• start here
  • about
  • group trips
  • brooke beyond

  • hiking guides
  • outdoor gear
    • hiking boots
    • hiking backpacks
    • cold-weather layers
    • backpacking tent
    • outdoor sleep system
    • backcountry food
    • day-hike packing list
    • hut-to-hut packing list
    • via ferrata packing list
    • backpacking packing list
    • mountaineering packing list

brooke beyond

Europe / Poland

History lessons in Kraków: Visiting Auschwitz and Kazimierz

17 November 2016

Last Updated on 23 May 2025

Kraków has the reputation of being a beautiful city, and while we probably didn’t catch it at its best due to the grey, rainy weather this week, we still thoroughly enjoyed wandering through the lively Rynek Glówny and admiring the beautiful St. Mary’s Basilica. More than the beautiful city square, though, we came to Kraków to immerse ourselves in the horrifying events that took place nearby in WWII. Visiting these dark and depressing Holocaust sites in person might seem totally incongruous with a fun European holiday, but I also feel that it’s incredibly important for future generations to recognise the incomprehensible cruelty that took place throughout the region in Nazi concentration camps. There is truly no better way to appreciate these atrocities than by visiting Auschwitz in person, and although the experience will likely weigh heavy on your heart for the rest of your life, it also serves as an invaluable reminder of what can follow racial and religious discrimination.

All the details: Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp

Cost: It is free to visit Auschwitz and read the many plaques throughout the camp on your own.

Getting there: From Kraków Główny bus station, catch a 90min service to Oświęcim for 17zł. Buses run regularly throughout the day in both directions and there are plenty of people travelling on this route every single day, so it’s easy to ask for directions.

Top tips: Even though it is free to visit the camp, I strongly recommend paying for a guided tour, as you’ll get so much more out of the experience. Tours run frequently throughout the day in several languages for 47zł.


Visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp

Our first day in Kraków, arriving at 7am on an overnight train from Budapest, we check our backpacks into lockers at the train station and hop immediately on a bus at the adjoining bus station bound for Oświęcim, the Polish name for the town renamed Auschwitz by the Nazis. The buses run fairly constantly from Kraków Główny (the bus station is right outside the train station); the ride is about 90 minutes and costs only 17zł (5 AUD).

The bus brings us right to the museum, which is surprisingly crowded for an early November morning. The staff remark that this is unusual, we’ve just been unlucky that a number of school groups have chosen the same day to visit. Entrance to the museum is free, which is how we first enter and explore some of the camp. However, I get quickly frustrated with the number of people and feel like I’m not really getting anything out of the experience, so we go back to the front and pay for a guided tour. It’s about 47zł each and so incredibly worthwhile, I would never recommend you to go without the tour, but I love that they are trying to make the camp accessible to everyone by offering free admission. It’s a place everyone needs to see in their lifetime.

I doubt I can say anything too thought-provoking about Auschwitz that hasn’t already been better said, but I just want to describe our visit a bit. It’s a haunting experience, but so necessary that people not forget what happened here only 70 years ago.

Our tour lasts several hours and winds us first through Auschwitz I, which held about 20,000 prisoners at a time and is home to the famous gate inscription “work will set you free”, and then takes us on a shuttle bus 3km away to Birkenau (Auschwitz II), which held 100,000 prisoners at a time and was the primary extermination camp. Auschwitz I has been set up as a museum, with exhibits in the barracks and around the grounds that detail who came through the camp, the conditions they lived in, how they were “selected” to either work or be gassed.

One exhibit shows a collection of official Nazi records that include why a certain person was sent to Auschwitz: listening to foreign radio, smuggling food into a Jewish ghetto, etc. The museum is superb and the things we see there make it possible to at least try to comprehend what went on in the camps. The thousand of pounds of human hair, the photos of smoke billowing out of the chimneys as prisoners burned, the barracks kept in original condition, even the cold weather helps us understand just a little more what these people suffered—while we are bundled in layers and layers, with boots and hats and scarves, yet still shivering, prisoners here were given only thin pyjamas.



When we shuttle over to Birkenau, there aren’t any exhibits, so it is even more valuable to have the guide. She shows us the train tracks that would bring prisoners in by the thousands, right into the camp. Many of the people on these trains even paid for their own train tickets— that is the level of delusion around what happened at these camps. Once off the train, SS officers, and often Dr. Mengele, would sort people into groups: fit to work, immediately to the gas chambers, or for experimentation. Those fit to work would march to Auschwitz I, while many women, babies, and the elderly were told they would be showering. Women weren’t separated from their young children and the gas chambers were fit with fake shower heads, both of these measures to minimise panic and prevent resistance until it was too late.

The 4 crematoria at Birkenau worked 24 hours a day and were manned by prisoners, feeding the dead slowly into ovens, struggling to keep up with the bodies that piled up. I read an interesting book the day after our visit about twins and other “abnormal” people that were the subjects of experiments at Auschwitz by the doctor, and although it spared them from the gas chambers, it was perhaps the worst group of all to be selected for. These people were tortured, sometimes for years, at the hands of Dr. Mangele, all in the name of “science”.

A lot of the camp was destroyed by the Nazis when they sensed they had lost the war—records shredded, gas chambers exploded, wooden barracks burned—yet many prisoners were marched on to camps in Germany and weren’t liberated until months after Auschwitz, as was the case with Elie Wiesel, author of the well-known book Night (which I’d really recommend reading before your visit).

We see the remnants of the crematoria and satellite images that were taken to prove the camp’s existence to the outside world (despite the Nazi’s best efforts to keep the horrors of these camps secret), as well as many intact barracks in far sadder condition than those at Auschwitz I. We also get to see the memorial erected for the victims and our guide tells us that last year, for the 70th anniversary of the camp’s liberation, over 300 survivors gathered at the memorial.

I thought it was amazing that the survivors were mentally and emotionally strong enough to return to this place, but our guide also tells us that the museum here opened in 1947 and tours were originally led by the survivors themselves. I can’t express how much that information inspired me. It’s a true testament to human resilience that people were able to come back to this place only 2 years later and share their stories of incredible suffering, but that’s how important they believed it was for the world to see what happened here. And it remains just as important.

Recommended Reading

I always try to read about each place I’m visiting on a trip, particularly those of great or terrible significance, just to make the history feel all the more real. Unsurprisingly, there are a mountain of books and movies about the Holocaust, and there’s some I would specifically recommend to anyone wanting to visit Auschwitz (or even those who haven’t yet had the chance to visit).

Night // Elie Wiesel

Probably one of the most important books ever written, this memoir recalls Elie Wiesel’s time in Auschwitz as a young boy, the sole survivor of his whole family. The descriptions in this book will quite literally haunt you, but will also make you feel the horrors of the concentration camp on a more personal level. This is a short book, so even bring it along on the bus ride from Kraków and you’ll be able to finish a majority of it.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas // John Boyne (also an awesome movie)

This is a really great piece of fiction about the young son of a high-ranking Nazi official who relocates from Berlin to Poland, right next to Auschwitz, so his father can oversee killing there. Obviously the boy has no idea what his father does, as he doesn’t understand the concept of systematic extermination, and he makes friends with a boy on the other side of the fence who he believes is wearing striped pyjamas and a number as part of a game. Be prepared to cry excessively. Although not a true story, this book (and movie) does a pretty spectacular job of capturing the Holocaust through innocent eyes, which only serves to highlight the true horrors of what is actually taking place.

Mischling // Affinity Konar

This is another fictional novel about a set of twins who were experimented on by Dr. Mengele at Auschwitz. It draws a lot of information from historical records and survivor accounts to examine the unique few who were involved in sinister “medical” experiments at the hands of the Nazis.

Children of the Flames // Lucette Matalon Lagnado

One of the primary references used to write Mischling, this book compiles true accounts from survivors of Dr. Mengele’s experiments and his own biography, and is so disturbing you’ll want to vomit. Nonetheless, it’s a horribly important piece of history and a really interesting book.


Jewish Quarter

The next day in Kraków, we join a free walking tour of the Jewish Quarter, Kazimierz, which also proves incredibly interesting. Kazimierz has history dating back nearly a thousand years and was an independent city from Kraków for some time starting in the 1300s. When Austria invaded Poland in the 1700s, it was incorporated as a district of Kraków and now remains that way.

The quarter historically housed a lot of Jews and a portion became a Jewish ghetto during WWII. The tour walks us by a memorial that commemorates the 65,000 Jews from Kazimierz that were killed, leaving only 3,000 remaining, and explains that many Jewish people visit this memorial and leave stones rather than flowers to symbolise eternal remembrance, which I find so beautiful and symbolic.

We get to see a number of historically significant places on the 2 hour walk (and also some from Schindler’s List, which was filmed here) and I really recommend visiting this area, as it is an important piece of history that perfectly accompanies much of what we learned at Auschwitz.

Read more about our Poland adventures

COUNTING DOWN TO CHRISTMAS IN WROCŁAW, POLAND

PLANNING A TRIP TO POLAND

12 TIPS FOR BACKPACKING EUROPE

3 Comments
Share
brooke beyond

Hey, I'm Brooke and I'm obsessed with getting off the beaten path, exploring backcountry gems & travelling beyond the ordinary! I left Australia 5 years ago after finishing a PhD in Biomechanics & have been travelling the world full-time ever since (joined by my life/climbing partner, James). Whether it’s road-tripping through Mexico, climbing alpine peaks in the Andes, scuba diving in the Red Sea, or tackling epic via ferrata in the Dolomites, I hope this blog will inspire your future adventures & help you find wonder in every corner of the globe. xx bb

Leave a Comment Cancel Comment

The Comments

  • Norman
    6 September 2023

    Krakow is Poland’s student city. Over 25% of the population here are students, which has led to Krakow becoming a hub for cheap food, cheap booze, and abundant bars and clubs.

    But Krakow isn’t just one one-trick pony. It boasts beautiful medieval architecture, picturesque castles, and a handful of insightful (and sobering) museums and attractions.

    Reply
  • Our Top 5 Berlin experiences – brooke around town
    19 September 2017

    […] is definitely favourable, but I’m not sure that it stands out as particularly German. Unlike Kraków or Prague or Budapest, I didn’t feel constantly aware that I was in a foreign country, and […]

    Reply
  • Planning a trip to Poland – brooke around town
    3 September 2017

    […] Situated on the Vistula River in Southern Poland, Kraków is a vibrant city with a storied past and a rich, enduring culture. Wander around Rynek Główny, the main square, to take in the beautiful St. Mary’s Basilica; admire Wawel Castle and Wawel Cathedral on the hill above the city; take a free walking tour through the Jewish Quarter in Kazimierz; visit the museum at Oskar Schindler’s Factory for a history lesson; and enjoy delicious pierogi and zapiekanka at one of the hundreds of cafes and restaurants. I recommend staying in either Kazimierz or Old Town, and would also highly recommend staying in an Airbnb― we paid just $27/night for our private apartment overlooking the square! Read more about our time in Kraków. […]

    Reply

You May Also Like

28 November 2023

Complete Alta Via packing list: what to pack for hut-to-hut hikes in the Dolomites

8 December 2016

Iceland Roadtrip Day 8: Blue Lagoon

8 July 2017

En route to Geneva

hi, I’m brooke!

I'm obsessed with getting off the beaten path, exploring backcountry gems & travelling beyond the ordinary! I left Australia 5 years ago after finishing a PhD in Biomechanics & have been travelling the world full-time ever since (now joined by my life/climbing partner, James). I hope this blog will inspire your future adventures & help you find wonder in every corner of the globe. xx bb

read my story
currently exploring

currently exploring

mexico

read our gear guides

🥾 hiking boots

🎒 hiking backpacks

🌨️ cold-weather layers

⛺️ backpacking & alpine tents

🛌 sleeping bag & pads

🍪 backcountry food

📸 travel camera gear

✈️ travel clothing

trail guides

summit guides

itineraries

outdoor gear

GPS maps

recent posts

  • Climbing Iztaccíhuatl volcano

    2-week Mexico volcanoes itinerary: climbing Pico de Orizaba, Izta, Malinche & Toluca

    3 June 2025
  • Mexico City: the perfect 5-day itinerary for CDMX

    31 May 2025
  • Climbing Iztaccíhuatl volcano

    Driving in Mexico: essential road trip guide for foreigners

    28 May 2025
  • 10-day Rwanda road trip itinerary: gorillas, volcanoes & Lake Kivu

    25 May 2025
  • 2-week Patagonia itinerary: best of Torres del Paine & Los Glaciares/El Chaltén

    22 May 2025

@brookebeyond_
brooke ✨travel & mountain gal

@brookebeyond_

  • postcards from magical little Miyajima 🌸✨

this island is located about an hour from Hiroshima & is a fantastic day trip— but even better as a relaxing overnighter. 

visit the iconic red Torii Gate, take the scenic ropeway to Mt Misen’s Peak, feed the free-roaming deer, sample the island’s many oyster treats, see the 5-story pagoda Taho-to, and cap it all off with a traditional stay at Kikunoya. slow-paced bliss ✨
  • Takachiho Gorge, the most beautiful place in Japan 🇯🇵🌸✨

Cut by the bright turquoise Gokase River, this magical little gorge in central Kyushu is lined with towering basalt cliffs, their warped columns shaped by ancient lava flows from nearby Mt Aso, all leading towards the sparkling Minainotaki Waterfall. It’s one of those places that looks surreal in photos and somehow even better in person!

We stopped here on a 2-week Kyushu road trip and this spot completely blew us away— many people consider it the most beautiful place in Japan and I have to agree!!

Tips for visiting Takachiho Gorge:
- the site is open 8am-5pm
- entry is ¥1,000 per person + parking is available nearby
- reserve a row boat (30min) for ¥4,000 on weekdays or ¥5,000 on weeekends (boats do sell out!)
- the best light is after 10.30am, when sun hits the waterfall
- free paths run along both sides of the gorge, so you can enjoy great views even if you don’t hire a boat

Did you know Japan looked like this?! 🤩
  • More than 200,000 people climb Mt Fuji every year, but only a few dozen in the winter— it’s a notoriously dangerous ascent on steep snow and ice with insane winds, music to my ears. 

It was a gorgeous day, blue skies, not another climber on the mountain (except for me and my partner), and by all accounts it was PERFECT conditions for a Fuji summit. But then those infamous winds picked up… 🌬️

By the time we were 100m below the summit, gusts were up to 60km/hr and we dropped onto the snow every few minutes, axes dug in to brace against wild wind that threatened to rip us right off the mountain. Fuji is just a big sheet of ice at the top and the final part of the climb is a very exposed ridgeline where a slip would be fatal. We put up a good fight, but in the end, there was absolutely no way to continue safely. So we made the call to turn around.

And although this is far from the first mountain I’ve failed to summit, it was probably the most painful. 

Knowing when to turn back is one of the most important skills in climbing, but it’s still one I struggle with— the feeling of being SO close, of “failing” because you didn’t stand on the summit, is such a challenge for me because I’ve tied so much of my self-worth, particularly as a young female climber, to being strong enough/tough enough to *keep pushing*

But pushing through dangerous conditions isn’t really admirable, it’s just stupid…

And when you’re so fixated on the end goal, it’s easy to feel like the effort & accomplishment of the other 2,500m don’t mean anything without the final 100m. 

But a climb is so much more than the summit. And our worth as climbers (or hikers or PEOPLE) cannot come only from the successes. It has to come from the genuine pursuit, too. From the moments we try our best and don’t quite make it. And certainly from the moments we are strong enough to accept “not this time, but hopefully sometime in the future”.

This was a lesson I didn’t really want but certainly needed in celebrating every metre— NOT just the final ones— and climbing like I care about (staying alive for) the next summit.

So cheers from climbing & not summiting Fuji, because that’s ok to celebrate too 🍻
  • NARA, JAPAN 🦌🌸

The first permanent capital of Japan in the 8th century, Nara is packed with ancient temples, mossy lanterns, and wide-open parks full of sacred deer, who are believed to be messengers of the gods!

Of course we’d seen seen videos of bowing deer on Instagram before visiting, but we spent 2 days in Nara and fell in love with so many parts of this charming little city (and yes, ALSO fell in love with the deer, who were even CUTER in person!!)

DIY walking tour highlights:
- Kofuku-ji Temple: 5-story pagoda & Buddhist temple from 730AD (rebuilt in 1426)
- Nara Park: the main deer zone 🦌 (look for shikadamari, deer clusters relaxing in the grass + buy bags of deer feed for a few hundred ¥!)
- Kasuga Taisha: 8th century Shinto shrine draped in wisteria & stone lanterns
- Todai-ji: home to the Great Buddha (16m tall, 437 tonnes of bronze!)
- Daibutsu-den Hall: built without nails, once the largest wooden structure on Earth
- Nandaimon Gate: Japan’s largest temple gate
- Yoshiki-en Garden: peaceful, perfect for shinrin-yoku (forest bathing)
- Nakatanidou: famous red-bean mochi, must try!
  • Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it is many, MANY things all at once— steeped in history, dominated by incredible cuisine, bursting with alt-culture… an electric mosaic of tradition, innovation, and chaos.

2 weeks was hardly enough time to scrape the surface of the city (and 20 photos was not even close to enough for this round-up!!!), but we will 100% be back for more Tokyo magic in the future!

In the meantime, here are some of my absolute favourite things to do in Tokyo 😍🌸🍜
  • FUJI FIVE LAKES 🌋🌸🎌

Just north of Mt Fuji & a few hours from Tokyo, this scenic region is made up of five volcanic lakes formed by ancient eruptions— Kawaguchi, Saiko, Yamanaka, Shoji & Motosu— all offering incredible vantage points of Japan’s most iconic mountain. Here’s how to explore ↯

GETTING HERE
Train 2hrs from Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko (direct train every 30min; 2200¥ = $15)

GETTING AROUND
The Kawaguchiko Sightseeing Bus is a super easy hop-on-hop-off service that loops around Mt Fuji’s northern lakes and major sights (departing Kawaguchiko Station). Start with the Red Line and if you’ve got more time, transfer to the Green or Blue Lines for Lake Saiko and Lake Shoji (¥1,800 for 1-day pass = $12)

WHAT TO SEE
- Mt. Fuji Panorama Ropeway (900¥)
- Tenjosan Komitake Shrine
- Lake Shoji (quiet views along the lake shore)
- Lake Kawaguchi Excursion Boat (1000¥)
- Hannoki Bayashi Shiryokan (traditional village & open-air museum)
- Kawaguchiko Train Station & Lawson (excellent views)
- hike/climb Mt Fuji, depending on the season!!

HOW MANY DAYS?
I spent 5 days in Fuji Five Lakes region (including a winter ascent of Mt Fuji ❄️), but most people will find 2–3 days plenty for sightseeing.

WHERE TO STAY
Kagelow Mt. Fuji Hostel was one of my favourite stays in Japan, with budget-friendly private pods or rooms, plus an awesome on-site restaurant, all an easy walk to the train station
  • QUICK GUIDE TO PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN TOKYO 🚆 

📲 the easiest way to tap on & off the metro in Tokyo is with a virtual SUICA transit card on Apple/Google Pay
—> go to the Wallet app
—> tap the + icon and select Transit Card
—> search for SUICA
—> add 1,000¥ to start (foreign VISA doesn’t work for some people, so use MasterCard or AMEX to add value to card)

💴 most inner-city trips cost 150-250¥ ($1-2)
—> with Suica loaded on Apple Pay, you’ll see the exact cost of your journey as soon as you tap off

🗺️ Google Maps is the absolute easiest way to navigate public transport in Tokyo. Some of the handy information provided:
—> entrance & exit directions— some of these stations are like small cities! Google Maps will tell you “enter at B15” or “exit 8” & these are always well signed around the station. 
—> which line you’re taking (ex. Maranuchi Line)— look for corresponding signs in the station
—> platform 
—> which train car to board for fastest exit
—> cost
  • tokyo on film ✌🏼

I almost always shoot mountain landscapes, so it was super fun taking my camera around the city (and editing with a film sim) to capture what it FEELS like to be in Tokyo.

📸 which is your favourite?? mine might be the 4th… but so hard to choose!
  • I don’t think I’ve ever arrived anywhere with higher expectations than I did Japan. 

For years, people have been appalled that I hadn’t been to Japan— a favourite country for just about everyone and therefore a glaring hole in my travel resume.

I’ve found myself gravitating more and more towards Latin America over the years, pulled to Europe for the climbing and occasionally to Africa for a bit of variety, but it’d been nearly a decade since I spent time in Asia. 

Even so, I’m not sure Japan can really be compared to these other places— the chaos of motorbiking through southern Vietnam, the wild jungle of barely inhabited Thai islands, the smoky shores of the Mekong River as it winds through Laos, the experience of train travel through China that I still don’t have an appropriate adjective for… Japan is a place entirely its own. 

And I finally understand why it has captivated the hearts of so many travellers.

Ok ok, I get it. Japan is mind-blowing, magical, incomparable, INCREDIBLE 🌸🇯🇵
follow @brookebeyond_

travel beyond the ordinary

Explore my travel guides, custom itineraries & blog posts with an interactive world map ✨

all destinations

  • postcards from magical little Miyajima 🌸✨

this island is located about an hour from Hiroshima & is a fantastic day trip— but even better as a relaxing overnighter. 

visit the iconic red Torii Gate, take the scenic ropeway to Mt Misen’s Peak, feed the free-roaming deer, sample the island’s many oyster treats, see the 5-story pagoda Taho-to, and cap it all off with a traditional stay at Kikunoya. slow-paced bliss ✨
  • Takachiho Gorge, the most beautiful place in Japan 🇯🇵🌸✨

Cut by the bright turquoise Gokase River, this magical little gorge in central Kyushu is lined with towering basalt cliffs, their warped columns shaped by ancient lava flows from nearby Mt Aso, all leading towards the sparkling Minainotaki Waterfall. It’s one of those places that looks surreal in photos and somehow even better in person!

We stopped here on a 2-week Kyushu road trip and this spot completely blew us away— many people consider it the most beautiful place in Japan and I have to agree!!

Tips for visiting Takachiho Gorge:
- the site is open 8am-5pm
- entry is ¥1,000 per person + parking is available nearby
- reserve a row boat (30min) for ¥4,000 on weekdays or ¥5,000 on weeekends (boats do sell out!)
- the best light is after 10.30am, when sun hits the waterfall
- free paths run along both sides of the gorge, so you can enjoy great views even if you don’t hire a boat

Did you know Japan looked like this?! 🤩
  • More than 200,000 people climb Mt Fuji every year, but only a few dozen in the winter— it’s a notoriously dangerous ascent on steep snow and ice with insane winds, music to my ears. 

It was a gorgeous day, blue skies, not another climber on the mountain (except for me and my partner), and by all accounts it was PERFECT conditions for a Fuji summit. But then those infamous winds picked up… 🌬️

By the time we were 100m below the summit, gusts were up to 60km/hr and we dropped onto the snow every few minutes, axes dug in to brace against wild wind that threatened to rip us right off the mountain. Fuji is just a big sheet of ice at the top and the final part of the climb is a very exposed ridgeline where a slip would be fatal. We put up a good fight, but in the end, there was absolutely no way to continue safely. So we made the call to turn around.

And although this is far from the first mountain I’ve failed to summit, it was probably the most painful. 

Knowing when to turn back is one of the most important skills in climbing, but it’s still one I struggle with— the feeling of being SO close, of “failing” because you didn’t stand on the summit, is such a challenge for me because I’ve tied so much of my self-worth, particularly as a young female climber, to being strong enough/tough enough to *keep pushing*

But pushing through dangerous conditions isn’t really admirable, it’s just stupid…

And when you’re so fixated on the end goal, it’s easy to feel like the effort & accomplishment of the other 2,500m don’t mean anything without the final 100m. 

But a climb is so much more than the summit. And our worth as climbers (or hikers or PEOPLE) cannot come only from the successes. It has to come from the genuine pursuit, too. From the moments we try our best and don’t quite make it. And certainly from the moments we are strong enough to accept “not this time, but hopefully sometime in the future”.

This was a lesson I didn’t really want but certainly needed in celebrating every metre— NOT just the final ones— and climbing like I care about (staying alive for) the next summit.

So cheers from climbing & not summiting Fuji, because that’s ok to celebrate too 🍻
  • NARA, JAPAN 🦌🌸

The first permanent capital of Japan in the 8th century, Nara is packed with ancient temples, mossy lanterns, and wide-open parks full of sacred deer, who are believed to be messengers of the gods!

Of course we’d seen seen videos of bowing deer on Instagram before visiting, but we spent 2 days in Nara and fell in love with so many parts of this charming little city (and yes, ALSO fell in love with the deer, who were even CUTER in person!!)

DIY walking tour highlights:
- Kofuku-ji Temple: 5-story pagoda & Buddhist temple from 730AD (rebuilt in 1426)
- Nara Park: the main deer zone 🦌 (look for shikadamari, deer clusters relaxing in the grass + buy bags of deer feed for a few hundred ¥!)
- Kasuga Taisha: 8th century Shinto shrine draped in wisteria & stone lanterns
- Todai-ji: home to the Great Buddha (16m tall, 437 tonnes of bronze!)
- Daibutsu-den Hall: built without nails, once the largest wooden structure on Earth
- Nandaimon Gate: Japan’s largest temple gate
- Yoshiki-en Garden: peaceful, perfect for shinrin-yoku (forest bathing)
- Nakatanidou: famous red-bean mochi, must try!
  • Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it is many, MANY things all at once— steeped in history, dominated by incredible cuisine, bursting with alt-culture… an electric mosaic of tradition, innovation, and chaos.

2 weeks was hardly enough time to scrape the surface of the city (and 20 photos was not even close to enough for this round-up!!!), but we will 100% be back for more Tokyo magic in the future!

In the meantime, here are some of my absolute favourite things to do in Tokyo 😍🌸🍜
postcards from magical little Miyajima 🌸✨

this island is located about an hour from Hiroshima & is a fantastic day trip— but even better as a relaxing overnighter. 

visit the iconic red Torii Gate, take the scenic ropeway to Mt Misen’s Peak, feed the free-roaming deer, sample the island’s many oyster treats, see the 5-story pagoda Taho-to, and cap it all off with a traditional stay at Kikunoya. slow-paced bliss ✨
postcards from magical little Miyajima 🌸✨

this island is located about an hour from Hiroshima & is a fantastic day trip— but even better as a relaxing overnighter. 

visit the iconic red Torii Gate, take the scenic ropeway to Mt Misen’s Peak, feed the free-roaming deer, sample the island’s many oyster treats, see the 5-story pagoda Taho-to, and cap it all off with a traditional stay at Kikunoya. slow-paced bliss ✨
postcards from magical little Miyajima 🌸✨

this island is located about an hour from Hiroshima & is a fantastic day trip— but even better as a relaxing overnighter. 

visit the iconic red Torii Gate, take the scenic ropeway to Mt Misen’s Peak, feed the free-roaming deer, sample the island’s many oyster treats, see the 5-story pagoda Taho-to, and cap it all off with a traditional stay at Kikunoya. slow-paced bliss ✨
postcards from magical little Miyajima 🌸✨

this island is located about an hour from Hiroshima & is a fantastic day trip— but even better as a relaxing overnighter. 

visit the iconic red Torii Gate, take the scenic ropeway to Mt Misen’s Peak, feed the free-roaming deer, sample the island’s many oyster treats, see the 5-story pagoda Taho-to, and cap it all off with a traditional stay at Kikunoya. slow-paced bliss ✨
postcards from magical little Miyajima 🌸✨

this island is located about an hour from Hiroshima & is a fantastic day trip— but even better as a relaxing overnighter. 

visit the iconic red Torii Gate, take the scenic ropeway to Mt Misen’s Peak, feed the free-roaming deer, sample the island’s many oyster treats, see the 5-story pagoda Taho-to, and cap it all off with a traditional stay at Kikunoya. slow-paced bliss ✨
postcards from magical little Miyajima 🌸✨

this island is located about an hour from Hiroshima & is a fantastic day trip— but even better as a relaxing overnighter. 

visit the iconic red Torii Gate, take the scenic ropeway to Mt Misen’s Peak, feed the free-roaming deer, sample the island’s many oyster treats, see the 5-story pagoda Taho-to, and cap it all off with a traditional stay at Kikunoya. slow-paced bliss ✨
postcards from magical little Miyajima 🌸✨

this island is located about an hour from Hiroshima & is a fantastic day trip— but even better as a relaxing overnighter. 

visit the iconic red Torii Gate, take the scenic ropeway to Mt Misen’s Peak, feed the free-roaming deer, sample the island’s many oyster treats, see the 5-story pagoda Taho-to, and cap it all off with a traditional stay at Kikunoya. slow-paced bliss ✨
postcards from magical little Miyajima 🌸✨

this island is located about an hour from Hiroshima & is a fantastic day trip— but even better as a relaxing overnighter. 

visit the iconic red Torii Gate, take the scenic ropeway to Mt Misen’s Peak, feed the free-roaming deer, sample the island’s many oyster treats, see the 5-story pagoda Taho-to, and cap it all off with a traditional stay at Kikunoya. slow-paced bliss ✨
postcards from magical little Miyajima 🌸✨

this island is located about an hour from Hiroshima & is a fantastic day trip— but even better as a relaxing overnighter. 

visit the iconic red Torii Gate, take the scenic ropeway to Mt Misen’s Peak, feed the free-roaming deer, sample the island’s many oyster treats, see the 5-story pagoda Taho-to, and cap it all off with a traditional stay at Kikunoya. slow-paced bliss ✨
postcards from magical little Miyajima 🌸✨

this island is located about an hour from Hiroshima & is a fantastic day trip— but even better as a relaxing overnighter. 

visit the iconic red Torii Gate, take the scenic ropeway to Mt Misen’s Peak, feed the free-roaming deer, sample the island’s many oyster treats, see the 5-story pagoda Taho-to, and cap it all off with a traditional stay at Kikunoya. slow-paced bliss ✨
@brookebeyond_
@brookebeyond_
•
Follow
postcards from magical little Miyajima 🌸✨ this island is located about an hour from Hiroshima & is a fantastic day trip— but even better as a relaxing overnighter. visit the iconic red Torii Gate, take the scenic ropeway to Mt Misen’s Peak, feed the free-roaming deer, sample the island’s many oyster treats, see the 5-story pagoda Taho-to, and cap it all off with a traditional stay at Kikunoya. slow-paced bliss ✨
8 hours ago
View on Instagram |
1/5
Takachiho Gorge, the most beautiful place in Japan 🇯🇵🌸✨

Cut by the bright turquoise Gokase River, this magical little gorge in central Kyushu is lined with towering basalt cliffs, their warped columns shaped by ancient lava flows from nearby Mt Aso, all leading towards the sparkling Minainotaki Waterfall. It’s one of those places that looks surreal in photos and somehow even better in person!

We stopped here on a 2-week Kyushu road trip and this spot completely blew us away— many people consider it the most beautiful place in Japan and I have to agree!!

Tips for visiting Takachiho Gorge:
- the site is open 8am-5pm
- entry is ¥1,000 per person + parking is available nearby
- reserve a row boat (30min) for ¥4,000 on weekdays or ¥5,000 on weeekends (boats do sell out!)
- the best light is after 10.30am, when sun hits the waterfall
- free paths run along both sides of the gorge, so you can enjoy great views even if you don’t hire a boat

Did you know Japan looked like this?! 🤩
Takachiho Gorge, the most beautiful place in Japan 🇯🇵🌸✨

Cut by the bright turquoise Gokase River, this magical little gorge in central Kyushu is lined with towering basalt cliffs, their warped columns shaped by ancient lava flows from nearby Mt Aso, all leading towards the sparkling Minainotaki Waterfall. It’s one of those places that looks surreal in photos and somehow even better in person!

We stopped here on a 2-week Kyushu road trip and this spot completely blew us away— many people consider it the most beautiful place in Japan and I have to agree!!

Tips for visiting Takachiho Gorge:
- the site is open 8am-5pm
- entry is ¥1,000 per person + parking is available nearby
- reserve a row boat (30min) for ¥4,000 on weekdays or ¥5,000 on weeekends (boats do sell out!)
- the best light is after 10.30am, when sun hits the waterfall
- free paths run along both sides of the gorge, so you can enjoy great views even if you don’t hire a boat

Did you know Japan looked like this?! 🤩
Takachiho Gorge, the most beautiful place in Japan 🇯🇵🌸✨

Cut by the bright turquoise Gokase River, this magical little gorge in central Kyushu is lined with towering basalt cliffs, their warped columns shaped by ancient lava flows from nearby Mt Aso, all leading towards the sparkling Minainotaki Waterfall. It’s one of those places that looks surreal in photos and somehow even better in person!

We stopped here on a 2-week Kyushu road trip and this spot completely blew us away— many people consider it the most beautiful place in Japan and I have to agree!!

Tips for visiting Takachiho Gorge:
- the site is open 8am-5pm
- entry is ¥1,000 per person + parking is available nearby
- reserve a row boat (30min) for ¥4,000 on weekdays or ¥5,000 on weeekends (boats do sell out!)
- the best light is after 10.30am, when sun hits the waterfall
- free paths run along both sides of the gorge, so you can enjoy great views even if you don’t hire a boat

Did you know Japan looked like this?! 🤩
Takachiho Gorge, the most beautiful place in Japan 🇯🇵🌸✨

Cut by the bright turquoise Gokase River, this magical little gorge in central Kyushu is lined with towering basalt cliffs, their warped columns shaped by ancient lava flows from nearby Mt Aso, all leading towards the sparkling Minainotaki Waterfall. It’s one of those places that looks surreal in photos and somehow even better in person!

We stopped here on a 2-week Kyushu road trip and this spot completely blew us away— many people consider it the most beautiful place in Japan and I have to agree!!

Tips for visiting Takachiho Gorge:
- the site is open 8am-5pm
- entry is ¥1,000 per person + parking is available nearby
- reserve a row boat (30min) for ¥4,000 on weekdays or ¥5,000 on weeekends (boats do sell out!)
- the best light is after 10.30am, when sun hits the waterfall
- free paths run along both sides of the gorge, so you can enjoy great views even if you don’t hire a boat

Did you know Japan looked like this?! 🤩
Takachiho Gorge, the most beautiful place in Japan 🇯🇵🌸✨

Cut by the bright turquoise Gokase River, this magical little gorge in central Kyushu is lined with towering basalt cliffs, their warped columns shaped by ancient lava flows from nearby Mt Aso, all leading towards the sparkling Minainotaki Waterfall. It’s one of those places that looks surreal in photos and somehow even better in person!

We stopped here on a 2-week Kyushu road trip and this spot completely blew us away— many people consider it the most beautiful place in Japan and I have to agree!!

Tips for visiting Takachiho Gorge:
- the site is open 8am-5pm
- entry is ¥1,000 per person + parking is available nearby
- reserve a row boat (30min) for ¥4,000 on weekdays or ¥5,000 on weeekends (boats do sell out!)
- the best light is after 10.30am, when sun hits the waterfall
- free paths run along both sides of the gorge, so you can enjoy great views even if you don’t hire a boat

Did you know Japan looked like this?! 🤩
@brookebeyond_
@brookebeyond_
•
Follow
Takachiho Gorge, the most beautiful place in Japan 🇯🇵🌸✨ Cut by the bright turquoise Gokase River, this magical little gorge in central Kyushu is lined with towering basalt cliffs, their warped columns shaped by ancient lava flows from nearby Mt Aso, all leading towards the sparkling Minainotaki Waterfall. It’s one of those places that looks surreal in photos and somehow even better in person! We stopped here on a 2-week Kyushu road trip and this spot completely blew us away— many people consider it the most beautiful place in Japan and I have to agree!! Tips for visiting Takachiho Gorge: - the site is open 8am-5pm - entry is ¥1,000 per person + parking is available nearby - reserve a row boat (30min) for ¥4,000 on weekdays or ¥5,000 on weeekends (boats do sell out!) - the best light is after 10.30am, when sun hits the waterfall - free paths run along both sides of the gorge, so you can enjoy great views even if you don’t hire a boat Did you know Japan looked like this?! 🤩
1 day ago
View on Instagram |
2/5
@brookebeyond_
@brookebeyond_
•
Follow
More than 200,000 people climb Mt Fuji every year, but only a few dozen in the winter— it’s a notoriously dangerous ascent on steep snow and ice with insane winds, music to my ears. It was a gorgeous day, blue skies, not another climber on the mountain (except for me and my partner), and by all accounts it was PERFECT conditions for a Fuji summit. But then those infamous winds picked up… 🌬️ By the time we were 100m below the summit, gusts were up to 60km/hr and we dropped onto the snow every few minutes, axes dug in to brace against wild wind that threatened to rip us right off the mountain. Fuji is just a big sheet of ice at the top and the final part of the climb is a very exposed ridgeline where a slip would be fatal. We put up a good fight, but in the end, there was absolutely no way to continue safely. So we made the call to turn around. And although this is far from the first mountain I’ve failed to summit, it was probably the most painful. Knowing when to turn back is one of the most important skills in climbing, but it’s still one I struggle with— the feeling of being SO close, of “failing” because you didn’t stand on the summit, is such a challenge for me because I’ve tied so much of my self-worth, particularly as a young female climber, to being strong enough/tough enough to *keep pushing* But pushing through dangerous conditions isn’t really admirable, it’s just stupid… And when you’re so fixated on the end goal, it’s easy to feel like the effort & accomplishment of the other 2,500m don’t mean anything without the final 100m. But a climb is so much more than the summit. And our worth as climbers (or hikers or PEOPLE) cannot come only from the successes. It has to come from the genuine pursuit, too. From the moments we try our best and don’t quite make it. And certainly from the moments we are strong enough to accept “not this time, but hopefully sometime in the future”. This was a lesson I didn’t really want but certainly needed in celebrating every metre— NOT just the final ones— and climbing like I care about (staying alive for) the next summit. So cheers from climbing & not summiting Fuji, because that’s ok to celebrate too 🍻
3 days ago
View on Instagram |
3/5
NARA, JAPAN 🦌🌸

The first permanent capital of Japan in the 8th century, Nara is packed with ancient temples, mossy lanterns, and wide-open parks full of sacred deer, who are believed to be messengers of the gods!

Of course we’d seen seen videos of bowing deer on Instagram before visiting, but we spent 2 days in Nara and fell in love with so many parts of this charming little city (and yes, ALSO fell in love with the deer, who were even CUTER in person!!)

DIY walking tour highlights:
- Kofuku-ji Temple: 5-story pagoda & Buddhist temple from 730AD (rebuilt in 1426)
- Nara Park: the main deer zone 🦌 (look for shikadamari, deer clusters relaxing in the grass + buy bags of deer feed for a few hundred ¥!)
- Kasuga Taisha: 8th century Shinto shrine draped in wisteria & stone lanterns
- Todai-ji: home to the Great Buddha (16m tall, 437 tonnes of bronze!)
- Daibutsu-den Hall: built without nails, once the largest wooden structure on Earth
- Nandaimon Gate: Japan’s largest temple gate
- Yoshiki-en Garden: peaceful, perfect for shinrin-yoku (forest bathing)
- Nakatanidou: famous red-bean mochi, must try!
NARA, JAPAN 🦌🌸

The first permanent capital of Japan in the 8th century, Nara is packed with ancient temples, mossy lanterns, and wide-open parks full of sacred deer, who are believed to be messengers of the gods!

Of course we’d seen seen videos of bowing deer on Instagram before visiting, but we spent 2 days in Nara and fell in love with so many parts of this charming little city (and yes, ALSO fell in love with the deer, who were even CUTER in person!!)

DIY walking tour highlights:
- Kofuku-ji Temple: 5-story pagoda & Buddhist temple from 730AD (rebuilt in 1426)
- Nara Park: the main deer zone 🦌 (look for shikadamari, deer clusters relaxing in the grass + buy bags of deer feed for a few hundred ¥!)
- Kasuga Taisha: 8th century Shinto shrine draped in wisteria & stone lanterns
- Todai-ji: home to the Great Buddha (16m tall, 437 tonnes of bronze!)
- Daibutsu-den Hall: built without nails, once the largest wooden structure on Earth
- Nandaimon Gate: Japan’s largest temple gate
- Yoshiki-en Garden: peaceful, perfect for shinrin-yoku (forest bathing)
- Nakatanidou: famous red-bean mochi, must try!
NARA, JAPAN 🦌🌸

The first permanent capital of Japan in the 8th century, Nara is packed with ancient temples, mossy lanterns, and wide-open parks full of sacred deer, who are believed to be messengers of the gods!

Of course we’d seen seen videos of bowing deer on Instagram before visiting, but we spent 2 days in Nara and fell in love with so many parts of this charming little city (and yes, ALSO fell in love with the deer, who were even CUTER in person!!)

DIY walking tour highlights:
- Kofuku-ji Temple: 5-story pagoda & Buddhist temple from 730AD (rebuilt in 1426)
- Nara Park: the main deer zone 🦌 (look for shikadamari, deer clusters relaxing in the grass + buy bags of deer feed for a few hundred ¥!)
- Kasuga Taisha: 8th century Shinto shrine draped in wisteria & stone lanterns
- Todai-ji: home to the Great Buddha (16m tall, 437 tonnes of bronze!)
- Daibutsu-den Hall: built without nails, once the largest wooden structure on Earth
- Nandaimon Gate: Japan’s largest temple gate
- Yoshiki-en Garden: peaceful, perfect for shinrin-yoku (forest bathing)
- Nakatanidou: famous red-bean mochi, must try!
NARA, JAPAN 🦌🌸

The first permanent capital of Japan in the 8th century, Nara is packed with ancient temples, mossy lanterns, and wide-open parks full of sacred deer, who are believed to be messengers of the gods!

Of course we’d seen seen videos of bowing deer on Instagram before visiting, but we spent 2 days in Nara and fell in love with so many parts of this charming little city (and yes, ALSO fell in love with the deer, who were even CUTER in person!!)

DIY walking tour highlights:
- Kofuku-ji Temple: 5-story pagoda & Buddhist temple from 730AD (rebuilt in 1426)
- Nara Park: the main deer zone 🦌 (look for shikadamari, deer clusters relaxing in the grass + buy bags of deer feed for a few hundred ¥!)
- Kasuga Taisha: 8th century Shinto shrine draped in wisteria & stone lanterns
- Todai-ji: home to the Great Buddha (16m tall, 437 tonnes of bronze!)
- Daibutsu-den Hall: built without nails, once the largest wooden structure on Earth
- Nandaimon Gate: Japan’s largest temple gate
- Yoshiki-en Garden: peaceful, perfect for shinrin-yoku (forest bathing)
- Nakatanidou: famous red-bean mochi, must try!
NARA, JAPAN 🦌🌸

The first permanent capital of Japan in the 8th century, Nara is packed with ancient temples, mossy lanterns, and wide-open parks full of sacred deer, who are believed to be messengers of the gods!

Of course we’d seen seen videos of bowing deer on Instagram before visiting, but we spent 2 days in Nara and fell in love with so many parts of this charming little city (and yes, ALSO fell in love with the deer, who were even CUTER in person!!)

DIY walking tour highlights:
- Kofuku-ji Temple: 5-story pagoda & Buddhist temple from 730AD (rebuilt in 1426)
- Nara Park: the main deer zone 🦌 (look for shikadamari, deer clusters relaxing in the grass + buy bags of deer feed for a few hundred ¥!)
- Kasuga Taisha: 8th century Shinto shrine draped in wisteria & stone lanterns
- Todai-ji: home to the Great Buddha (16m tall, 437 tonnes of bronze!)
- Daibutsu-den Hall: built without nails, once the largest wooden structure on Earth
- Nandaimon Gate: Japan’s largest temple gate
- Yoshiki-en Garden: peaceful, perfect for shinrin-yoku (forest bathing)
- Nakatanidou: famous red-bean mochi, must try!
NARA, JAPAN 🦌🌸

The first permanent capital of Japan in the 8th century, Nara is packed with ancient temples, mossy lanterns, and wide-open parks full of sacred deer, who are believed to be messengers of the gods!

Of course we’d seen seen videos of bowing deer on Instagram before visiting, but we spent 2 days in Nara and fell in love with so many parts of this charming little city (and yes, ALSO fell in love with the deer, who were even CUTER in person!!)

DIY walking tour highlights:
- Kofuku-ji Temple: 5-story pagoda & Buddhist temple from 730AD (rebuilt in 1426)
- Nara Park: the main deer zone 🦌 (look for shikadamari, deer clusters relaxing in the grass + buy bags of deer feed for a few hundred ¥!)
- Kasuga Taisha: 8th century Shinto shrine draped in wisteria & stone lanterns
- Todai-ji: home to the Great Buddha (16m tall, 437 tonnes of bronze!)
- Daibutsu-den Hall: built without nails, once the largest wooden structure on Earth
- Nandaimon Gate: Japan’s largest temple gate
- Yoshiki-en Garden: peaceful, perfect for shinrin-yoku (forest bathing)
- Nakatanidou: famous red-bean mochi, must try!
NARA, JAPAN 🦌🌸

The first permanent capital of Japan in the 8th century, Nara is packed with ancient temples, mossy lanterns, and wide-open parks full of sacred deer, who are believed to be messengers of the gods!

Of course we’d seen seen videos of bowing deer on Instagram before visiting, but we spent 2 days in Nara and fell in love with so many parts of this charming little city (and yes, ALSO fell in love with the deer, who were even CUTER in person!!)

DIY walking tour highlights:
- Kofuku-ji Temple: 5-story pagoda & Buddhist temple from 730AD (rebuilt in 1426)
- Nara Park: the main deer zone 🦌 (look for shikadamari, deer clusters relaxing in the grass + buy bags of deer feed for a few hundred ¥!)
- Kasuga Taisha: 8th century Shinto shrine draped in wisteria & stone lanterns
- Todai-ji: home to the Great Buddha (16m tall, 437 tonnes of bronze!)
- Daibutsu-den Hall: built without nails, once the largest wooden structure on Earth
- Nandaimon Gate: Japan’s largest temple gate
- Yoshiki-en Garden: peaceful, perfect for shinrin-yoku (forest bathing)
- Nakatanidou: famous red-bean mochi, must try!
NARA, JAPAN 🦌🌸

The first permanent capital of Japan in the 8th century, Nara is packed with ancient temples, mossy lanterns, and wide-open parks full of sacred deer, who are believed to be messengers of the gods!

Of course we’d seen seen videos of bowing deer on Instagram before visiting, but we spent 2 days in Nara and fell in love with so many parts of this charming little city (and yes, ALSO fell in love with the deer, who were even CUTER in person!!)

DIY walking tour highlights:
- Kofuku-ji Temple: 5-story pagoda & Buddhist temple from 730AD (rebuilt in 1426)
- Nara Park: the main deer zone 🦌 (look for shikadamari, deer clusters relaxing in the grass + buy bags of deer feed for a few hundred ¥!)
- Kasuga Taisha: 8th century Shinto shrine draped in wisteria & stone lanterns
- Todai-ji: home to the Great Buddha (16m tall, 437 tonnes of bronze!)
- Daibutsu-den Hall: built without nails, once the largest wooden structure on Earth
- Nandaimon Gate: Japan’s largest temple gate
- Yoshiki-en Garden: peaceful, perfect for shinrin-yoku (forest bathing)
- Nakatanidou: famous red-bean mochi, must try!
NARA, JAPAN 🦌🌸

The first permanent capital of Japan in the 8th century, Nara is packed with ancient temples, mossy lanterns, and wide-open parks full of sacred deer, who are believed to be messengers of the gods!

Of course we’d seen seen videos of bowing deer on Instagram before visiting, but we spent 2 days in Nara and fell in love with so many parts of this charming little city (and yes, ALSO fell in love with the deer, who were even CUTER in person!!)

DIY walking tour highlights:
- Kofuku-ji Temple: 5-story pagoda & Buddhist temple from 730AD (rebuilt in 1426)
- Nara Park: the main deer zone 🦌 (look for shikadamari, deer clusters relaxing in the grass + buy bags of deer feed for a few hundred ¥!)
- Kasuga Taisha: 8th century Shinto shrine draped in wisteria & stone lanterns
- Todai-ji: home to the Great Buddha (16m tall, 437 tonnes of bronze!)
- Daibutsu-den Hall: built without nails, once the largest wooden structure on Earth
- Nandaimon Gate: Japan’s largest temple gate
- Yoshiki-en Garden: peaceful, perfect for shinrin-yoku (forest bathing)
- Nakatanidou: famous red-bean mochi, must try!
NARA, JAPAN 🦌🌸

The first permanent capital of Japan in the 8th century, Nara is packed with ancient temples, mossy lanterns, and wide-open parks full of sacred deer, who are believed to be messengers of the gods!

Of course we’d seen seen videos of bowing deer on Instagram before visiting, but we spent 2 days in Nara and fell in love with so many parts of this charming little city (and yes, ALSO fell in love with the deer, who were even CUTER in person!!)

DIY walking tour highlights:
- Kofuku-ji Temple: 5-story pagoda & Buddhist temple from 730AD (rebuilt in 1426)
- Nara Park: the main deer zone 🦌 (look for shikadamari, deer clusters relaxing in the grass + buy bags of deer feed for a few hundred ¥!)
- Kasuga Taisha: 8th century Shinto shrine draped in wisteria & stone lanterns
- Todai-ji: home to the Great Buddha (16m tall, 437 tonnes of bronze!)
- Daibutsu-den Hall: built without nails, once the largest wooden structure on Earth
- Nandaimon Gate: Japan’s largest temple gate
- Yoshiki-en Garden: peaceful, perfect for shinrin-yoku (forest bathing)
- Nakatanidou: famous red-bean mochi, must try!
NARA, JAPAN 🦌🌸

The first permanent capital of Japan in the 8th century, Nara is packed with ancient temples, mossy lanterns, and wide-open parks full of sacred deer, who are believed to be messengers of the gods!

Of course we’d seen seen videos of bowing deer on Instagram before visiting, but we spent 2 days in Nara and fell in love with so many parts of this charming little city (and yes, ALSO fell in love with the deer, who were even CUTER in person!!)

DIY walking tour highlights:
- Kofuku-ji Temple: 5-story pagoda & Buddhist temple from 730AD (rebuilt in 1426)
- Nara Park: the main deer zone 🦌 (look for shikadamari, deer clusters relaxing in the grass + buy bags of deer feed for a few hundred ¥!)
- Kasuga Taisha: 8th century Shinto shrine draped in wisteria & stone lanterns
- Todai-ji: home to the Great Buddha (16m tall, 437 tonnes of bronze!)
- Daibutsu-den Hall: built without nails, once the largest wooden structure on Earth
- Nandaimon Gate: Japan’s largest temple gate
- Yoshiki-en Garden: peaceful, perfect for shinrin-yoku (forest bathing)
- Nakatanidou: famous red-bean mochi, must try!
NARA, JAPAN 🦌🌸

The first permanent capital of Japan in the 8th century, Nara is packed with ancient temples, mossy lanterns, and wide-open parks full of sacred deer, who are believed to be messengers of the gods!

Of course we’d seen seen videos of bowing deer on Instagram before visiting, but we spent 2 days in Nara and fell in love with so many parts of this charming little city (and yes, ALSO fell in love with the deer, who were even CUTER in person!!)

DIY walking tour highlights:
- Kofuku-ji Temple: 5-story pagoda & Buddhist temple from 730AD (rebuilt in 1426)
- Nara Park: the main deer zone 🦌 (look for shikadamari, deer clusters relaxing in the grass + buy bags of deer feed for a few hundred ¥!)
- Kasuga Taisha: 8th century Shinto shrine draped in wisteria & stone lanterns
- Todai-ji: home to the Great Buddha (16m tall, 437 tonnes of bronze!)
- Daibutsu-den Hall: built without nails, once the largest wooden structure on Earth
- Nandaimon Gate: Japan’s largest temple gate
- Yoshiki-en Garden: peaceful, perfect for shinrin-yoku (forest bathing)
- Nakatanidou: famous red-bean mochi, must try!
NARA, JAPAN 🦌🌸

The first permanent capital of Japan in the 8th century, Nara is packed with ancient temples, mossy lanterns, and wide-open parks full of sacred deer, who are believed to be messengers of the gods!

Of course we’d seen seen videos of bowing deer on Instagram before visiting, but we spent 2 days in Nara and fell in love with so many parts of this charming little city (and yes, ALSO fell in love with the deer, who were even CUTER in person!!)

DIY walking tour highlights:
- Kofuku-ji Temple: 5-story pagoda & Buddhist temple from 730AD (rebuilt in 1426)
- Nara Park: the main deer zone 🦌 (look for shikadamari, deer clusters relaxing in the grass + buy bags of deer feed for a few hundred ¥!)
- Kasuga Taisha: 8th century Shinto shrine draped in wisteria & stone lanterns
- Todai-ji: home to the Great Buddha (16m tall, 437 tonnes of bronze!)
- Daibutsu-den Hall: built without nails, once the largest wooden structure on Earth
- Nandaimon Gate: Japan’s largest temple gate
- Yoshiki-en Garden: peaceful, perfect for shinrin-yoku (forest bathing)
- Nakatanidou: famous red-bean mochi, must try!
@brookebeyond_
@brookebeyond_
•
Follow
NARA, JAPAN 🦌🌸 The first permanent capital of Japan in the 8th century, Nara is packed with ancient temples, mossy lanterns, and wide-open parks full of sacred deer, who are believed to be messengers of the gods! Of course we’d seen seen videos of bowing deer on Instagram before visiting, but we spent 2 days in Nara and fell in love with so many parts of this charming little city (and yes, ALSO fell in love with the deer, who were even CUTER in person!!) DIY walking tour highlights: - Kofuku-ji Temple: 5-story pagoda & Buddhist temple from 730AD (rebuilt in 1426) - Nara Park: the main deer zone 🦌 (look for shikadamari, deer clusters relaxing in the grass + buy bags of deer feed for a few hundred ¥!) - Kasuga Taisha: 8th century Shinto shrine draped in wisteria & stone lanterns - Todai-ji: home to the Great Buddha (16m tall, 437 tonnes of bronze!) - Daibutsu-den Hall: built without nails, once the largest wooden structure on Earth - Nandaimon Gate: Japan’s largest temple gate - Yoshiki-en Garden: peaceful, perfect for shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) - Nakatanidou: famous red-bean mochi, must try!
3 days ago
View on Instagram |
4/5
Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it is many, MANY things all at once— steeped in history, dominated by incredible cuisine, bursting with alt-culture… an electric mosaic of tradition, innovation, and chaos.

2 weeks was hardly enough time to scrape the surface of the city (and 20 photos was not even close to enough for this round-up!!!), but we will 100% be back for more Tokyo magic in the future!

In the meantime, here are some of my absolute favourite things to do in Tokyo 😍🌸🍜
Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it is many, MANY things all at once— steeped in history, dominated by incredible cuisine, bursting with alt-culture… an electric mosaic of tradition, innovation, and chaos.

2 weeks was hardly enough time to scrape the surface of the city (and 20 photos was not even close to enough for this round-up!!!), but we will 100% be back for more Tokyo magic in the future!

In the meantime, here are some of my absolute favourite things to do in Tokyo 😍🌸🍜
Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it is many, MANY things all at once— steeped in history, dominated by incredible cuisine, bursting with alt-culture… an electric mosaic of tradition, innovation, and chaos.

2 weeks was hardly enough time to scrape the surface of the city (and 20 photos was not even close to enough for this round-up!!!), but we will 100% be back for more Tokyo magic in the future!

In the meantime, here are some of my absolute favourite things to do in Tokyo 😍🌸🍜
Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it is many, MANY things all at once— steeped in history, dominated by incredible cuisine, bursting with alt-culture… an electric mosaic of tradition, innovation, and chaos.

2 weeks was hardly enough time to scrape the surface of the city (and 20 photos was not even close to enough for this round-up!!!), but we will 100% be back for more Tokyo magic in the future!

In the meantime, here are some of my absolute favourite things to do in Tokyo 😍🌸🍜
Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it is many, MANY things all at once— steeped in history, dominated by incredible cuisine, bursting with alt-culture… an electric mosaic of tradition, innovation, and chaos.

2 weeks was hardly enough time to scrape the surface of the city (and 20 photos was not even close to enough for this round-up!!!), but we will 100% be back for more Tokyo magic in the future!

In the meantime, here are some of my absolute favourite things to do in Tokyo 😍🌸🍜
Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it is many, MANY things all at once— steeped in history, dominated by incredible cuisine, bursting with alt-culture… an electric mosaic of tradition, innovation, and chaos.

2 weeks was hardly enough time to scrape the surface of the city (and 20 photos was not even close to enough for this round-up!!!), but we will 100% be back for more Tokyo magic in the future!

In the meantime, here are some of my absolute favourite things to do in Tokyo 😍🌸🍜
Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it is many, MANY things all at once— steeped in history, dominated by incredible cuisine, bursting with alt-culture… an electric mosaic of tradition, innovation, and chaos.

2 weeks was hardly enough time to scrape the surface of the city (and 20 photos was not even close to enough for this round-up!!!), but we will 100% be back for more Tokyo magic in the future!

In the meantime, here are some of my absolute favourite things to do in Tokyo 😍🌸🍜
Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it is many, MANY things all at once— steeped in history, dominated by incredible cuisine, bursting with alt-culture… an electric mosaic of tradition, innovation, and chaos.

2 weeks was hardly enough time to scrape the surface of the city (and 20 photos was not even close to enough for this round-up!!!), but we will 100% be back for more Tokyo magic in the future!

In the meantime, here are some of my absolute favourite things to do in Tokyo 😍🌸🍜
Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it is many, MANY things all at once— steeped in history, dominated by incredible cuisine, bursting with alt-culture… an electric mosaic of tradition, innovation, and chaos.

2 weeks was hardly enough time to scrape the surface of the city (and 20 photos was not even close to enough for this round-up!!!), but we will 100% be back for more Tokyo magic in the future!

In the meantime, here are some of my absolute favourite things to do in Tokyo 😍🌸🍜
Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it is many, MANY things all at once— steeped in history, dominated by incredible cuisine, bursting with alt-culture… an electric mosaic of tradition, innovation, and chaos.

2 weeks was hardly enough time to scrape the surface of the city (and 20 photos was not even close to enough for this round-up!!!), but we will 100% be back for more Tokyo magic in the future!

In the meantime, here are some of my absolute favourite things to do in Tokyo 😍🌸🍜
Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it is many, MANY things all at once— steeped in history, dominated by incredible cuisine, bursting with alt-culture… an electric mosaic of tradition, innovation, and chaos.

2 weeks was hardly enough time to scrape the surface of the city (and 20 photos was not even close to enough for this round-up!!!), but we will 100% be back for more Tokyo magic in the future!

In the meantime, here are some of my absolute favourite things to do in Tokyo 😍🌸🍜
Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it is many, MANY things all at once— steeped in history, dominated by incredible cuisine, bursting with alt-culture… an electric mosaic of tradition, innovation, and chaos.

2 weeks was hardly enough time to scrape the surface of the city (and 20 photos was not even close to enough for this round-up!!!), but we will 100% be back for more Tokyo magic in the future!

In the meantime, here are some of my absolute favourite things to do in Tokyo 😍🌸🍜
Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it is many, MANY things all at once— steeped in history, dominated by incredible cuisine, bursting with alt-culture… an electric mosaic of tradition, innovation, and chaos.

2 weeks was hardly enough time to scrape the surface of the city (and 20 photos was not even close to enough for this round-up!!!), but we will 100% be back for more Tokyo magic in the future!

In the meantime, here are some of my absolute favourite things to do in Tokyo 😍🌸🍜
Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it is many, MANY things all at once— steeped in history, dominated by incredible cuisine, bursting with alt-culture… an electric mosaic of tradition, innovation, and chaos.

2 weeks was hardly enough time to scrape the surface of the city (and 20 photos was not even close to enough for this round-up!!!), but we will 100% be back for more Tokyo magic in the future!

In the meantime, here are some of my absolute favourite things to do in Tokyo 😍🌸🍜
Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it is many, MANY things all at once— steeped in history, dominated by incredible cuisine, bursting with alt-culture… an electric mosaic of tradition, innovation, and chaos.

2 weeks was hardly enough time to scrape the surface of the city (and 20 photos was not even close to enough for this round-up!!!), but we will 100% be back for more Tokyo magic in the future!

In the meantime, here are some of my absolute favourite things to do in Tokyo 😍🌸🍜
Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it is many, MANY things all at once— steeped in history, dominated by incredible cuisine, bursting with alt-culture… an electric mosaic of tradition, innovation, and chaos.

2 weeks was hardly enough time to scrape the surface of the city (and 20 photos was not even close to enough for this round-up!!!), but we will 100% be back for more Tokyo magic in the future!

In the meantime, here are some of my absolute favourite things to do in Tokyo 😍🌸🍜
Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it is many, MANY things all at once— steeped in history, dominated by incredible cuisine, bursting with alt-culture… an electric mosaic of tradition, innovation, and chaos.

2 weeks was hardly enough time to scrape the surface of the city (and 20 photos was not even close to enough for this round-up!!!), but we will 100% be back for more Tokyo magic in the future!

In the meantime, here are some of my absolute favourite things to do in Tokyo 😍🌸🍜
Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it is many, MANY things all at once— steeped in history, dominated by incredible cuisine, bursting with alt-culture… an electric mosaic of tradition, innovation, and chaos.

2 weeks was hardly enough time to scrape the surface of the city (and 20 photos was not even close to enough for this round-up!!!), but we will 100% be back for more Tokyo magic in the future!

In the meantime, here are some of my absolute favourite things to do in Tokyo 😍🌸🍜
Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it is many, MANY things all at once— steeped in history, dominated by incredible cuisine, bursting with alt-culture… an electric mosaic of tradition, innovation, and chaos.

2 weeks was hardly enough time to scrape the surface of the city (and 20 photos was not even close to enough for this round-up!!!), but we will 100% be back for more Tokyo magic in the future!

In the meantime, here are some of my absolute favourite things to do in Tokyo 😍🌸🍜
Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it is many, MANY things all at once— steeped in history, dominated by incredible cuisine, bursting with alt-culture… an electric mosaic of tradition, innovation, and chaos.

2 weeks was hardly enough time to scrape the surface of the city (and 20 photos was not even close to enough for this round-up!!!), but we will 100% be back for more Tokyo magic in the future!

In the meantime, here are some of my absolute favourite things to do in Tokyo 😍🌸🍜
@brookebeyond_
@brookebeyond_
•
Follow
Tokyo is the largest city in the world and it is many, MANY things all at once— steeped in history, dominated by incredible cuisine, bursting with alt-culture… an electric mosaic of tradition, innovation, and chaos. 2 weeks was hardly enough time to scrape the surface of the city (and 20 photos was not even close to enough for this round-up!!!), but we will 100% be back for more Tokyo magic in the future! In the meantime, here are some of my absolute favourite things to do in Tokyo 😍🌸🍜
6 days ago
View on Instagram |
5/5

  • start here
  • about
  • group trips
  • destinations
  • hiking guides
  • outdoor gear
  • custom GPS maps
  • privacy
  • contact

COPYRIGHT © 2025 BROOKE BEYOND. TRAVEL BEYOND THE ORDINARY. Site Powered by Pix & Hue.

 

Loading Comments...