Zen and comics

Before heading out, try practicing some techniques from Zen, the school of Mahayana Buddhism born in China and introduced to Japan in the 12th century. No, it`s not about assuming the lotus position with your feet crossed over your knees, your back strainght, chin up and eyes half-closed. It`s more about paying attention to your breathing, slowly and deeply inhaling and exhaling for a few minutes. In a calmer state, you then observe your train of thought, desires and sensations, which for a traveler can resemble an out-of-control Shinkansen, the Japanese high - speed train that takes just a few hours to get you halfway across the country from Tokyo to Kyoto. You have to let these thoughts and feelings come and go, offering no resistance, simply breathing deeply at an unhurried pace. When you have attained a state of tranquility and clarity, you can hit the ground running, In the northern part of Kyoto, there`s Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, a divine haven reflected in the lagoon of a traditional Japanese garden common to northeastern Zen Buddhist sanctuaries. East of Kyoto is the Fushimi-Inari-taisha Shinto shrine, with hundreds of scarlet torii gates along the 250-yard uphill climb that marks the transition from the earthly realm to the sacred.

To the west, there are also amazing views from the traditional garden of famed silent samurai movie star Denjiro Okochi. Located in the verdant sector of Asakusa, the Okochisanso Garden is a sublime and moving example of nature and desing. It`s almost as though every tree, bush, plant, pond, canal, stone path, lantern and stone figure was designed for paradise and maintained with the utmost care. You enter the garden on widing paths through a grove of giant Sagano bamboo, which inspires silence and sense of calm.

Back in the heart of town, just a minute`s walk from the Karasuma Oike metro station, the International Manga Museum houses more than 300,000 comics and animated films, which sometimes feature violent content. Visitors are welcome to leaf though the comics-which are read right to left. You´ll see hours and hours reading intently, almost without blinking. The museum also offers manga courses for children.

The Mystery of Kyoto

The former capital of Imperial Japan offers an ageless beauty that can be explored at a relaxed pace by bike and a spiritual air that makes it one of the most intriging cities in the world.
Leyend has it that one of the atomic bombs dropped on Japan during World War II could have been destined for Kyoto, but Henry L. Stimson, the Secretary of War under Roosevelt and Truman, argued for other targets in order to save a place he had visited on his honeymoon in the 1920s, when he fell in love with the city, it`s cultural treasures and gardens.
Kyoto is a charming city, but it can also be confusing and overwhelming. This iconic destination offers visitors so much that exploring it can be tricky. The former capital of Imperial Japan - a status it held for a thousand years until it was transferred to Tokyo in 1869 - Kyoto offers an impressive and seemingly endless menu of things to see and do in one of the few cities that has remained intact for centuries. It boasts thousands of machiya (traditional wooden houses), 17 temples that have UNESCO World Heritage Site status (out of a total of 2,000) and hundreds of palaces, monuments and traditional gardens.
There are only two problems, but both have solutions. First, few people on the streets will communicate in English beyond a timid hello, but the signage, the traveler`s maps and the city transportation options that you`ll feel like you`ve made good use of your budget (especially if you stay in a ryokan, the cheap, traditional hotels).

Mad for Marselle

The streets are lined with old buildings, their Hausmann architecture darkened with the passage of years. The noise of the city fills the background with the sound of cars and people. Marseille is chaotic, with the touch of madness characteristic of southern European cities on the shores of the Mediterranean. In fact, the term "bipolar" would seem to suit the city, with two faces and two styles as distinct as they are appealing.
The latest side of Marseille began to emerge about five years ago, when this port city was named the European Capital of Culture for 2013, a great excuse to give France´s "second city" a new look to make it even more attractive. Since then, more than 600 million euros have been invested in the city´s cultural/urban makeover. To help reduce the number of car in circulation, bike lane were added to many streets, and public transit line were extended. Entire building were renovated to give that bourgeois touch of Parisian boulevards, while modern buildings were addedto the skyline, including the blue skyscraper designed for shipping firm CMA CGM by renowned architect Zaha Hadid.
Of course, the star of all this urban remodeling is the Musée des Civilisations de l`Europe et de la Méditerranée, muCEM. the building is a great cube covered in a grill of arabesques that looks out over the sea. Connected to the city by two elevated walkways that resemble welcoming, open arms, the muCEM enjoy a privileged setting, best described by its architect, Marseille native Rudy Ricciotti.