Tokyo - what a surreal world. There are maiden cafes, shooting bars, robot restaurants and not to mention all those arcades. My highlight was when my boyfriend surprised me on my birthday with an otter cafe and a VR Ninja course. We went on to Kyoto, a more traditional Japanese city full of temples and culture and finished our trip in modern Osaka.
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Tokyo
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Kyoto
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Osaka
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People Watching
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Tokyo is the place for people watching. Old people seem to be very much part of the society, riding bikes or sitting in the game arcades.
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Imperial Palace Gardens
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We arrived in Tokyo in February just as the Cherry Blossom season was starting and everybody was on the hunt for the perfect picture.
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Imperial Palace Gardens
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Like every major city Tokyo also has a giant park to bring some nature to the concrete scenery.
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Japanese Geisha
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You can easily spot these proud women in their gorgeous dresses and make up everywhere in the city.
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People Watching
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Despite the huge amount of people everything always seems to be orderly and quiet. Nobody crosses at a red light or dares to jaywalk.
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Akihabara
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This neighbourhood is famous for its game arcades and electronic stores. It's the modern Japan you have seen a million times on TV yet it still feels very surreal to enter that world.
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Skytree
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The view from the tallest tower and the second tallest structure in the world. You can't see the edges of the city in any direction
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Hoshinoya Tokyo
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We treated ourselves with one night at this 5 star traditional Ryokan. The experience was quite unique, including the top floor hot spring (Onsen) 1500m above Tokyo with open roof.
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Robot Restaurant
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Yes it's a tourist thing yet you will still feel like the world has lost it completely. You can eat your sushi while watching a kitsch pop-culture show with robotic monsters, dancers and lasers.
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Kyoto
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We took the bullet train to Kyoto which was my favourite place. It's not as crazy and more traditional yet very beautiful.
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Kyoto
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It's famous for its numerous classical Buddhist temples, gardens and shrines. We also induldged in a traditional tea ceremony which I will remember for the price mainly - 30 pounds for 2 teas.
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Kyoto
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Many many women are dressed up and have their photos taken and they all seem to be beaming with pride - rightly so.
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Kiyomizu-dera temple
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One of the most visited temples sitting high over the city with a view offering a blend of old tradition and modern city.
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Kiyomizu-dera temple
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We didn't actually visit that many temples but this one was really worth mingeling with all the toursits.
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Souvenirs
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There are so many tiny shops and street vendors selling hand made cute yet unfortunately pretty useless stuff... I still had to restrict myself.
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Kamo River
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Kyoto really seems to have it all, great food, great architecture and great strolling along the river
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Graveyard
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We accidently came across this truly stunning graveyard. It was massive and yet seemed to be part of nature in a way.
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Philosopher's Path
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We walked along a tiny river on this popular trail and came across a guy who was building little ships from leaves. He built these ones for us and told me to take a photo before he threw them down in the canal.
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Osaka
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Osaka just couldn't match Kyoto's beauty nor Tokyo's crazyness. However to be fair, we only spend a day there so I'm not sure we went to the right places.
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Osaka
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Everything is colourful in Japan and every food store looks like a candy store.
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Osaka
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I did mention all the cute souvenirs before, didn't I...
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Osaka
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This picture pretty much sums up what Osaka looked like to us. Very gray and old and industrial.
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Ninja Course
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My favourite memory: A birthday surprise ninja course, including VR experience. I passed obviously.
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