by Katrine Sivertsen | Mar 18, 2024 | Blog, Katrine
Our first day without any big plans. The sun was out and there was a slight breeze, so after a big Japanese set breakfast including Okinawa doughnuts, we sat on the beach for a while. The weather wasn’t quite warm enough for swimming but the sun was hot enough to... 
by Katrine Sivertsen | Mar 17, 2024 | Blog, Katrine
Okinawa, the group of islands south of Japan, is our final destination on our 4 week trip. It took about 2 hours to fly here from Kansai airport. Kansai airport is fascinating in itself, built on a manmade island in the middle of the sea and which is now sinking. Our... 
by Katrine Sivertsen | Mar 16, 2024 | Blog, Katrine
One last day in Osaka and crammed in three more things. First off, Osaka castle. If you’re watching the Shogun series, this is the castle they refer to (although in the old 80’s Shogun series they filmed at Himeji castle instead). Two big moats surround the castle and... 
by Katrine Sivertsen | Mar 15, 2024 | Blog, Katrine
Early morning in Koyasan we attended the Buddhist prayers at 6:00. Still freezing cold. There is no way we could manage the ascetic life of a monk. We bought a sanbucan, a citrus from this region, previously reserved only for samurai and feudal lords. It did make us... 
by Katrine Sivertsen | Mar 14, 2024 | Blog, Katrine
South of Osaka lies Koyasan in the mountains. It’s the center of Shingon Buddhism and there’s a temple on every corner, literally. Our lodging for the night was Fukuchiin temple. The journey there was via train, a very steep cable car / funicular, and then bus (the...