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Time Travel Turtle

A travel blog with stories beyond the brochure

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Japan

Shirakawa-go village, Japan, World Heritage Site

Waking up under a thatched roof

Cut off from the rest of Japan by large mountains, the residents of Shirakawa-go developed a unique way to build their village and survive the winters.

hakuba ski resort, nagano, japan

A bit of Australia in Japan’s snowfields

For Australians looking for a ski holiday in the Northern Hemisphere, this valley in Japan offers the perfect mix of quality, price and distance.

daruma dolls, japan, japanese grumpy dolls, takasaki daruma temple in gunma

The grumpy dolls of Takasaki

I always thought Daruma dolls looked grumpy and unhappy. But at the temple where they were created, I learn there’s much more to them than that.

Omiya Bonsai Art Museum, Japan

It’s the small things that matter

The art of bonsai is an ancient and very special tradition in Japan. At this museum, you can learn more about the beauty of the art.

Penis festival, kawasaki, japan, kanamara matsuri, weird festivals

The penis worshippers

This has got to be one of the strangest festivals out there. In the usually demure country of Japan, a Shinto shrine dedicates the day to penises!

Koyasan, Japan, Kii mountains, world heritage, pilgrimage routes

The pilgrims’ pain

Koyasan is one of the World Heritage Sites on the Kii Mountain Range of Japan. For the pilgrims a thousand years ago, it was a welcome sanctuary.

tomioka silk mill, japan, abandoned factory, world heritage list, industrial japan

Where there’s a mill, there’s a nay

The Tomioka Silk Mill was critical to Japan’s entry into the world of globalisation and modernisation. So why hasn’t it been recognised internationally?

pachinko, japan, game with silver balls, gambling in japan, pachinko parlours

Those little silver balls

You’ll see a lot of pachinko parlours in Japan but it’s a confusing game for outsiders. For the Japanese economy, though, it’s a huge earner!

is japan expensive, how much does it cost in japan, can i do japan cheaply, japan travel budget

Is Japan actually expensive?

Japan has a reputation for being a very expensive country to travel in. It certainly costs more than most of Asia, but how bad is it really?

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