by josephbautista | Sunday, December 2, 2018 | Japan, Niigata
Niigata's saito family villa Invited to visit the former Saito family summer villa in Niigata, I couldn’t resist to see a traditional Japanese house and its magnificent garden, the Saito villa is one of the landmarks of the city. Constructed over four years from 1917...
by josephbautista | Sunday, November 18, 2018 | Food, Ishikawa, Japan
Kanazawa's kitchen omicho market On our trip to Ishikawa prefecture, our first stop at Kanazawa couldn’t be other than a morning visit to Kanazawa’s kitchen, the central market of Omicho. Established during the Edo period in the 18th century, it has been the main...
by josephbautista | Sunday, October 21, 2018 | Travel Tips
Guide to Shinto IntroductionTo understand the original religion of Japan, the Shinto, one must throw away all monotheistic concepts and religions like Christianism. It’s always a difficult matter to explain to visitors and people that ask me about Shinto, and assuming...
by josephbautista | Sunday, September 23, 2018 | Chiyoda, Tokyo
hie shrine One of the main shrines of Tokyo since centuries ago, the shrine was once part of the Imperial Palace, and the deity of Hie was also the protector of the castle. The shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu moved it to the grounds of the Edo, and later, Tokugawa Hidetada...
by josephbautista | Sunday, September 9, 2018 | Japan, Niigata
Hakusan park and shrine in Niigata The vast park located in the city of Niigata was opened in 1873, and it’s most important feature is that it was the first public park in Japan. A place were citizens can walk around, contemplate nature all four seasons. The park is...
Travel photographer and journalist. Degree in Tourism management and master's degree in Travel Journalism. Lived and studied in Tokyo for more than 2 years, where I started my blog Hype in Tokyo. I kept the name from that period in Tokyo for my travel projects as a memento of where it all started. 
