http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33501 The country that affects me that way above all others is Japan; a hypnotic mix of rigid convention and outlandish weirdness, and the home of Zen. Japan showed me how to appreciate beauty in a single moment or a simple object - the sweet hay smell of a tatami floor; a screen door sliding open to reveal the colours of the autumn trees; the sound of tea pouring.
The Japanese understand how beauty is most clearly seen in imperfection, and more importantly they understand the transience of nature - which is why cherry blossom is the perfect symbol of the Japanese soul.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33501 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33444 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33444 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32814 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32814 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32632 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32632 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/28301 The tour will take you to some of the more popular sites in Kyoto and also some of Kyoto's back streets that tourists rarely venture into.
Cycling is a great way to see the city, stay fit and travel sustainably.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/28301 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/27305 The staff at the Kyoto Stay Club office are really friendly and helpful. We had identified a couple of apartments from the site, but they turned out to have already been booked. The staff made other recommendations to suit our budget, and we ended up staying in a lovely top floor apartment in the Marutamachi area of Kyoto - near to the Imperial Palace.
Kyoto is a walkable city, and the apartment was close to Nishiki Market, as well as having a Co-op and a Family Mart just around the corner, so we were able to cook for ourselves. There were also two vegetarian restaurants nearby, so we could sample Japanese cuisine. We were across the road from the neighbourhood shrine, in a residential area full of friendly people, too.
We are going back to Japan in October and contacted Kyoto Stay Club again. We received a "repeat custom" discount and are hoping to stay in the same apartment, as it really was a home away from home for us.
I'd recommend it to anyone travelling on a budget (it worked out as costing around £30 a night each - although the current exchange rate (July 2010) means that this is now nearer £40 a night each).]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/27305 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26811 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26811 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25479 But if you are going to book a tailormade tour through a travel agency, it can be very expensive. So why don't you consult a local tour guide directly? There is the web site called "Tour Guide-interpreter Search System". This site is run by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and all of the registered tour guides have passed the national exams, which are a foreign language, an interview in a foreign language, Japanese history, Japanese geography and Japanese general culture. These tests are one of the most difficult national tests in Japan and require a lot of knowledge.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25479 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21244 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21244