Walking Along the Philosopher’s Path in Kyoto

29 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Japan, Kyoto

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Asia, Eikando Temple, Ginkakuji, Japan, Kyoto, Nanzenji Temple, Philosopher's Path, Selfish Years, Silver Pavilion, Tenjuan Temple, The Selfish Years

When Mr. Selfish and I visited Japan in 2010, we fell in love with Kyoto and knew that we had to come back. We accordingly spent three wonderful weeks in Kyoto. The city has an astounding amount of places to visit – in fact, 1,600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines. Not surprisingly, we never ran out of things to see.

One of our favorite places in Kyoto was the Philosopher’s Path, which is a two-kilometer stone path that Nishida Kitaro, one of Japan’s most famous philosophers, supposedly walked every day to meditate. The path starts at Ginkakuji, which is also known as the Silver Pavilion, and ends at Nanzenji Temple.

The Silver Pavilion, for which admission is 500 yen, is not actually covered in silver. Its name was meant to contrast it from the Golden Pavilion, which is covered in gold. The Silver Pavilion is located next to a dry sand garden. Mr. Selfish and I sat and admired the view of the Silver Pavilion from the sand garden.

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Relaxing at Ryokan Sanga

28 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Accommodations, Asia, Food & Drinks, Japan

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Kurokawa, ryokan, Ryokan Sanga, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

During our previous trip to Japan, Mrs. Selfish and I had the pleasure of staying at a ryokan in Hakone. A Ryokan is a traditional Japanese hotel, known for a three things: kaiseki meals, traditional rooms and garb, and onsen.

Last time we only stayed for one night, so this time around we decided to splurg and stay for two nights at the Ryokan Sanga.

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Unplugging in Kurokawa Onsen Town

27 Monday May 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Asia, Japan

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Kurokawa, Kurokawa Onsen, Kurokawa Onsen Town, Onsen, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

Bidding a wary goodbye to the Grand Hyatt Fukuoka, Mrs. Selfish and I packed our bags and prepared for 2 days in charming Kurokawa Onsen Town.

The Japanese take their hot springs very seriously, and onsen bathing is a tradition that goes back several centuries. Over the years, the experience has become more and more modernized, and people have taken to bath houses as well, so we were particularly excited to go to Kurokawa Onsen Town.

While everyone else modernized, Kurokawa stuck with preserving tradition, and the result is a stunning, traditional town with dozens of ryokans and onsens in an spiritually soothing environment.

This is a place you come to relax.

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One Night to Sample the Delicious Food in Fukuoka

25 Saturday May 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Food & Drinks, Japan

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Asia, Food & Drinks, Fukuoka, Gyoza, Ichiran, Ippudo, Japan, Ramen, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Tonkotsu, Yatai

Upon leaving Seoul, Mr. Selfish and I flew to Fukuoka, which is the sixth largest city in Japan and is located about 680 miles southwest of Tokyo. We had read online that tonkotsu ramen originated from Fukuoka and knew that we had to try it there.

Tonkotsu ramen is made from boiling pork bones, fat, and collagen for an extended period of time. The broth is typically thick and creamy. The first place we tried was Ichiran (1-2-22, Sumiyoshi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka). Ordering your ramen at Ichiran is an interesting process devoid of all human contact. First, you pick what you want to order and pay for it at a vending machine.

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18 Hours in Fukuoka: The Grand Hyatt

24 Friday May 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Accommodations, Asia, Hyatt, Japan, Travel Hacking

≈ 5 Comments

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Grand Hyatt Fukouka, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Travel Hacking

After bidding farewell to the Westin Chosun in Seoul, Mrs. Selfish and I boarded the 5am airport bus for Incheon Airport. Two flights and 9 hours later we arrived in Fukuoka Airport, Japan!

When looking at Japan, Mrs. Selfish and I knew we wanted to spend the majority of our time split between Kyoto and Tokyo, and about a week in less visited areas of Japan.

After further research, we determined we’d spend 2 nights in Kurukawa Onsen Town – a charming town on the southern island of Kyushu. The most direct way there involved flying into Fukouka for a one night stay.

Within moments of hitting the city, I knew we’d made a big mistake. Fukouka is an amazing city, worthy of at least a few days of exploration, and is considered by some to be the food capital of Japan.

And the Grand Hyatt is no slouch either. Coming in as a category 3 hotel, the Grand Hyatt cost us a paltry 12,000 Hyatt points – which I transferred from our Ultimate Rewards pool.

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Hair Lost in Translation

14 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Asia, Japan, Living Abroad

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Haircuts Abroad, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

One of the odd realities of long term travel is that you still have errands to run and chores to do. Laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning the bathroom, taking out the trash – definitely not things I associated with traveling abroad, but definitely things that all need doing should you stay in one place for more than a few days.

At home, we handled these chores without thinking. Abroad, they’re an adventure!

Hunting down Tex-Mex ingredients in Paris? Check. Looking for a good laundromat on a remote island in Thailand? Check. Getting a haircut in Japan?

Wellllll…

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Lovin’ Japan Already!

25 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Japan

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Asia, Day Trips, Fukuoka, Japan, Kanazawa, Kobe, Kurokawa, Kyoto, Mount Koya, Nara, Osaka, Selfish Years, Tokyo

Mr. Selfish and I arrived in Kyoto last night and are staying in an apartment here for a glorious 22 nights. After so much fast traveling through China and Korea, we were glad to unpack our bags, do some laundry, and buy some groceries to make home cooked meals.

We started our trip in Japan at Fukuoka for one night and then went to Kurokawa, which is an amazing onsen town, for two nights. After Kyoto, we’ll visit Kanazawa for a couple of nights and then Tokyo for two weeks.

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Flashback Friday – Japanese Food

04 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Flashback, Food & Drinks, Japan

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Aronia de Takazawa, Flashback, Flashback Friday, Go Go Curry, Japan, Kyoto, Ramen, Tokyo, Udon, wagyu, wagyu beef, yakitori

Orlando had limited Japanese food offerings. The vast majority of it was sushi, and there was one good ramen place. So, when Mr. Selfish and I went to Japan in 2009, we sampled all sorts of Japanese food.

First, we sampled plenty of udon and ramen. Each time, the broths were so flavorful that you could tell it had been cooked for a looooong time.

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Continuing Our Selfish Year

29 Saturday Dec 2012

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Australia, Bali, China, Japan, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

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Mr. Selfish and I have been in the States since Dec. 16th. We have truly enjoyed our time back “home”. Even though we are technically homeless (since we rented out our house), we consider the States to be home.

It has been wonderful to see so many loved ones and enjoy the comforts of home. I especially loved meeting my adorable three month old nephew for the first time and experiencing Christmas through the eyes of my 3 year-old and 6 year-old nephews. Mr. Selfish and I also appreciated all of the delicious food that everyone has been cooking for us. A home cooked meal with family beats eating out at a restaurant every time.

But tomorrow, it’s all coming to an end. We are continuing our selfish year. We have eight more months and about thirty more cities to go. Here’s the map of our itinerary:

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Flashback Friday – Ghibli Museum Outside of Tokyo

21 Friday Dec 2012

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Flashback, Japan

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Flashback, Ghibli Museum, Japan, Tokyo, Totoro

Mr. Selfish and I are huge Hayao Miyazaki fans. Miyazaki is a renowned Japanese director. My favorite Miyazaki film is My Neighbor Totoro. So when we decided to go to Tokyo, we knew that we had to go to the Ghibli Museum, which is in a small suburb of Tokyo.

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Flashback Friday – Inari Shrine Near Kyoto

23 Friday Nov 2012

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Flashback, Japan

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Asia, Flashback, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Inari Shrine, Japan, Kyoto

In 2010, Mr. Selfish and I took our first trip to Japan. We loved Kyoto. In fact, we loved it so much that we’re planning on staying there for a month during our selfish year.

One of the most memorable sites we visited was the Fushimi Inari Taisha, which is an Inari shrine a little outside of Kyoto. The Inari shrine was built to honor the Shinto god of rice and is typically represented by a fox.