In mid-October, fresh off the repositioning cruise from Vancouver to Tokyo, I spent several weeks in Japan. It was my first time in the country, and I was excited to experience a culture that so many of my friends had grown to love. I was worried about travelling as a celiac due to soy sauce having wheat flour, and much of Japanese food using soy sauce as an ingredient. It turns out those worries were not unfounded; even their mayonnaise often has wheat as a thickener, let alone the soups and noodles.
I got sick many times, and after the trip I decided to hire a translator to help me with a gluten-free card that is actually tailored to the names of the foods in the country.
My life generally revolves around food, and mealtime with friends usually touches upon what we will eat during our next dining extravaganza. I’m the kind of person who goes to sleep thinking of what I want to eat first the next day; I’ll be chewing my lunch and dreaming of soup for dinner. Japan was an interesting ride, since much of the beautiful, meticulously prepared food was off limits.
I gazed longingly at the ramen shops and the gyoza.
I pined for the curries and the miso soups.
So instead of eating everything all day long, I focused on the elegance of presentation, the obsession with order and thoughtfulness, and the truly picturesque train rides through the country. I was there in the fall, just before the trees began to change. Perfect for walking, watching, and taking photos.
As is the norm here at Legal Nomads, we go big or we go home.
So instead of a series of short photoessays reviewing my time in Japan, or a “what to see in Japan” guide, may I present you with 77 photos from my weeks in the country that represent my views of what is best to experience when you visit this beautiful country.
Tokyo
Takayama
Kanazawa
I recently wrote a longer post about Kanazawa for the G Adventures blog, one that talks about the city’s history and some of the great museums in town. I truly wanted to linger, with Kanazawa remaining one of my favourite places from the short Japan experience. Here are some of the photos that did not make it to the stand-alone piece. Unsurprisingly they focus on food.
Hiroshima
Miyajima
Kyoto
Fuji
Fuji was my birthday mountain for 2014. I have been climbing mountains on my birthday for many years running, documenting a few of them here (the mishap of Mount Rinjani for my 30th, for example). I was unable to climb on my actual birthday this year because I was presenting at a conference, so Fuji was my “delayed birthday mountain.”
Sitting at 3776 meters, it is Japan’s highest (and arguably most famous) mountain. Since we were there after the summer hiking season, the top of the mountain was off limits. Instead, we climbed from the bottom to Hill Station 5, which took about 5 hours. From the top, a beautiful view of white thick clouds and distant peaks, the foliage already in full swing for the impending autumn season.
* * *
If you’re still alive, thus concludes what should be considered an epically long photoessay even by Legal Nomads standards. The closest I came was 41 photos from the Mekong markets, and even then people were like “ARE YOU SERIOUS YOUR EYES MUST BE BLURRY.”
Yup, serious.
This is the last post I’ll put up from Vietnam, as I am about to head to New Zealand on 1 January for the next few months.
Wishing everyone a happy new year and may your 2015 be great. Thank you for reading, commenting, and participating in Legal Nomads. I’m grateful for each and every one of you.
-Jodi
p.s. several people have asked about the photos. Yes. they are taken with a camera, no iPhone. No, I don’t edit in Lightroom or Photoshop, but I do crop and straighten using the free Picasa tool. Camera is an Olympus E-P3 camera, with an excellent 20mm “pancake” Panasonic f/1.7 lens.
A reminder that the time I spent in Japan after my trans-Pacific cruise was as a Wanderer in Residence for G Adventures, and part and parcel of my long-term brand ambassadorship with the company. Costs and expenses were covered by them on this Discover Japan trip.
Jodi is a former lawyer turned award-winning travel writer and photographer who shares resources and stories from a decade of eating and living abroad. Jodi's expertise has led to features in the New York Times, National Geographic, BBC Travel, CNN, The Guardian, and more. Jodi also has celiac disease, and her longform gluten free guides and translation cards (over 6000 cards sold!) have helped fellow celiacs eat safely as they travel.
Following a lumbar puncture that left her disabled in 2017, Jodi's work has shifted to focus on curiosity, chronic pain, and the challenges we all face when life changes drastically. She also sits on the Board of Directors for the Spinal CSF Leak Association. Please see the About page for more.
I have been living in Japan for the past five and a half months and I only have another two weeks left. I enjoyed reading your post and looking at your pictures. Reminded me of when I went to see these places! It is a good selection as it truely represents what it is like in Japan.
Loved Japan in the 7.5 weeks I was there. These pictures make me desperate to go back, especially for the conveyer belt sushi. I spent a great deal of time in those places.
Beautiful photos! I really enjoyed this post, more so for the fact that I accidentally came across your blog, and found out that I’ll be visiting many of the places you visited (Tokyo, Takayama, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Miyajima). I’m off to Japan for three weeks in May, so I’m looking forward to reading your experiences of Japan as a coeliac, as I’m currently mentally preparing myself for a 21-day feast of plain rice, and more plain rice, and huge amounts of food envy!
I’d love to climb Mt. Fuji, but we’re visiting in the closed season as well, so were wondering where you started your hike to get to Station 5?
Wow, what beautiful photos! Japan is a destination I’ve always wanted to visit. It must be so hard looking at all that food and not being able to try it, I can’t imagine!
I love the setup of your blog as well and was wondering what theme you use because it’s gorgeous!
Great post, you really seem to have captured Japanese culture in this photo essay.
Very possibly my favorite post by far. You are a wonderful writer and I have immensely enjoyed reading your material over the years. I hope to visit Japan, as a celebration of my 35th birthday. Every time I see pictures of Japan, I ache with envy. Your writing is amazing. Your pictures are beautiful. Thank you for telling your stories.
Thank you Jennifer! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed reading, and that this mega-post wasn’t too long to put you off :-) Safe travels to you and I hope your eventual Japan visit is all that you hope it will be.
I had skipped over Japan back in 2009 when a friend of mine suggested The Philippines instead (it was December…). I’m glad I went the The PI but I’m thinking, after viewing your amazing pictures, its about time to finially check Japan off the list.
When you mentioned you couldn’t eat the miso brushed dango because of the wheat, I did a double-take. I asked my Japanese wife “Does miso contain wheat?” Her confused response led me to Wikipedia where I learned that indeed it does, or can. It looks like there are some types of miso that contain other grains (sobamugi miso has buckwheat) that you might be able to digest. You could ask the shop owners what kind of miso they use, though you could be met with the same confused looks I got.
Yup, there are several types of miso, but it appears rare — from those I asked in Japan at least — to have ones solely with buckwheat these days. It’s cheaper to use wheat, so most of the misos are derived from wheat instead of other grains. Thanks for the research! Definitely not a simple place to eat for a celiac.
Awesome shot Jodi. Thanks for sharing this beautiful place. That view in Kiyomizudera is amazing!
Definitely going to include this place on my next trip to Japan.
I am wanting to start a travel blog too! I was wondering if you could help lead me in the right direction? I just finished a backpacking trip across Japan for 3 months as well! Cool too revisit the places through your photos! What camera did you use?
Hi Jodi, Thank you so much for sharing your travel stories! My husband is a Celiac and Type 1 Diabetic. We were going to go to Japan but now we’re panning a trip to Saigon, based on your delicious stories! It’ll be so nice to go to a place where he can eat most things. I’m sorry that you’ve gotten so sick, but definitely thankful for your intrepid spirit and your willingness to be a “test belly” for all of us. We’ve ordered a copy of your book and we’re really looking forward to your gluten free food maps and guides for celiacs.
-Christina
Hi Christina, thank you for the note and I hope you two enjoy Saigon! Happy that my posts have helped shape your travels — hopefully for the better! — and please let me know if you have any questions about your time in Vietnam.
Lovely photo essay and brings back many great memories from our 3 week trip to Japan! So different to everyone else we’ve ever been but would definitely love to return. We particularly loved Kyoto, Miyajima and Osaka is a great city!
This is a beautiful account of your trip to Japan and you capture the atmosphere very well. You are a very talented photographer. Keep up the great work!
Jodi, I totally understand your wistful comments about the beautiful, tantalizing, and unavailable Japanese food. I’m also someone with Celiac disease who loves to eat food from around the world. It’s difficult to have to be a food voyeur so much of the time. I’m hoping you have discovered that it is possible to make Okonomiyaki gluten free. I make my own using rice and tapioca flours for the batter. I make the Osaka style, where most of the ingredients are mixed rather than layered as in the Hiroshima style. Okonomiyaki has become one of my comfort foods.
Wow that sounds incredibly good! It was very tough to watch the great foods being consumed and not be able to enjoy them, especially the okonomiyaki. I hope you have many delicious gluten-free meals in your future!
I loved this. It makes me miss Japan so much. I lived between Takayama and Kyoto, close to Nagoya, last year. I’m so glad you got to go there and experience the culture and the people. If you get a chance in the future you should try the Pilgrimage in Shikoku. About 60 days of walking between 88 temples. An amazing experience(even though I didn’t finish). Thanks Jodi.
Wow – your photos are superb! It’s so nice to see them and be reminded of the wonderful month I spent in Japan earlier this year – hoping I can make it back there in 2016.
“No scribbling here” – love it! Brings me back to my time spent in Japan during 2003. I remember trying to find the weirdest English language signs I possibly could. I never had to look very far ;-)
Such a great visual essay, Jodi! I loved the moody sky pic in Takayama. Sorry to hear you had some troubles with getting food for your dietary requirements. I’ve been based in Tokyo for the better part of a decade, and although things are getting easier for those with allergies and dietary conditions, it can still be extremely hard. I’m always reminded when friends visit Japan and there are things they are unable to eat. The idea of vegetarianism and veganism is still a very new concept for many, let alone knowledge of the range of other dietary requirements visitors, and Japanese themselves, may have. Many restaurants still believe that a “vegetarian curry” means scooping out the meat from a meat-based curry and serving with vegetables. But there is a growing trend towards gluten, wheat and dairy free meals, and cafes that only offer vegetarian or vegan food, as Tokyo progresses towards the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Hopefully by the next time you visit, you’ll have many more options!
Those photographs of Mount Fuji are breathtaking. I had quite the pleasant experience of climbing Mount Fuji myself in July of 2019 and had the misfortune of not being able to summit due to a typhoon earlier in the year pushing a boulder in the path that made it safe to complete the climb. Really enjoyed the rest of the photos as well, you’ve truly captured Japan in its purest form. The lady serving the miso-brushed rice flour skewers, the man showing you the fish, and the workers at the ramen and soba shop near Takayama train station made my heart warm and captured the Japanese spirit. I need to make a trip back. Thanks for the photos and creative writing!
I have been living in Japan for the past five and a half months and I only have another two weeks left. I enjoyed reading your post and looking at your pictures. Reminded me of when I went to see these places! It is a good selection as it truely represents what it is like in Japan.
Thank you Veronica!
Loved Japan in the 7.5 weeks I was there. These pictures make me desperate to go back, especially for the conveyer belt sushi. I spent a great deal of time in those places.
Hi Jodi,
Beautiful photos! I really enjoyed this post, more so for the fact that I accidentally came across your blog, and found out that I’ll be visiting many of the places you visited (Tokyo, Takayama, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Miyajima). I’m off to Japan for three weeks in May, so I’m looking forward to reading your experiences of Japan as a coeliac, as I’m currently mentally preparing myself for a 21-day feast of plain rice, and more plain rice, and huge amounts of food envy!
I’d love to climb Mt. Fuji, but we’re visiting in the closed season as well, so were wondering where you started your hike to get to Station 5?
Sarah
Thanks Sarah! I started at the bottom of the mountain and walked up to Station 5.
Hi, I’m going in May too. Mid-May, but’ll be sure to check out those areas mentioned.
These photos only made me more excited about my upcoming trip to Japan.
Wow, what beautiful photos! Japan is a destination I’ve always wanted to visit. It must be so hard looking at all that food and not being able to try it, I can’t imagine!
I love the setup of your blog as well and was wondering what theme you use because it’s gorgeous!
Great post, you really seem to have captured Japanese culture in this photo essay.
Very possibly my favorite post by far. You are a wonderful writer and I have immensely enjoyed reading your material over the years. I hope to visit Japan, as a celebration of my 35th birthday. Every time I see pictures of Japan, I ache with envy. Your writing is amazing. Your pictures are beautiful. Thank you for telling your stories.
Thank you Jennifer! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed reading, and that this mega-post wasn’t too long to put you off :-) Safe travels to you and I hope your eventual Japan visit is all that you hope it will be.
I had skipped over Japan back in 2009 when a friend of mine suggested The Philippines instead (it was December…). I’m glad I went the The PI but I’m thinking, after viewing your amazing pictures, its about time to finially check Japan off the list.
Happy Travels!
When you mentioned you couldn’t eat the miso brushed dango because of the wheat, I did a double-take. I asked my Japanese wife “Does miso contain wheat?” Her confused response led me to Wikipedia where I learned that indeed it does, or can. It looks like there are some types of miso that contain other grains (sobamugi miso has buckwheat) that you might be able to digest. You could ask the shop owners what kind of miso they use, though you could be met with the same confused looks I got.
Great photoessay!
Yup, there are several types of miso, but it appears rare — from those I asked in Japan at least — to have ones solely with buckwheat these days. It’s cheaper to use wheat, so most of the misos are derived from wheat instead of other grains. Thanks for the research! Definitely not a simple place to eat for a celiac.
Awesome shot Jodi. Thanks for sharing this beautiful place. That view in Kiyomizudera is amazing!
Definitely going to include this place on my next trip to Japan.
I am wanting to start a travel blog too! I was wondering if you could help lead me in the right direction? I just finished a backpacking trip across Japan for 3 months as well! Cool too revisit the places through your photos! What camera did you use?
Hi Tomoya! Camera info is at the bottom of the post. Glad you liked it.
Hi Jodi, Thank you so much for sharing your travel stories! My husband is a Celiac and Type 1 Diabetic. We were going to go to Japan but now we’re panning a trip to Saigon, based on your delicious stories! It’ll be so nice to go to a place where he can eat most things. I’m sorry that you’ve gotten so sick, but definitely thankful for your intrepid spirit and your willingness to be a “test belly” for all of us. We’ve ordered a copy of your book and we’re really looking forward to your gluten free food maps and guides for celiacs.
-Christina
Hi Christina, thank you for the note and I hope you two enjoy Saigon! Happy that my posts have helped shape your travels — hopefully for the better! — and please let me know if you have any questions about your time in Vietnam.
Lovely photo essay and brings back many great memories from our 3 week trip to Japan! So different to everyone else we’ve ever been but would definitely love to return. We particularly loved Kyoto, Miyajima and Osaka is a great city!
This is a beautiful account of your trip to Japan and you capture the atmosphere very well. You are a very talented photographer. Keep up the great work!
Beautiful pictures! We’ve always wanted to go to Kyoto and Fuji areas!
Jodi, I totally understand your wistful comments about the beautiful, tantalizing, and unavailable Japanese food. I’m also someone with Celiac disease who loves to eat food from around the world. It’s difficult to have to be a food voyeur so much of the time. I’m hoping you have discovered that it is possible to make Okonomiyaki gluten free. I make my own using rice and tapioca flours for the batter. I make the Osaka style, where most of the ingredients are mixed rather than layered as in the Hiroshima style. Okonomiyaki has become one of my comfort foods.
Wow that sounds incredibly good! It was very tough to watch the great foods being consumed and not be able to enjoy them, especially the okonomiyaki. I hope you have many delicious gluten-free meals in your future!
Amazing photos. The clarity, depth and focus is amazing. Did you use any post-processing on them? Like using Adobe Lightroom?
Hi Sujoy, glad you liked them. No, I don’t use Lightroom or Photoshop. I did straighten and crop using Picasa but that’s it.
I loved this. It makes me miss Japan so much. I lived between Takayama and Kyoto, close to Nagoya, last year. I’m so glad you got to go there and experience the culture and the people. If you get a chance in the future you should try the Pilgrimage in Shikoku. About 60 days of walking between 88 temples. An amazing experience(even though I didn’t finish). Thanks Jodi.
Thank you for the suggestion! I’ll definitely keep it in mind for next time.
Wow – your photos are superb! It’s so nice to see them and be reminded of the wonderful month I spent in Japan earlier this year – hoping I can make it back there in 2016.
“No scribbling here” – love it! Brings me back to my time spent in Japan during 2003. I remember trying to find the weirdest English language signs I possibly could. I never had to look very far ;-)
Beautiful photos showing a different perspective! It made me miss Japan.
Such a great visual essay, Jodi! I loved the moody sky pic in Takayama. Sorry to hear you had some troubles with getting food for your dietary requirements. I’ve been based in Tokyo for the better part of a decade, and although things are getting easier for those with allergies and dietary conditions, it can still be extremely hard. I’m always reminded when friends visit Japan and there are things they are unable to eat. The idea of vegetarianism and veganism is still a very new concept for many, let alone knowledge of the range of other dietary requirements visitors, and Japanese themselves, may have. Many restaurants still believe that a “vegetarian curry” means scooping out the meat from a meat-based curry and serving with vegetables. But there is a growing trend towards gluten, wheat and dairy free meals, and cafes that only offer vegetarian or vegan food, as Tokyo progresses towards the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Hopefully by the next time you visit, you’ll have many more options!
Absolutely. I agree with you. Greetings from Japan :)
Those photographs of Mount Fuji are breathtaking. I had quite the pleasant experience of climbing Mount Fuji myself in July of 2019 and had the misfortune of not being able to summit due to a typhoon earlier in the year pushing a boulder in the path that made it safe to complete the climb. Really enjoyed the rest of the photos as well, you’ve truly captured Japan in its purest form. The lady serving the miso-brushed rice flour skewers, the man showing you the fish, and the workers at the ramen and soba shop near Takayama train station made my heart warm and captured the Japanese spirit. I need to make a trip back. Thanks for the photos and creative writing!
Ishmail
So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you!
I love Japan so much and this post is awesome!