Gosh, Tokyo is massive. You start to realise just how big the world’s largest city is (37 million at the last count) when you delve underground and tackle the monstrous and overly-crowded Tokyo subway system (no surprises then that Tokyo has the world’s busiest subway), which is daunting at first, but sort of manageable after…
Tag: travel
Tokyo Skytree – “Gotta Catch ‘Em All”
As a complete contrast, we were drawn to the towering Tokyo Skytree. How could we not be, it looms over the Sumida River from Asakusa at some 634 metres, making it the second tallest structure on the planet (depending on which website you look up of course). It seems debatable, but Skytree is really, really…
Park Yourself In Ueno
Ueno Park is one of Tokyo’s most loved and visited city spaces and the epicentre of culture and recreation. The park houses the Japan National Museum, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and the Ueno Zoo – amongst other notable buildings, but I guess it’s the Sakura Matsuri Festival that draws the most crowds, when millions…
Home Away From Home in Downtown Asakusa
We’ve escaped the building ‘wet season’ of Cairns – the heat, humidity and increasingly heavy rain and headed to the frozen north (again). This time, a couple of weeks in Japan. One week in Tokyo, then a week via the Shinkansen up to freezing snowy Sapporo for the Ice Festival. More on that later. In…
Changdeokgung Palace – The Secret Garden
At Changdeokgung Palace, there’s a secret garden, once used exclusively for Joseon royal family relaxation, contemplation, entertainment and ceremonies. A huge sprawling garden covering almost 78-acres and set right bang in the middle of downtown Seoul, it’s a magnificent wooded space and remains, even today, a highly restricted site. Just 100 timed visitors to the…
Changdeokgung Palace – Old Seoul
We’ve been saving the best until last and it didn’t disappoint. We arrived at the Changdeokgung Palace gates early, armed with our pre-booked ‘Secret Garden’ tickets for 10.30am. It was still only 9.30am so, on a bright and very cold (-5 or so) morning, we stepped into this vast sprawling compound, quickly realising that we…
Dongdaemun Design Plaza – ‘Amazing Tomorrow’
The Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) is what’s known in the business as an architectural showstopper. Designed by the late great Iraqi-British Pritzker Prize winner Zaha Hadid it’s a breathtakingly adventurous and innovative building like no other (except maybe others by Zaha Hadid). Construction first started in 2009 and was officially inaugurated in 2014 and built at a…
Out and About in Sombre Seoul
There are certain famous go-to places in the world that you’ve always heard of and thought: okay, why not? Give it a whirl. Sure, they’re bound to be tourist haunts, but hey, could it really be that bad? Sadly, Gahoe-dong Alley in Bukchon is one of these overly touristy crowded places, as charming as it…
Living It Up, Gangnam Style
We’ve left the intense heat and humidity of Far North Queensland and headed to the deep winter of Seoul, South Korea – and in particular the uber trendy district of Gangnam, south of the Han River, 60 k’s inland from the frigid Yellow Sea. We’ve never been to South Korea, so flying a surprisingly civilised…
Green Island – A Rainforest Coral Cay on The Great Barrier Reef
One of the ‘bucket list’ things to do when up in Far North Queensland is to experience the Great Barrier Reef up close and personal. There’s perhaps nowhere so spectacular and readily accessible than Green Island, a stunningly beautiful rainforest covered coral cay, 28k’s and just an easy 45min Catamaran jaunt off the coast of…
Travels With My Ant 