Not long ago I wandered wide-eyed through the glory that is Kyoto. The ultra-modern Kyoto station gives way to an incomprehensible density of temples and shrines. It makes it feel like the steel and concrete city fell away, as if it never sprouted in the first place. Kyoto, I learned, isn’t a city or a destination, it’s more a phenomenon.

It’s one of those special places you knew you’d want to remember once life in the cubicle sets in. I couldn’t quite put my thoughts into adequate words myself, until Tom Swick’s poetic words about his time there seemed to mirror the effortless Kyoto I remember.

“Everything — the scenery, the weather, the crowds — was touched with an otherworldly delicacy. I seemed not so much to walk but to float.” Later on, a local handed him a business card after asking for directions; her Western name on the front, “Becky.” Then he flipped the card over. “In Neverland.”

I couldn’t agree more.

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To see more shots of my recent adventures through Japan, Vietnam (and once I have some free time, Korea), please visit my Flickr photostream.

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The first day or two of any trip to a new country, you really just spend some time getting your bearings. Here in Japan . . . not gonna happen. There’s just too much to do, too much to see, and so little time. With rumors of a typhoon still lingering, I was riding the “superexpress” train through downpours on the way to everything that is Japanese history, Kyoto.

The traditional cultural center of Japan, Kyoto has seventeen UNESCO World Heritage Sites, about six gazillion Buddhist temples, and even though it’s a thriving city of one and a half million, it has some kind of beautiful shrine around every corner it seems.

There are literally too many places to describe. Each site one-upped the last with its unique flavor; an ancient moated castle, incense rising from a Buddhist temple, bamboo forests surrounding delicately manicured Zen rock gardens, and buildings seemingly floating in the middle of a pond. You get the point. I told myself I wouldn’t get templed out, maybe it was the constant rain or the miles walked, but even the most determined sometimes go down. Kyoto will do that to you.

Two things will stick with me as I head to Tokyo. First, one temple seems to surpass the rest, the golden Kinkaku-ji. This three story pavilion is completely wrapped in gold and “floats” in a pond, surrounded by lush forest. It’s quite famous in Japan, and deservedly so, and it was crowded despite the rain and was still that wicked. The other, a more intimate experience, happened down a quiet alley when searching for a dinner spot. I was deciphering a window menu to look up and see a geisha passing by. Once I got my wits about me, she disappeared into a restaurant, not to be seen again.

Typhoon or not, with its golden temple and real life geishas, Kyoto might just be the Japan I had always imagined.

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As I wrap up my time in Asia, I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to squeeze in a trip to one of the most idyllic of Asian destinations out there: Japan. A few hostel reservations have finally been made between my scouring of the guidebook, forums, and posts here. With my JR Pass officially in hand (it is not available in Japan), I’m nearly on my way. Isn’t trip preparation and anticipation a great aspect of travel?

This is literally Japan 101 for me. The rumors of breaking the bank on the notoriously expensive island have kept me away from there, until now. I’m nearly a stone’s throw away, in Korea, and not visiting Japan would be awfully regrettable, regardless of price. So in just over a week, I will set foot in Tokyo’s Narita Airport for a weeklong whirlwind of the country. Conveyor belt sushi, the heart of modern technology, mesmerizing temples, geisha, and capsules; it’s going to be a phenomenal trip.

With only a week’s time there, I’ve decided to do “classic” Japan; splitting time between Tokyo’s glitzy modernity, and staying grounded in Kyoto’s ancient traditions. Weather permitting, a foray in the direction Mt. Fuji would appease the adventurer in me, but that looks to be a game time decision.

With that rough outline, and my trip notes doing little more than circling specifics, are there any suggestions you could offer? Particular neighborhoods, temples, foods, sites? Matt offered up a great suggestion of Memory Lane, a cool back alley and the inspiration behind “Blade Runner.” Really, the sheer number of possibilities is mind blowing in a place like this, so I’m happy to entertain any suggestions from the seasoned veterans out there. Simply leave a comment below, and I’ll keep you posted until I depart.

While I’m here I’ll be posting entries and pictures as I can. I’m sure there will be enough to share for a while.

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