Naha is the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, the tropical island group south of mainland Japan. I was told by some Okinawans that they consider their islands to be Japan’s Hawaii, a tropical paradise with its own unique culture and a myriad of outdoor experiences. This string of islands in the East China Sea is closer […]
Merge
Does the egg salad sandwich at 7-Eleven Japan live up to the hype?
The short answer is yes. I (Merge) have now been in Japan for 18 days, and I have not yet tried the (in)famous egg salad sandwich at 7-Eleven. So I was determined that today, my second day in Osaka, I was going to get one for lunch. Known locally as the konbini tamago sando, I […]
Wacky, weird and wonderful Osaka
Osaka is Japan’s third largest city by population. While the #1 Tokyo is known for its iconic modernization and the #2 Kyoto for its classic beauty, Osaka is known for neither, which is why it is often disparaged by those from Tokyo and Kyoto. But what Osaka lacks in modernization and beauty, it more than […]
Tantalizing Tokyo … religion and royalty
When you think about Japan, the first city that often comes to mind is Tokyo, its capital. With almost 9 million inhabitants, is by far the largest city in the country. And if you include the Greater Tokyo region, the population is estimated to be over 13 million. But even at 9 million, the number […]
Charming calming Kochi
Kochi, located in Shikoku, Japan, is a coastal city known for its historical significance and scenic coastal views. It offers a mix of cultural attractions and natural beauty, with the Pacific Ocean on one side and forested hills on the other. It was one of the ports I (Merge) visited on my travels in Japan […]
Volcanic encounters of the close kind!
Kagoshima, a city on the southern coast of Kyushu, Japan, is known for two things – its absolutely picturesque bay, and the nearby active volcano Sakurajima. Given that I (Merge) had been seeing beautiful bays all this month on my journey on the MS Westerdam, what I really wanted to visit during my one day […]
Nagasaki – the day the Fat Man came …
Nagasaki is a port city located on the west side of Kyushu Island. Starting in the 16th century and for almost four centuries, it greeted trading ships in its natural harbour. Until everything changed on August 9, 1945. At 11:02 AM, an atomic bomb, code-named Fat Man, exploded 500 meters above the city. In a […]
Scenic Sasebo
As I (Merge) continued my travels around Japan on the MS Westerdam, we stopped for a day at the port of Sasebo, our first stop on the island of Kyushu. Japan has four main islands – Honshu, the biggest and most populated; Hokkaido, the northernmost; Kyushu, the southernmost; and Shikoku, which lies between Honshu and […]
Sakaiminato – Manga and anime on display
As the MS Westerdam circled its way around Japan, my (Merge’s) next stop was Sakaiminato, a coastal city located in the Tottori Prefecture. The town sits on the western shore of Honshu, the main island of Japan, overlooking the Sea of Japan. While its scenic coastal setting is certainly a reason people visit, Sakaiminato is […]
Sokcho, South Korea – just minutes from North Korea
Sokcho, located in the northeastern region of South Korea, is a coastal city nestled along the Sea of Japan. Most people visit because it serves as a gateway to the scenic Seoraksan National Park, a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts and hikers. I (Merge) had an opportunity to visit it for one day while on […]