Japan Archives - Top Spot Travel

November 29, 2014 by Jeremy

Far Flung Locations That Are Worth The Trip

Sometimes it is not worth travelling a long way for your holiday. Particularly when there are so many great destinations close to home. However, there are some places that really are worth the extra time you will spend travelling as what you find when you get there is simply incredible. Here are five far flung locations that are more than worthy of the extra miles.

Burma

Burma is a massive country that is just finding its place on the travellers map. With its magnificent culture and warm and friendly people it won’t be long before this country rivals nearby countries such as Thailand and Cambodia for visitor numbers.

Visit Inle Lake to see how the people live and work on the lake, Bagan to see the thousands of temples and Ngapali beach to relax on the white sands.

Japan

Japan has an incredibly deep history; a truly unique culture and some magical landscapes and that are just waiting to be explored. Cosmopolitan Tokyo has everything you could want from a city break, with spectacular five star hotels and world class restaurants and shopping.

The ancient city of Kyoto will captivate your imagination with its wonderful architecture and the snow-capped Mount Fuji is both dramatic and serene with some wonderful hiking opportunities.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is like a laid back India. Compact in size it is easy to travel around and visit its different areas without having to endure the long bus journeys or internal flights that you do in many destinations.

Colonial Galle is a charming place with some beautiful boutique hotels and fantastic restaurants serving up all the Sri Lankan classics. The hillside city of Kandy and its surrounding hill country was the home to Sri Lanka’s last independent kingdom and there are plenty of cultural sites that enable you to learn all about this fascinating time.

Once you have finished exploring, head to laid back Unawatuna to relax on the beach and enjoy the wonderful climate and delicious seafood.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a paradise for nature lovers with an abundance of flora and fauna unlike anywhere else in the world. It is also a great place to visit for outdoor activities, with the jungles, volcanoes and rivers all providing the perfect backdrop.

Peru

Peru is famous for Macchu Picchu and the magnificent Inca Trail that takes visitors up its steps to see where the Inca population lived in the 15^th century. It really is fantastic, and this alone makes the long trip to Peru worthwhile, but if you have time on your side then Peru has so much more to offer.

Visit the desert oasis Huacachina to try out sand boarding on the rolling sand dunes, Lima to see cosmopolitan Peru at its best and the Cordillera Blanca mountain range for some trekking in stunning snowy mountains.

April 25, 2014 by Jeremy

Timing Your Trip To Japan

Japan exemplifies the marriage of modern lifestyle and old traditions. The merging of these two opposing facets of life is best seen from its urban cities. With so many sights to see and four different seasons, it makes you wonder when you should go there.

Technically, you can travel to Japan any time of the year but it really depends on what kinds of attractions you are after. If you want to enjoy natural sceneries for example, you should time your trip according to the season. Festivals are also held at certain times of the year, giving you more reason to plan your trip.

Summers are short in Japan. It starts in mid-June and ends in mid-July. Ironically, the rainy season starts at this time of the year. Summer might not be the best time to visit Japan and explore its top tourist attractions, but it’s not bad either. Just make sure you have light clothes to keep you cool and sunscreen to protect your skin.

Also, don’t forget to bring a jacket and umbrella just in case it rains. Believe it or not, even winter destinations are great to visit in the summer like Niesko which is known as a popular ski resort town. There are beautiful mountains that during summer time, make great places to hike and mountain bike. You can also get a much better deal on Niesko apartments during the summer time as well opposed to winter.

Fall starts in November and lasts through December. It is a great time to travel to Japan because the weather is cool and leaves are changing to warm tones. Chrysanthemum shows and seasonal festivals are common this time of the year. Bringing a warm jacket is recommended to keep you warm.

From December until March, it’s winter in Japan. It’s the perfect time to visit hot springs although they are open to tourists any time of the year. Other than that, there’s not much to see in Japan during this cold season. Upon the arrival of spring from March until April, you’d wish you were there. Cherry blossoms are in full bloom along with other plants and flowers. It’s the most ideal time for travel in terms of climate as well. Temperatures are neither too cool nor too warm and rainfall is rare.

July 12, 2012 by jfalbelda

Modeling in Tokyo Yo!

Chelsea!

The following is a guest post from Chelsea Olson, a twenty-something model, writer and Jill of all trades in Miami, who a few years back, got the chance of a life time to model in Japan for 3 months.

It’s hard to put the story of my time in Japan into just a few paragraphs as it was one of the most important and meaningful trips I have ever taken. In the late summer of 2009, barely three months after transplanting myself to New York City from Miami to chase my dreams of becoming a full-time model (while still a part-time online sophomore in college), I received an offer from an agency in Tokyo, Japan to come model with them. Read More »