#TRAVEL TIPS

[parallaxaview]

Slovak Karst National Park

[herigo]

[thatsbelievable]

[mybeautifulpoland]

Warsaw, Poland by Norbert Lepsik

[troythecatfish]

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[lindaettravel]

[howamidrivinginlimbo]

The ancient city of Pompeii, Italy

[misspotter-thelordof-assbutts]

Y’all 🫶🏻✨🔥!!

Tomorrow I’m off to Paris for a week! (And then road trip to Monet’s garden in Giverny and the northern coast iihhh!)

So do my fellow Les Mis nerds on here have any recommendations for where to go in Paris?!?

[niuniente]

Hey Niu~ Do you have any smaller wonders you'd recommend visiting in Japan

Sure!

OSAKA

If you go to Osaka around the end of a month, there's a monthly temple flea market in the Shitennoji temple yard. It's arranged on 21st and 22nd of each month, and regular people are selling there their old stuff, as well as booths selling vintage kimonos, yukatas, haoris etc., ceramics, decorations, lots of antique items, statues etc. Take a subway to Tennoji station, the temple is next it. Read more here!

In Osaka, near Tenma JR railwaystation, is a takoyaki shop owned by an 86 year old lady called Hiroko. She's been making takoyakis for 60 years in that shop. You might have seen this image set of Hiroko giving a piece of her mind about people complaining that her food is too yellow (if not, see it - it's hilarious!) Her shop is called たこ焼き 寛子（ひろこ), Takoyaki Hiroko (Hiroko). The address is 5 Chome-6-3 Tenjinbashi, Kita Ward, Osaka, 530-0041, Japan. If you use subway, get off at Ogimatchi station to get to her store.

If you love toys and anime merch, there are two good spots for these in Osaka; one is the famous Den Den Town and other one is Kiddy Land in Umeda.

You can get to Den Den Town the easiest from Nipponbashi metro station. Just head towards south. You can also walk from Namba to Den Den Town as it's just right the next corner.

Kiddy Land is a bit harder to locate in the gigantic Hankyuu department store (which is like multiple building spreading across the whole Umeda) but you can get there the best from Umeda station. Kiddy Land has lots of toy stores, like Miffy, San-X, and a mixed store of everything cute, and also a Lego store. If you go out from the building from the door next to the Lego store, you can walk a few ten meters to a big Loft-store. It also has some merch, typically San-X and Sanrio and Disney stuff, but on the top floor of the same building there's an anime store. They sell lots of art books, replica swords and also special collectible statues like Japanese deities.

Special mentioning goes to the Namba Daiso (Namba Daiso Nansan-dori). It has 5 floors, all stuff with 100 yens. It's very near Namba metro station, easy to find! If you want to get super fancy and you've got a big budget, the Takashimaya department store is near this Daiso. You can find all kind of food items there, some with ridiculous prices. There's also Daimaru department store in Namba in close proximity - they sell fresh made taiyaki cakes in the bottom floor's food section.

KYOTO

Near Kyoto, you can find a small town of Arashiyama. It is the most well-known for its ancient wooden bridge and bamboo forests. People go just walk around into the bamboo forest. Many movies and TV series has been filmed in that forest. There's a direct train service to Arashiyama from Kyoto. Arashiyama is especially gorgeous at the end of November when the fall has arrived to Kansai area. It's apparently also super pretty during cherry flower season in spring. There are lots of temples in a small area, too, if you want to explore them.

(Here's the famous bridge).

In Kyoto, there's a design shop of SOU SOU. Now, SOU SOU makes and sells handmade tabi shoes, kimonos, yukatas, string bags, dishware, and wonderful print tabi socks but they also have their own, traditional Japanese café at their Kyoto store called Sou Sou Zaifu. You can get only coffee and matcha tea here - the order is hand made in order in front of you. It's very quiet and idyllic, intimate place. I accidentally went here to find shelter from a rain and it was so lovely. Even the shop itself is worth the visit, if you're interested in fashion and design! Read more here.

(Sou Sou Zaifu cafe. It seems the same guy is still working here. He was very friendly!)

TOKYO

If you travel in Tokyo, about 45 minutes by train from Tokyo is the city of Saitama. Saitama has a Sayama Hills at Tokorozama, which is also known as The Totoro Forest. Hayao Miyazaki has taken inspiration to Totoro from Sayama Hills. It was hard to find any information of this place in English (and even in Japanese!) in the past, but nowadays there's information in English. Read more here (with a Japanese map)

[life-spire]

[alwaysbewoke]

When I was in college, I let German tourists take pictures with me in my graduation gown. Even at the time I thought it was weird. But since my college years, I haven’t allowed strangers to take pics of me “just because” here or abroad. “Curiosity” means very little to me. People on the clock app were saying in China they actually have been known to post pics of Black people on WeChat to make fun of them. So, maybe not the best idea to let strangers take pics of/with you. Anyway, I wish you all safe, joyous, and comfortable travels. You deserve to see the world in peace just like anyone else.

x

[wolveswolves]

How I travel for almost free, part 2 | Lapland, Sweden

I hope this video opens up a new world of travel possibilities for you, like it did for me.

Please watch on YouTube to read the caption.

>> Watch part 1 about my other favourite way of free traveling >> Subscribe to my YouTube channel >> More on my Instagram

[birf]

You got any tips for traveling to Japan?

Oh yes I for sure do now

1. Learn some basic phrases to get around, especially for when buying stuff or ordering food. A few areas, especially in really touristy places, people will speak English to you, but I feel like people mostly just greet you/ask you things in Japanese regardless. And also you just wanna be polite! It’s also nice if you wanna compliment the food or people’s clothes.

You’re gonna be saying “arigatou gozaimasu” (thank you), “onegaishimasu” (please) and “sumimasen” (excuse me) a LOT

The google translate app is free and also great to use when you need!

2. Bring a coin purse

It’s still for the most part a cash based society over there. And you will collect soooo many coins. Have a little coin purse makes it easier to pull out. Also nice if you’re going to arcades. Plus all the vending machines.

Also when you’re buying stuff there will be a tray to put you’re money in and then they’ll ask if you if that’s okay before they take it. And then you say yes.

3. Pack very light on toiletries.

Unless you got some very specific products you like, convenience stores literally have everything you’d need plus they’re very cheap. All hotels and most hostiles will provide you with toiletries as well. Save the space and don’t pack them.

4. I ended getting a pasmo card to use for the subway and do not worry about the subway system being confusing. It’s also very easy to put money on your cards at the station (there’s all different language options.)

Google maps will tell you every single detail on how to get places through the subway even telling you which cart has the least amount of people. It was very easy getting around.

Don’t forget rush hour is around 7:00-9:00 AM, you will get squished.

5. You can ship you luggage to places your staying for very cheap.

My brother had to do this cause he’s moving back there so he had a lot of luggage. And it’s reallllyyy tiring to bring up and down a million stairs on the subway and so you can go to any station or hotel and ship that luggage there and it was like $10. It’s really nice if you need to do something like that.

6. Don’t bring a water bottle, but bring the best walking shoes you got.

You don’t need a water bottle cause there’s vending machines for drinks everywhere. But we were walking around 10-15 miles every day. You’re feet are gonna hurt.

7. Don’t eat and walk

Some places out on the street will even ask you where you’re going to eat the food so don’t walk away with it before they give you the food. Most konbini’s have a seating area. But if you buy food or a snack from somewhere just sit and and eat before you keep walking.

8. Always walk on the left side (unless you’re in Osaka for some reason)

Especially if you at a subway station, people are rushing, so always keep to the left. And then in Osaka it was just all on the right.

9. No trash cans outside

I’d seen a lot of people talk about how you gotta carry your trash around because there’s no trash cans outside which is trUE but you don’t gotta carry it around. Just stop in a konbini to throw away trash. Also almost all vending machines have bottle recycling next to them.

10. Always wait in the queue.

To get the subway, lines will start to form. Instead of getting in the front and waiting just by the train door be sure to get in line. There will be lines everywhere for stuff. Just make sure you’re not cutting in wait in line.

Also wait to cross the street. Even when it’s red and there’s absolutely nO cars around anywhere. You still wait for it to turn green. Just another polite thing.

11. Some more subway etiquette that I think of:

Keep an eye for elderly and disabled people coming onto the train to give you seat to. You can say “dozo” (go ahead) and gesture to the seat. There will even be signs on the trains explaining to do this but it is something that did happen a lot, also just the right thing to do so.

Don’t talk on the phone or eat on the train. Also just don’t talk loudly in general on the train. It’s mostly very quiet.

Anddddd this is all I can think of for now lol. Hope this helps!

[mybeautifulpoland]

Będzin Castle, Poland by B. Gawlik

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[lindaettravel]

Let me help you get there