DAY 1 - TOKYO BY NIGHT

Shinjuku-ku is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo and Shinjuku Station is the busiest train station in the world: more than 2 million passengers per day transit here! The area around Shinjuku Station is home to a large concentration of department stores, specialist electronic and camera shops, cinemas, restaurants and bars. No surprise to discover it is plenty of life also during the night.

When we started our photo tour the rain was light, similar to the english drizzle so that we have been able to take some pictures. Then the rain became too heavy and we have been forced to stop our reportage. Too bad, Tokyo offers colorful spots we won't forget...

DAY 2 - TOKYO BY DAY

The weather is awful: a torrential rain welcome us in this new day. We would like to spend the morning visiting Tokyo temples and shrines, before leaving the capital on the Tokaido Nozomi Shinkansen. We had to "steal" only a few pictures to the Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa (Asakusa Kannon Temple) instead. Then direct to the main station for the "bullet train": average speed 210Km/h, top speed more than 300Km/h. Average delay on the full distance (about 600Km): 6 seconds. Any comparison with the italian trains is absolutely depressing...

DAY 3 - HIMEJI

Kobe is not an interesting site, even because on '95 has been mostrly destroyed by an earthquake; but ut is an excellent starting point for one-day excursions.
Himeji is about 30 minutes by rail from Kobe. Himeji is most famous for its magnificent castle, Himeji Castle, widely considered to be Japan's most beautiful surviving feudal castle (1333). The castle is designated both, a national treasure and a UNESCO world heritage site. For his shape and color it is also called "the white heron castle".
Beautiful Japanese Gardens Koko-en offered a relaxing walk at the end of the excursion.

DAY 4 - NARA

Nara is about one hour by train from Kobe and is Japan's first permanent capital, established in the year 710. It remains full of historic treasures, including some of Japan's oldest Buddhist temples.
Among them, Todaiji ("Great Eastern Temple") not only is housing Japan's largest Buddha statue (Daibutsu), but it is also the world's largest wooden building, even though the present reconstruction of 1692 is only two thirds of the original temple's size. Todaiji Temple is surrounded by big park where more that 1000 deers live free and close to the humans.

DAY 5 - KYOTO

Kyoto also is about one hour by train from Kobe and has been Japan's capital and the emperor's residence from 794 until 1868. A one-day excursion is far from being enought for capturing the spirit of Kyoto, so that we had to choose only a few destinations:
- Fushimi Inari Shrine, the most famous of several thousands of shrines dedicated to Inari with the countless torii gates that cover the 4-Km hiking trails of mount Inarisan;
- Kiyomizudera, the 'Pure Water Temple', one of the most celebrated temples of Japan, associated with the Hosso sect, one of the oldest sects within Japanese Buddhism;
- Tofukuji Zen Temple, one of Japan's most spectacular spots for autumn leaf viewing.
The feeling has been so impressive that we decided to come back soon to Japan for a Kyoto 5-days full immersion.