According to the Tibetan calendar, the Buddha's day of birth, enlightenment, and passing occurred on June 17 this year. To mark the occasion, the devout trek up to the highest temple on earth, the Rongbuk Monastery, at the northern basecamp of Mount Everest, called Mount Qomolangma, ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ and 珠穆朗瑪峰 to the people have worshipped it for centuries.
All across the Tibetan Plateau, the holy fires will burn, tribes and pilgrims will gather, and new prayer flags will be unfurled in courtyards and splayed across mountain faces as an offering to the sky.
On this holiest of days, we were blessed by the sacred mountain, so typically shy, with unfettered views as we approached from morning through the afternoon.
#tibet #everest #珠穆朗瑪峰 #buddhism #pilgrimage #bluesky #mountains #himalayas
It’s hard to arrive in Tokyo with a blank canvas. The world’s most populous city looms large in the global imagination, ascribed for decades by writers, filmmakers, and now the masses with smartphones. Even before we’ve landed, we’ve seen the city lights, the sushi in Bordain’s food tours, the crowds from every angle of Shibuya crossing, the “weird” and the “wonderful”, whatever those may be for each of us.⠀
⠀
Virtually unheard of until the cafe boom at Kiyosumi-Shirakawa, Koto Ward is one of those forgotten backwaters where many a Tokyoite will stumble locating in their mind, before struggling further to find anything to say about. ⠀
⠀
The Shitamachi, the Low City, defined by its dark and crowded, fire-prone alleys that bordered on expansive wetlands criss-crossed by waterways are where the early peoples of Edo gathered to serve the Shogunate, and later Meiji, courts. In the corners of nondescript streets and the ubituitous, unassuming canals, a walker can retrace the the city of merchants that laid the foundation of modern-day Tokyo.⠀
⠀
As part of the Historical Tokyo Walks that follow Edo Tokyo cultural sites, the Nihonbashi-Fukagawa route (日本橋本所深川コース) comes from the Japanese website guide Sanpo Reikibun. The city has 23 Historical Tokyo Walks, one for each ward. My map has the English translation for the Japanese route summary as well as added some additional historical context or information. Major sites covered along the route include: Nihonbashi, Mitsukoshi flagship store, Tokyo Stock Exchange, haiku poet Mastuo Basho’s neighbourhood, the Fukagawa Fudoson, Tomioka Hachimangu, Kiyosumi Garden, Ryugoku Gokugikan, Former Yasuda Garden, Edo Tokyo Museum, Karamae Bridge. For anime watchers, the 3-Gatsu no Lion, Tsukumogami Kashimasu, Onihei Hanakcho. ⠀
⠀
To get the map & route to walk Tokyo at your next visit! Go to my blog in my profile and search the piece: "Historical Tokyo Walk: Nihonbashi – Fukagawa"⠀
⠀
https://buff.ly/2WY1gX1⠀
⠀
#tokyotravel #tokyolife #historicaltokyo #japan_vacations #visitjapan #discovertokyo #explorejapan #igersjp #icu_japan #japan_of_insta #japantrip #historylover #worldhistory #ilovehistory #edotokyo #fukagawa #東京 #江東区 #深川 #日本橋
If you’re a seasoned Japan visitor (or an adventurous first-timer), I would recommend trying a regional JR Pass. Of course, I used one to go around one of my favourite parts of Japan: Shikoku, home of the pilgrimage known as the Ohenro. ⠀
⠀
From Buddhist temples, to an inspirational set for Spirited Away, to udon and the famous yuzu fruit, the fourth largest island of Japan has a wealth of treasure to offer any visitor who passes by. Take a train over the Seto Sea and dine for a day, or stay for a week and see all the sights. The choice is yours. ⠀
⠀
Head over to my blog and look for the post: "All Shikoku Rail Pass Guide & Sample Itinerary"⠀
⠀
https://buff.ly/2I680yW⠀
⠀
#japanrail #jrpass #shikoku #japantravel #discoverjapan #tokushima #iyavinebridges #infographic #traintravel #ohenro
