Nara - Day 1 - 奈良市

Nara-shi 奈良市 - Day 1 

Getting in Nara was a bit of an adventure as I didn’t exactly know which train station was the right one, but it added a bit more to my tour around the country.

I got out in the Kyobate JR Station but I got confused and took another train to Central Nara in order to go to get to the Kintetsu Nara Station. Once I got there it was a bit more complicated since there were no signs for Tourist Information Office but as usual Japanese people were very helpful. I got inside this travel agency shop in the lower ground and they told me to go upstairs and take the 3rd exit. However, they stressed that  I had to hurry because the Tourist Office was going to close very soon.

Special Konbini in Nara - transformed into an improvised bar after closing time - 奈良市のコンビニ

Last day in Ise shi (伊勢市) - Handicraft Zone - Ise Typical Food and More

Ise shi Town - 伊勢市

Last day day in Ise shi and this time I was ready to see what this village had to offer to the tourists apart from the Ise Jingu Grand Shrine.

We woke up late that day and I have to say that you have to be ready for the old houses in Japan. Even though they’re above the ground and they’re built using wood, that doesn't mean you’ll feel warm. The room was quite good because we had the heater on the whole night. My recommendation is to remember to bring a sweater or a base layer to keep you warm when you go off the room.

麻吉旅館 asakichi ryokan flowers

Ise-Jingu 伊勢神宮 (Naikū (内宮) and Gekū (外宮))

Next stop Ise-jingu

I had read a lot about this sacred place and all I have in my mind is that Ise is like the Vatican City for the Catholics. The morning we left Kyoto was also going to be the first time I jumped on a car and hit the road in Japan. Couple of things on the road were similar but some others were definitely not.

The first thing that caught my attention was the GPS. I know, there’s nothing special about a talking GPS but perhaps what I found interesting was the voice and the tiny anime character who was giving us directions. My friend told me it was an old version and that hence she was not going to use it, because some parts of the way to Ise had recently changed.