Our last stop in Japan was Osaka, which is just over three and a half hours west of Tokyo by bullet train. We spent our days there exploring the city and took a great day trip up to Kyoto, specifically Arashiyama, which is home to the bamboo groves and monkey park.
Walking through the groves was amazing, the bamboo seemed to stretch up and up forever. It was so dense, with only patches of light creeping through, that it was other-worldly. We were lucky to get there early enough that I could capture a few photos before the crowds arrived. Kyoto was once the capital of Japan and is still a cultural centre of the country.
Only a short walk up the mountain from the bamboo groves was the monkey park, something that had been on my to-see list before leaving on the trip! Before we even made it to the top there were monkeys screaming, chasing and fighting with each other. Most of them were pretty relaxed though, except when it came to food, which i can relate to!
The next day we visited Osaka Castle which is one of the most popular areas of the city. Although it has suffered several destructions over the years, the castle has undergone extensive repairs to restore it to its former self. An amazing amount of effort has gone into it, the most impressive part I thought was the gold fixtures all around the outside. There was so many intricate details it really was fascinating to see. Later that evening we got to watch a nice sunset over the city, which was a great finish to the trip!
I want to give a massive shoutout to my girlfriend Jess and my good mate Mitch for making this such a memorable trip! Also thanks to Will for lending me his trusty Fuji X-e2 for the trip.
Thanks for checking out my photos, I hope you've enjoyed them and be sure to check out parts 1 & 2 if you haven't already.
http://www.stuartmcandrew.com/blog/japanpart1
http://www.stuartmcandrew.com/blog/japanpart2