Added visas: £250
Sri lanka: £200 (£17/day)
India: £798 (£22/day)
Bangladesh: £77 (£26/day)
Myanmar: £309 (£21/day)
Thailand: £667 (£23/day)
Laos: £270 (£27/day)
Malaysia: £489 (£22/day)
Singapore: £235 (£47/day)
Indonesia: £745 (£28/day)
Australia: £1356 (£52/day)
New Zealand: n/a
The Philippines: £387 (£26/day)
South Korea: £285 (£41/day)
Japan: £1624 (£54/day)
After 9 months, 15 countries and thousands of miles, it’s such a sweet feeling to be back home again. This adventure has brought me moments of utter nirvana, periods of great loneliness and months of unceasing amazement.
Travel has always been an intrinsic part of who I am, a passion on which much of my own identity is built, much like a painter at the canvas, or a musician on stage. This is because from a very young age, my wonderful parents showed me, through travel, that materials don’t bring you happiness, experiences do. We never had a flashy car or huge house, but we did go on some amazing adventures, and I never knew it at the time, but I was being given a gift far more valuable than anything that can be wrapped in christmas paper and a ribbon.
Though this journey was only 260 days, it has felt more like 3 or 4 years. This is the effect of new experiences and places. When we travel, our minds have to take in so much more, and create so many new memories and connections, that our time on earth is, in effect, extended. Exploring and adventuring in essence give you a longer and richer life. Not only that, but a life in which you can say that you have experienced, that you have seen and touched and tasted and smelled all of the good and the bad on our disgusting, beautiful rock hurtling through time and space. As an atheist, this is what I believe life is for – to exhaust the real of the possible.
Lastly, I wanted to say thank you to the endless numbers of wonderful and delightful adventurers that I met out there in the wide world. They were an inspiration to me when I felt my desire and energy wane, they taught me so much about my world that I never knew, and they showed me a new perspective on life, a lesson I will never forget. I also want to mention the ones I will probably never be able to contact again. This world is full of kind, loving, generous people, and if ever you get depressed or down about how your world is presented to you in the media, full of terrible politicians and greedy millionaires, go and meet the world. Meet the other people who share this planet with us, and I promise you, it’ll make you feel proud to be human.
I remember being at the end of my last backpacking trip (a month through Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand), when I was in Bangkok, about to fly home and all of my being just wanted to continue, to go south to Malaysia and beyond.
Arriving in Tokyo last week, I felt much the same, in a surreal haze of disbelief that my greatest of adventures will end here. But as a place for the last stop of this glorious journey, Tokyo gave me a send off, the likes of which can only be managed by this world’s most intoxicating and effervescent cities.
As any self respecting animé fan will tell you, Tokyo is home to one of the world’s great manga and animé hubs, Akihaba. This area hosts a huge range of stores, cafes and stands dedicated to electronic goods and next-generation games. I spent an enjoyable afternoon here uncovering the gems hidden in this labyrinthine shopping experience. North-east of this area is the looming tokyo skytree, a huge tower under which is a delightfully Japanese shopping mall; hosting its own pokémon centre, ghibli shop and animé booths.
The ghibli shop enchanted me beyond compare, the products sending waves of nostalgia through me, so much so that I caved in and put a reservation on an expensive, but wonderfully crafted Laputa robot from Ghibli’s tremendous film ‘Castle in the Sky’. Skytree lit up as the sun went down, giving me a fitting end to my first day’s rambles.
Exploring this city by foot is impossible, even for me, so I generously employed the ¥600 24h metro passes available at all metro stations. I explored Tokyo Midtown, Tokyo tower and even managed to find the famous Miyazaki designed clock at the Nippon tv tower. The clock is reminiscent of Miyazaki’s ghibli creation, Howl’s Moving Castle. Ghibli enthusiasts and tourists alike gather for the mechanical movements and anamatronic routine that the clock performs every ten minutes.
My time in Tokyo was punctuated with meet ups with a few friends who live in the city. One evening I met up with Chris, a french guy I’d met in Brighton, a few months before my journey started, and he took me to a drinking den in Golden Gai, where the bars are intimately sized, with no more than 6 or 7 seats, and we spent a lovely evening meeting locals and visitors alike. Golden gai is an expensive place to drink, but the conversation and sociability more than makes up for the ¥800 beers.
The next day, I got taken around by Shimon, a friend I’d met as a teenager, just before the University years. We met at the famous Shibuya crossing, where we caught up overlooking the throng of padestrians crossing the famous roads. He took me through Shibuya’s back streets, a varied collection of lanes with the quirkiest of Tokyos shops, and featuring the famous Takeshita Street, where you can spot the latest bizarre Japanese trends.
In the afternoon, we met up with Erica, a university friend (fun fact: all three of us were born in the same hospital) and a few of her friends at Tsukiji Market where fish is traded early in the morning. We all enjoyed a delightful feast of sashimi in one of the backstreets, and finished our evening with a drink on a balcony bar of the Marunouchi Building.
I was based in the area of Shinjuku, home of the busiest rail station in the world (by footfall), and so many of the city’s best sights were in walking distance. One of my last days was spent walking south to the Meiji shrine near Shibuya. This temple is surrounded by a huge forested park, allowing you to escape Tokyo’s intensity for a few hours.
Also close by was the Tokyo Government Metropolitan Building, where you can view Tokyo from the 45th floor without having to pay a single Yen. Taking the liberty with this, I spent three sunsets up there, watching the greys, blues and greens of the city turn to burnished orange as the sun crept down below the western mountains.
For my final day, I explored the Shinjuku Gyoen national gardens. This was my favourite of Tokyo’s parks as its personality reminded me of central park, with the skyscrapers looming beyond the trees, yet with a sense that you were enveloped by nature. The best area of the park is certainly the Japanese traditional garden in the south-west corner, a world of bridges, ponds and bamboo groves.
Following my nature detox at Gyoen, I headed East to one of Tokyo’s most popular tourist attractions, Asakusa. Here one will find gleaming red pagodas, shrines and lanterns, flanked with markets selling everything from toy Katanas to wasabi kitkats (seriously, try it, better than it sounds).
So now as I lay my head down for my final night’s sleep in Japan, thinking of my journey home tomorrow, I feel a huge sense of achievement. I have travelled for 9 months, mostly on my own, through 15 countries to Japan’s capital. I cannot begin to process the whole trip, so I think I will leave that for another day.
Thank you Japan – Jané!
On the outskirts of Osaka is the small town of Nara, nestled next to a huge park of the friendliest and funniest deer you’d ever hope to meet. Forget animal cafes, these are the real deal, wild yet friendly deer.
You can buy a pack of biscuits fit for their consumption from various vendors in the park for a reasonable ¥150, and as soon as you are spotted with them, the deer will make a beeline (or should I say deerline) for you.
This cheeky fella followed me for at least 10 minutes nudging me, politely inquiring whether the biscuits were for him. So giving in, we shared a picnic on the grassy slopes, discussing the weather and the political climate.
Nara is a great day out from Osaka, but I actually stayed there for a few nights to get the city air out of my lungs. I fancied another mountain climb, and Nara can provide for those with such urges with its own Mt Wakakusa, accessible from Nara park, and after a hot woodland ascent, you are rewarded with a panoramic view of Osaka and Nara, even as far as Kyoto to the north.
After departing Nara, I took a local train to Kyoto to get my final Shinkansen bullet train to Tokyo. This section of rail treats you to inspiring views of the mountain country, and I was lucky enough to be treated to a glimpse of the iconic Mt Fuji as I left the west of Japan behind.
After Kyoto, I spent a few days in the megacity of Osaka, Japan’s second largest metropolis. I was here for the food, the history, and the universal studios. The latter was my first destination after arriving in the city, and it didn’t fail to deliver.
My main motivation for visiting the studios was the harry potter world, and I spent hours in the Hogsmeade area, browsing the wand shops, book stores, and enjoying a nice cold mug of butter beer. I then went on a tour of Hogwarts, including a dramatic 4D ride that has to be experienced to be believed.
Having spent the day on rollercoasters, in theme shops and watching shows, I ended with an irresistable photo opportunity with the armoured titan from the ‘Attack on Titan’ anime. The studios have recreated a life sized model of the titan, an intimidating and impressive spectacle to end a great day with.
Osaka of course is famed for its street food, and I was lucky enough to have secured a capsule pod in the Dotonbori area. Here is where you can find Okonomiyaki, Takoyaki, curry, katsu sticks and all sorts of Japanese delights. My stomach was truly swollen each night as I laid down to rest.
On my last day in the city, I treated myself to an animal cafe, specifically the owl family cafe. Here you can interact with small, medium and large sized owls for ¥1,500 (£10) for an hour. It was a delightful experience to be so close to these charming avians, and my particular favourite (Nana, a little owl), had a great time perching on my head.
From Himeji, I made my way to the ancient capital of the Shoguns – Kyoto. As soon as I arrived, I could tell that this city was different. It’s low rise buildings, twisted, narrow streets and shrines dotted around every corner spoke of a place of history.
After arriving at my hostel, I made my way to the famous Fushimi Inari-Taisha. The shrine at the base of a mountain is pretty, particularly in the setting sun, but it is when you begin along the trail behind it when the adventure begins. The path becomes a tunnel of red arches, guiding you through the cool forest, up the mountain and above the city. This pilgrim’s trail has a spiritual presence, a sense that this path has been trodden by thousands before you. As I climbed, the sun got lower and lower, so I arrived at the top as the light was turning orange, setting the tunnel on fire.
Kyoto is famous for its bamboo grove in Arashiyama, so the next day I took a train to the western edge of the city to see it for myself. The bamboo grove is spectacular, there are no two ways about it, and best enjoyed early in the morning before the crowds arrive. There are also walks into the Arashiyama hills for us keen hikers, and I enjoyed a river walk with the famous soft matcha ice cream.
The city is saturated with shrines and temples, but one of my very favourites was Kinkaku-ji, known as the golden temple. Arriving at the entrance, you are first guided through some exquisite Japanese gardens before arriving at the pond, with the temple rising out of the water. It sits on its own island, and is flanked by fir trees, and with a backdrop of the forest behind it, seems to emanate from the woods themselves, fitting in strangely well with the wilderness around it.
There are so many shrines and temples in Kyoto that I cannot begin to describe them all, but another must see is the Zenrin-ji. The gardens around this Zen Buddhist pagoda are a delight. Small bridges over ponds, rock gardens and a nightingale floor are just some of the delights of this shrine. The colours that are summoned from the plants are nothing short of spectacular, and the care and attention of the gardeners are bordering on obsessive to keep this place looking its very best.
Kyoto is a city for those who can appreciate the urban and rural coming together. There is a natural, organic sense in this city, with forests and rivers a part of the urban landscape. The locals here seem to value the natural world in the proper way, caring for it and being a part of the environment, rather than imposing themselves on it. I enjoyed the simple things in Kyoto, like taking naps under the maple trees, listening to the birds singing and the river murmuring.
Himeji was always a place on this trip that I was super excited for, famous for its grand castle and gardens. The city itself is rather delightful, full of noodle bars and festivities along the main street. My first evening there saw the night lanterns hung up along the streets for the parade in the morning.
Visiting the famous UNESCO site castle itself took me back to my days as a child, exploring the castles in Europe that my parents would so kindly indulge me with. There is always a sense of power from them, and it is so easy to imagine yourself in an invading force, making your way up the causeway to join battle with the occupying lord and his soldiers. The tour of the castle takes you through the layers of defences build up around the base, and it really is a marvel of defensive strategy.
The keep’s seven layers are explored in bare feet, and as you ascend each level, the views of the city get progressively more impressive. The keep is a high point, and from the top you can see for miles in every direction. This fortification made the Hiroshima and Okayama castle I’d seen look like minnows.
Beside the castle is the often overlooked Koko-en, the walled formal garden of nine different gardens in one. The route takes you through different styles of Japanese gardens, some with ponds, others with bamboo or herbs. If you were to visit one garden in Japan, this would be a good one to represent all of the styles I have seen so far.
Okayama is a city between Hiroshima and Osaka, on the Shinkansen, and not often frequented by tourists. It seemed to me and ideal place to experience some immersive Japanese culture. Of course this comes with its own challenges as well as rewards.
My hostel here was a capsule place at a spa, which often had naked locals wandering around with everything on display. I often just didn’t know where to look as men’s areas surrounded me when I simply wanted to use the bathroom. This wasn’t a particularly comfortable experience despite the locals’ apathy to my presence.
Despite my strange accommodation situation, I was determined to enjoy my time. As with most Japanese cities, the local castle is a safe bet, and I visited Okayama’s a few times, most days after my evening meal when it was lit up in green lights.
Across the river from the castle is Okayama’s redeeming light, the Kokakuen garden. I lost myself in this place, as it’s a much larger version of the gardens I’d seen in Hiroshima. This one focused on the movement of water as an art form, with ponds and streams saturating the whole area.
Finding Okayama a little stifling, I decided to embark on a day trip to Kobe on the Shinkansen, a city I remember from studying the destructive earthquake of ’95 at school. Arriving at Shin-Kobe station, I noticed the wild area behind the station, and decided to explore. What I found was a network of footpaths up into the wooded mountains, unveiling a kingdom of waterfalls. As this was a complete surprise, I was delighted by my discovery, having felt a little hemmed in by Japan’s urban hubs of late.
After losing myself into nature, I did indeed make my way to Kobe’s harbourfront, the cultural centre of the city. There were shrines, coffee shops, diving centres, and even a statue of Elvis Presley singing ‘I can’t help falling in love with you’. Kobe is a great example of Japanese arcades too, both the gaming variety and the covered shopping areas. There were 100 Yen stores, owl cafés and matcha stands, giving forth wonderful smells and sights.
Having known Kobe for its eponymous destructive earthquake, i headed for the memorial park. Here stands a bronze statue of a woman with a clock marking the exact time of the quake. At the harbourfront too is a memorial, a piece of the harbour, left as it was after the destruction, a powerful reminder of the dangers of natural disasters.
Kobe was a much welcomed escape from the strangeness of Okayama, a city I never really took to. My JR pass however allows me that freedom to escape on the bullet trains, and I am greatly enjoying the freedom it brings.
For a lot of people (myself included), the city of Hiroshima only calls to mind the world-changing detonation of the world’s first atomic bomb in 1945. Yet, 72 years later, this beautiful city has shown me that it deserves so much more recognition as a bustling, varied place, with much more to give than a lesson from one of the darkest times in human history.
Having taken my first Shinkansen (bullet train) from Hakata to Hiroshima, I was feeling pumped. The sheer speed of the railway was a shock to the senses after so many sedate rail journeys and prolonged bus rides in the rest of Asia.
So after checking into my capsule hostel, I ventured out to find the famously beautiful Shukkie-en garden, a classic representation of traditional Japanese gardens. The idea of this shrine to the natural world is to compress natural landscape into a miniature size (the same philosophy behind bonsai trees). The gardens create mountains and valleys, seas and lakes out of vey small areas, so your mind creates small figures living and working in this landscape, a truly magical experience.
The next day I decided to leave the city for Myajima Island, and its famous sea shrine. My JR pass included the charge not only for the local train to get to the shore, but also for the ferry across to the island! I decided that I was well overdue a mountain climb, my last having been a whole 6 days ago in Korea, so I scaled the magnificent Mt Misen. The mountain path is superbly maintained, and being in the forest made me feel as through I was deep inside a Studio Ghibli film as I felt forest spirits and the call of the wild around me. The views from the top are world class, a great gift for those who braved the climb, or took the more leisurely cable car to the summit.
Back down at sea level, the sun was making its way down to the horizon, as the tide began to rise. As this happens, the great Itsukushima shrine appears to be floating in the waves, a truly spiritual sight, despite the hundreds of tourists milling about trying to get the perfect shot (I was of course one of them).
My last day was spent exploring the city proper. I began with the very moving Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, which contained a free exhibition telling the story of the day that changed the world. The memorial itself is in the form of a clock, stopped at the time of detonation as a reminder to all about the destructive nature of nuclear weapons.
Perhaps the most haunting was the atomic bomb dome, the final building left as it was on the day of detonation. Its skeleton stands over the river from the park, as a symbol of remembrance and a tribute to the lives lost. The park was truly moving, and in times of uncertain future, it rallies you to the call of pacifism.
Just to the north of the park lies the oldest part of the city, Hiroshima castle. This Edo period fortification was rebuilt in the 1970s in its old image. You can go inside, right up to the top and look out over the city from all four sides. There was also an area for trying on samurai armour, for which I went utterly mad.
Hiroshima impressed me. A city utterly destroyed in the second world war, it has rebuilt, and you have the sense that it lives completely in the moment, celebrating where Japan is now, rather than where Japan was then. It has laid its past to rest with touching memorials, and looks forward with optimism and hope.
The first stop for me in Japan was the Eastern city of Fukuoka, just across the sea from Korea. It’s a nicely small city (in Japanese standards), and was a gentle introduction to this country. I started by seeing a few of the city’s stunningly red shrines. This photo is of Tocho-ji, and there is of course the more famous Kushida shrine to see.
One of my favourite places to eat my rice based packed lunches was in Maizuru Park, in the western part of the city. This park attracts families and tourists aloke with its serene lake, castle remains and escape from the urban concrete. The islands in middle of the lake are accessible via ornate bridges, as you look into the koi filled water, with terapins poking their heads out to give you a once over.
Not too far west of the park is the magnificent Fukuoka tower, a stunningly designed feat of architecture. It was here that I encountered one of the J pop street performances that were part of the Dontaku festival, a key day in golden week for the Japanese. As I wandered back through town, I enjoyed the other public shows and of course the delightful street food!
Fukuoka was not the normal starting point for a tourist in Japan, but it was a gentle introduction to Japanese language and customs. Now having exchanged my JR order for my 21 day rail pass, I look forward in anticipation of 3 weeks of unlimited rail travel exploring this tantalising land.
Chasing Shadows 
