and long fish with not much flesh but very tasty. It was explained by the postcard sender that this fish is locally called as autumn sword fish or sanma. Its common name is Pacific saury.
Nikko, our second destination in Japan is a town renowned for lavishly decorated shrines and temples. On this postcard is the heavily decorated Yomei-mon Gate at the Toshogu Shrine. It was under renovation and covered by scaffolding and while plastic drapes when we were there. Nonetheless, the rest of the place was equally astonishing. More details about this UNESCO WHS can be found here.
Our third and final destination was the bustling and busy capital city of Tokyo. The atmosphere was a stark contrast with that of Kyoto and Nikko. Tokyo was a maze of tall buildings, colorful neon lights at night, and people on the go regardless of the time of the day.
Last November 2016, I traveled to Japan with my partner and four other friends. Our first destination was the old capital of Japan, Kyoto.
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| Postcard sent to self from Kyoto, Japan 13 November 2016, Traveled 5,368 km |
I would admit that I was faked in a kinda ignorant way by women walking around in kimono. I thought these are real Japanese women who roam around as part of their local tourism board initiatives. But then, I came to a realization that many of them are tourists who have rented a kimono for the day. Many boutiques offer such experience including photo shoots.
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| JP-905949, Sent from Saitama, Japan Traveled 5,368 km in 17 days |
I can still remember how delighted I was when I received this postcard and the explanation behind the photo back in December 2016. This was one of the fishes we were wondering about the name when we're in our Japan holiday. It's a narrow and long fish with not much flesh but very tasty. It was explained by the postcard sender that this fish is locally called as autumn sword fish or sanma. Its common name is Pacific saury.
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| Postcard sent to self from Nikko, Japan 16 November 2016, Traveled 5,368 km |
Nikko, our second destination in Japan is a town renowned for lavishly decorated shrines and temples. On this postcard is the heavily decorated Yomei-mon Gate at the Toshogu Shrine. It was under renovation and covered by scaffolding and while plastic drapes when we were there. Nonetheless, the rest of the place was equally astonishing. More details about this UNESCO WHS can be found here.
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| Postcard sent to self from Tokyo, Japan 20 November 2016, Traveled 5,368 km |
Our third and final destination was the bustling and busy capital city of Tokyo. The atmosphere was a stark contrast with that of Kyoto and Nikko. Tokyo was a maze of tall buildings, colorful neon lights at night, and people on the go regardless of the time of the day.
Japan was a balance of relaxation with the charm of the old world in Kyoto and Nikko, and adventure with the action-filled urban atmosphere of Tokyo.
Happy weekend everyone! Looking forward, as always, to see the postcards you're sharing for this weekend's theme.
~maria
Lovely postcards from Japan; and a nice idea to send cards "to self". I often bought postcards to put into my photo albums (together with my own photos). But I don't think I ever sent them to myself by post. :)
ReplyDeleteI've been to both Kyoto and Nikko and love them. I rarely spend any time in Tokyo as my husband doesn't like going there. I would love to explore more, but he doesn't want to! I'm glad that you enjoyed your trip to Japan.
ReplyDeleteNext time I hope you come further north and see a different side of Japan! Great cards, thanks for posting them.
I love your post and the explanations. Japan is a dreamed destination, but so far away from home that I am not sure that I could visit that country ever.
ReplyDeleteJapan has long been #1 on my list of countries I would love to visit.
ReplyDeleteI laughed at your story of the 'fake kimono wearing Japanese'! I would probably have thought the same as you.
Hi Maria, I enjoyed your cards from Japan! Had to smile about the tourist ladies wearing the kimonos. They do take their travel seriously, don’t they? :-) The card from Toshogu Shrine is wonderful. Thanks for the link for more information. The UNESCO World Heritage Sites are a source of fascination for me. There is a neat list of all sites on Wikipedia here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_World_Heritage_Sites
ReplyDeleteLastly, someday I hope to see Tokyo in person. Your card is great! Thanks for sharing and, as always, for hosting! Wishing you a fine week ahead.
A fascinating country which always looks beautiful on postcards.
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