It took eight modes of transport to get to Koya-san from Kyoto: metro, bullet train, metro, train, bus, train, cable car, bus. In any other country the journey would have taken all day, but despite a damaged train track from the recent typhoon, in Japan it took less than four hours and the transfers were seamless.
Being a vegetarian in Japan can be difficult, but with some effort and pre-planning can also be very rewarding. Although we despaired at times of finding a veggie-friendly meal, and fish did turn up in our food on occasion, we also had some of the most unusual and delicious meals we have ever eaten. We loved the foodie culture in Japan and found the food to be high quality, beautifully presented and healthy.
Japan is a wonderfully strange country. It’s the cultural differences that make travel interesting and Japan is full of them. These are some random observations that we jotted down in our moleskine as we travelled around the country.
Japan is expensive, and one of your biggest expenses will be accommodation. Even a budget hostel room in Japan costs as much as a five star hotel in Thailand, but the country is such an interesting and rewarding place to travel that it’s worth the expense. If you are on a budget then finding the cheapest accommodation will be a priority, but we also recommend spending a bit extra if you can and staying in a traditional Japanese inn at least once. Sleeping on a futon in a tatami mat room is a quintessential Japanese experience and it’d be a shame to miss out.
Japan was a culinary adventure for us in a country where food is prepared with love and the quality of ingredients and skill in presentation is world class. Kyoto was the perfect place to venture into the weird and wonderful world of shojin ryori or Zen Buddhist vegetarian cuisine. We sampled beautifully presented food that we had never heard of before, and our limited Japanese skills meant we often had no idea what we were eating. In Kyoto’s vegetarian restaurants at least we could be assured that it was meat-free.
We are Simon Fairbairn & Erin McNeaney a couple who sold everything and left the UK in March 2010 to travel the world forever. We write about our travels and our journey to become digital nomads. Read more...