The first time I went to Asia was when I moved to Japan to work as an English teacher. It was the first time I had been to another continent, and the first time I had ever been to a place where I didn’t understand the language or culture. It was a truly eye-opening experience.
I lived in Japan for 5 years, and during that time, I visited more than 100 villages, towns, and cities. It’s hard to condense into one page all of the things I experienced over 5 years, so I will try to focus on the places and events that had the greatest impact on me.
The first town I lived in is called Yabuki. It’s a small town, but quiet and relaxing. It is located in Fukushima Prefecture, in the Tohoku region.
The three most famous cities that I visited were Tokyo, Kyoto, and Nara. At one time or another, these have all been the capital of Japan.
While in Japan, I visited many castles, some of which were original and some of which had been rebuilt. My six favorites were Edo-jo, Tsuruga-jo, Odawara-jo, Nagoya-jo, Kumamoto-jo, and Himeji-jo.
I saw places of natural beauty: caves, beaches, mountains, lakes, waterfalls, and swamps. The following pictures show Abukuma Cave, Jodogahama Beach, Mount Bandai, Lake Chuzenji, Kegon Waterfall, and Goshikinuma Swamp, respectively.
I went to many festivals while I was in Japan. Some of these were in remote villages, where I was the only non-Japanese person in attendance.
Japan is composed of four main islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. I have been to all of them. It is also made up of many smaller islands, the largest of which is Okinawa. I have been to Okinawa as well.
Japan is a place where the ultra-modern meets the traditional, and where the mundane meets the hilarious. I am blessed to have been able to live there, and to have met so many amazing people and experience such a rich culture.
To read about my other adventures in Asia, check out the following posts:
South Korea
Cambodia
Thailand
China
If you have any questions about my travels in Asia, feel free to contact me.
An operator that I often use when traveling is Tourradar. Tourradar has lots of awesome tours to Asia. Check them out!
Another operator that I often use when traveling is Viator. Viator has lots of awesome tours, too. Check them out! To view a collection of the experiences that I have personally partaken in and highly recommend, go here.
Many of the photographs displayed on this website were taken with a Nikon D3400 digital camera. I use a 70-300mm zoom lens. You can find this camera for sale on Amazon by clicking here. NOTE: The link provided is a paid link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Aaron's Travels 