Hakone is in perfect day-trip-range from Gotemba and an all-around very popular sightseeing destination! It is really versatile as well: going by cable car through snowy mountains (known for its sulfury black eggs), to hiking along Lake Ashi with views of Mt. Fuji, and also being able to visit various shrines as well as (very…

Gotemba most of all drew our attention because of its closeness to Mt. Fuji which is of course (deservedly) one of the most popular attractions in the country. It also has a surprisingly large and beautiful “peace park” to offer, with monuments and a lot of smaller statues and stone lanterns!

… It’s very embarrassing, but during the Japan trip it was too time-consuming to gather all photos and craft a proper post… and WordPress not making it any easier with a very rough mobile editing experience. :{ Now my little Japan trip is already many weeks past and I still haven’t organized my pictures! But…

After a few more days in Tokyo, we have seen quite a few places already; although Tokyo really does feel so vast that it seems impossible to be able to know Tokyo as a whole, rather than just seeing a few select places and knowing a piece here and there. It‘s just so much more…

It so happened that I came to Japan this week and will spend a little time here! It has also been a couple of days in Tokyo so far but it’s just even more lovely as expected and very enjoyable to walk around and explore everything!

I think it’s fair to say that winter had its fair amount of time already and it’s time to move on! At least here in Hamburg the weather was quick to shift from icy, freezing cold to a pleasant warmth, with some sun and some birds chirping, so really more than one can realistically expect…

After a mostly just gray and dull early winter, this year has been welcomed by a lot of snow here in Hamburg, which has been a nice change of scenery! It has also been one of the most snow-heavy days in my recent memory (although my memory is quite terrible when it comes to any…