Japan Diaries

There I stood, on a narrow path in the middle of nowhere. On the right a steep hillside, on the left an even steeper mountain wall, behind me the ascent to the mountain Mitsutōge, hidden behind a bend, and in front of me, about five meters away, a leery looking Japanese macaque. With the National Geographic photographs of Japanese macaques relaxing in the Japanese hot springs in mind, I guessed that even though this animal, with its suspicious looking face, is a keen competition to Grumpy Cat, it would never harm a fly. A few seconds later I would realize how naive my observation was. With the aim to scare the monkey away I screamed and jumped up and down. That behavior scared away cows in the town where I grew up, why not a monkey on the other site of the planet as well, at least so I thought. But instead of fleeing, the Japanese macaque jumped onto a tree and looked down on me screaming. It was at this moment I knew I fucked up, so I started to run without ever looking back.

The encounter with a Japanese macaque gone wild was not the only surreal moment of my road trip through Japan. It followed a list of cliches, like encounters with toilets having more functions than my smartphone, lost in translation moments, perfect queues in front of trains and restaurants, which would turn Brits green with envy and the numerous vending machines that shape the cityscape of Tokyo. The beauty about travelling is to plunge into different cultures and to break cliches, like the image of the shy Japanese women for example. A group of loudly laughing curious elderly Japanese ladies I met in an Onsen engaged me into a long lasting conversation which ended with a few glasses of sake. It has been a blast.

The mountain where I met the macaque and the onsen where stereotypes were broken among other inspiring places are collected in this article.

Tokyo

Fu Unji for a ramen with a superb depth of flavour.
The café World Breakfast All Day for a constantly changing international selection of breakfasts.
The park Shinjuku Gyoen to escape the hustle of the city.
The lookout platform of the Metropolitan Government Buildings which offers (if you are lucky) free views up to the Mount Fuji.
The National Museum to explore archeological exhibits (get the Grutt pass if you want to visit more museums, art galleries etc.).
National Museum of Modern Art, where you can explore art from Umetaro Azechi, ASO Saburo to Diane Arbus, Max Ernst and many more.
Visit the Edo Tokyo Museum to learn more about the history of Tokyo.
Tokyu Hands is a department store chain offering a wide range of hobby, DIY, beauty and household products.
Marui is the right place to visit for everyone looking for a stylish fashion bargain.
Day trip to Kamakura to see the Great Buddha and to have ramen at Hanabi.

Lake Kawaguchi

Ryokan Taiheikan for memorable nights at a traditional Japanese hotel.
A hike up to Mount Mitsutōge for an incredible view of Mount Fuji.
Houtou Fudou, which offers the perfect food after a day of hiking in the Japanese wilderness.