First-person travel notes, city stories, photos, and videos from the Travel Map archive.
#Osaka Essentially, there are two districts in Osaka that are interesting to explore. The first is Namba and the nearby Dotonbori canal, and the second is the Umeda business district near the station, which can be seen in the photo. In general, in Japan…
Rating of Asian cities Over the past couple of years, I've visited almost all the Asian countries that would be interesting to me in terms of living there. Among them: 🇹🇭🇲🇾🇭🇰🇰🇷🇹🇼🇯🇵 However, many people really ask where it's better to live. On…
#Osaka - Temples - a cemetery and a statue of Buddha - Issinji Temple, where cremation ceremonies are held annually - the red pagoda - Shitennoji Temple, one of the oldest Buddhist temples - the red bridge and houses with balconies - Sumiyoshi Taisha, the…
https://t.me/moscowach/25372 Hahaha, someone just noticed this now. I wrote about it almost a year ago😂 What are these information security geniuses thinking? A fake Wi-Fi is being broadcasted throughout the entire airport (and not just one), and they…
#Osaka / #Tokyo I'm not going to try to explain the inexplicable, so just - Japanese quirks.
#Osaka In my previous posts, I mentioned the dilapidated state of some buildings in Osaka. It seems this is a unique phenomenon in this city. I didn't notice so many rusted buildings in Tokyo or Fukuoka. And here I even found a homeless shelter! (Photo 3).…
#Osaka In many ways, Osaka is a scaled-down version of Tokyo. Therefore, it also has its own Akihabara. Although it may be a bit worn down in some places and not as crowded with people as in Tokyo, there's still plenty to enjoy and admire here.
Japan won't leave me. Or rather, my liver. Although, of course, the whisky from the mass market in the nearest supermarket isn't very good, I wouldn't buy it anymore. The plum wine is still relatively decent.
#Osaka The glowing lights of the rainy city Even in the rainy and cold March, it didn't deter crowds of tourists strolling under umbrellas along the Dotonbori Canal - one of the most famous streets in all of Japan. Here, you can find advertisements and…
Another "guides" section on the channel. How to deregister from military service with a residence permit without registration and SMS For those who don't know - there's a possibility to deregister from military service if you have a residence permit from…
In Moscow, after Japan, you can just feel some hellish shoddiness in the entire infrastructure. Even when you're walking around the center, like Lubyanka or China Town - there are still mistakes at every turn. Sometimes it's the builders' fault, sometimes…
So basically, I made it to Moscow. Plan for the next month: - Fix the laptop (the Indian in Tokyo couldn't handle the task, said I need to replace the keyboard) - Finish this damn university (essentially, write the thesis and settle the debts) - Sort out…
I took the IELTS. I went to the center in Tokyo on Sunday, and they already sent me the results on Tuesday. Well, overall, it's a good result, at least it should be enough for visa purposes😁 I haven't studied English for many years, but I still passively…
Imagine, for example, that a hotel near the airport in Beijing is cheaper and looks better than a cramped room in a Tokyo hostel. And in places like Dubai, they'd charge you around 200 dollars a night for something like that. In general, it's a clear…
After departing from Japan, I deleted the post with my personal impressions, but after talking to a couple of people, I decided to write more informatively: - Since April 2022, Japan has imposed sanctions and prohibited Russian citizens from taking more…
The Chinese have granted transit, so I won't have to sleep at the airport. Hurray! When you're not flying for the first time, it's funny to watch other Russians suffering from the Chinese border control machine that won't let them leave. They naively…
Despite the fact that I've formally completed my journey through Asian countries (this year I've already visited China, Taiwan, and Japan), I realized that there are still many places in this part of the world I'd like to visit. I decided to systematize my…
I spent just over a month in Japan, but that's definitely not enough to fully appreciate the country. Many cool places here are far from Tokyo, and even not in Kyoto. Some are only relevant during a certain season (for example, Hokkaido in winter).…
#Tokyo I think spring has fully arrived in Tokyo. Unfortunately, I'm leaving tomorrow 🥲 After all, it's better to visit Japan in April. March here is too cold.
#Tokyo Found a portal on Sukhumvit
#Tokyo #Yokohama It's even more ironic that in grocery stores, the products are mostly either local or from Taiwan 🇹🇼. So I'd rename this place Taiwan Town, or at least China Republic Town. But I still found my favorite Chinese herbal compote here too!)
#Tokyo #Yokohama But the most important thing worth coming here for is the huge Chinatown, the size of which you won't even find in Tokyo! So if you're particularly craving Xiao Long Bao, Qingdao Beer, or Oolong tea, then Yokohama is definitely the place for…
#Tokyo #Yokohama After going a bit deeper into the city, it takes on a typical Japanese look, but with more pleasant architecture and an abundance of pedestrian zones. There are a lot of restaurants and bars, but the streets aren't as crowded as in Tokyo.…
#Yokohama Yesterday, I took another day trip from #Tokyo, this time to Yokohama. Formally, it's a separate city, and in terms of population, it's the second largest after the capital. However, the built-up area never ends on the way to the city, so the…
#Tokyo Sometimes, the city still surprises with its architecture. It seems like it's just a show-off of the capital. There's much less of that in other regions.
3% on my phone, 11 PM... God, give me the strength to get to Tokyo within an hour, without internet. Otherwise, I'll be stuck in this nowhere town until morning UPD: the phone died, but I made it
#Tokyo Finally,
#Tokyo And by the way, the area near the Toranomon Hills TV tower, where I stumbled upon the gin show, pleasantly surprised me. It's clear that this is a relatively new area, but life is already bustling here. There's interesting architecture, an uneven…
#Tokyo Guys, they've come up with a cool promotion featuring rakú gin and the seasons. I already love this gin and even have a bottle at home, but it's always nice to enjoy a gin and tonic in the fresh air once in a while.
#Tokyo A few more of Tokyo's little attractions - in the city center, near the Nihombashi business district, there's another bridge under the bridge. But this bridge is not so simple, as it stands in the place of the first wooden bridge, built back in 1603.…
#Tokyo I climbed the Skytree to assess the urban planning chaos of Tokyo. I think urban greening is a major problem for all of Japan. From a height, it's particularly noticeable - the city turns into a concrete mess of box-like buildings. Natural parks, let…
#Tokyo I think this is a global problem in Japan - the inefficient use of human resources. When walking the streets of major cities, especially Tokyo, I constantly notice a bunch of people (apparently police officers) standing along the roads. They either do…
#Tokyo Today, I went on a hike to Mount Takao, an hour and a half drive from Tokyo. They say this is the best place to view Mount Fuji without spending 3 hours on a train directly to it. And although the climb was relatively interesting and not exhausting,…
#Tokyo Today, I walked around Akihabara again, as I went there to have my laptop repaired. At the same time, I decided to look for a souvenir from Japan for my friend. In general, this place is definitely cursed. If you come here without knowing what you're…
I spilled tea on my laptop. The keyboard contacts got covered, but it seems the computer itself is still working 🫡 I've sent it for repair, and they should clean it within three days. If it doesn't malfunction further, I'll be able to use it again. Maybe…
#Tokyo What are you doing, you bastards? What should I feel when buying a plastic bottle that's a carbon copy of a wine bottle?
#Tokyo We tasted the snake wine (there was no varan!) For those interested - it tastes like an herbal tincture. Absinthe is much harder to drink) overall, I recommend it.
#Tokyo A bit of live content - today I returned to Tokyo and happened to stumble upon two events at once. Firstly, today a record high temperature of 28.1 degrees was set in the sun, almost summer-like weather at the very end of March. Just a few weeks ago,…
#Osaka Panels
#Osaka Of course, the lids are decorated with the iconic samurai castle from the album covers.
#Osaka I've been in Japan for three weeks, and I only just noticed that manholes can be so beautiful. Now I want to check if there's anything similar in other cities too!)
#Osaka The weather in the center near Namba isn't great either. It really puts me in a bad mood. But at least I had some dumplings, that's my only joy right now.
And a week ago, I moved to #Osaka. The city didn't welcome me with the best weather (+10 and daily rain), and the neighborhood I ended up in wasn't exactly the best 🤣. But at least there's no knife crime in the alleyways here, so I'll take what I can get.
#Osaka I'm the person who only found out today that there are all sorts of garden gnomes scattered around restaurants and shops throughout Japan. Turns out, these are images of the Japanese god Tanuki - a raccoon. And he's famous for... having huge balls. I…
#Tokyo The Shibuya district is rightfully considered one of the most vibrant and lively areas in all of Tokyo. It has the most neon lights, the most bars, and the most people, even at midnight. This is also where the famous intersection is located, where…
At first, I was amazed - a vending machine with dumplings. But then I thought, there's a 24-hour 7-Eleven on every corner where you can buy the same dumplings, heat them up and eat them. So why do I need a vending machine? Well, maybe just to avoid bothering…
#Tokyo Specifically in this area, a two-level road system has been created due to the landscape, where the main alley is located on the lower level and is intersected by bridges from the upper level. From the nearest metro, the most logical thing to do is to…
#Tokyo In some places, the city gives off a vibe that's too North American. This is what the Tochomae commercial district, not far from Shinjuku, looks like. Usually, business districts are very boring, as they're just concrete boxes with roads in between…
AirAsia has introduced an annual subscription - https://www.airasia.com/superplus/en/gb - It costs $288/year - It allows you to not pay the base fare for a ticket (i.e., only taxes and fees) - It allows you to fly unlimitedly between Singapore, Thailand,…