Week 1: Castles and Palaces

Staying true to our cause, the first week will be devoted to mainly old Japanese castles.

The very first place we'll go to is the famous Edo castle (also called the Imperial Palace), the poster boy of Japanese palaces and architecture.


(Edo castle)

We'd spend about a day exploring Edo castle and gardens, learning about the Tokugawa shogunate that ran Japan from 16th-19th century. The weather is amazing at this time of the year, temperatures in the 20's and is mostly sunny.
At night we'd stay at a nearby hotel that is booked beforehand, enjoy some ramen or authentic Japanese street food most of the time.


(ramen)

Next day, we use the local buses or Japan Rail to get to Kumamoto Castle, another very historic land mark.


(Kumamoto Castle)

The next 5 days of the journey includes a similar process, travelling to Kyoto, Fukuoka and then finally Nagasaki via Japan Rail. Other castles we'll explore includes Osaka castle, Fushimi Moyoma castle and Shimbara Castle. We may take one day off in between to relax. We will most likely eat the cheaper street food, but may dine in proper restaurants such as the Sushi Bar Yasuda, to get a taste of authentic Japanese cuisine. Our over night stays will be in cheap hotels away from the main cities that we can get to by bus, that we will have booked prior to coming.