Someday, not just dreaming of it.

Japan and China. Seen only on screens for years. Here is my plan and a question for you.

To the question See the journey

Would you support me on the way?

No money, no sign-up, no catch. Just yes or no. I want to know if anyone out there is rooting for this before I plan the next step.

Thank you. Really.

Your yes is one more stamp in the passport. Nothing else happens, promise.

Know someone who would root for this too?

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All good.

Thanks for being honest. You're still welcome to fly along.

Only yes or no is counted, without names and without IP addresses. Your browser remembers your answer so it isn't counted twice.

  • Tokyo東京
  • Kyoto京都
  • Fuji富士山
  • Beijing北京
  • Zhangjiajie张家界
  • Shanghai上海

The journey

Six places, two countries, one route. Scroll, and you fly along.

  1. Tokyo
  2. Kyoto
  3. Fuji
  4. Beijing
  5. Zhangjiajie
  6. Shanghai
東京

Tokyo

Standing at the Shibuya crossing when the lights change and hundreds of people start walking at once. Then on through alleys barely wide enough for a food stall.

The Shibuya crossing in Tokyo at blue hour, people crossing in every direction
Shibuya crossing
Colourful neon signs above a street in Kabukichō, Shinjuku
Kabukichō at night
Tokyo at night from above, Tokyo Tower glowing in the middle
Tokyo Tower from above
A wall of illuminated signs along the Dōtonbori canal in Osaka
Dōtonbori, Osaka
京都

Kyoto

Getting up early, before the buses arrive. Up the mountain through the red gates of Fushimi Inari, until it gets quiet.

A path through densely packed red torii gates with a lantern at Fushimi Inari, Kyoto
Fushimi Inari
Tall green bamboo stalks in the Arashiyama bamboo forest
Bamboo forest, Arashiyama
An empty lane with wooden houses and paper umbrellas in Kyoto
Ninenzaka
Kiyomizu-dera temple among red autumn trees
Kiyomizu-dera in autumn
富士

Fuji

Seeing the mountain from every other postcard with my own eyes. Ideally on a clear morning, with a vending machine coffee in hand.

Snow-capped Mount Fuji in the evening light, a calm lake in pastel colours in front
Fuji at Lake Kawaguchi
View across green hills to Mount Fuji under clouds
Fuji from Arakurayama
A branch with white cherry blossoms against a dark background
Cherry blossom
The red torii of Itsukushima standing in the water at sunset
The gate in the sea, Miyajima
北京

Beijing

Walking the Great Wall where the steps get steep and hardly anyone keeps up. Then back into the city, to the Forbidden City and a plate of jiaozi.

The Great Wall at Jinshanling runs over green mountains with its watchtowers
Great Wall at Jinshanling
The roofs of the Forbidden City in Beijing in the evening haze
Forbidden City from Coal Hill
The round Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing
Temple of Heaven
The Great Wall at Badaling winding over wooded hills
Great Wall at Badaling
张家界

Zhangjiajie

The rock pillars that look like they come from a film. I want to know if they really float in the mist like in the pictures.

Steep sandstone pillars with trees on top in Zhangjiajie
Tianzi Shan
A valley full of rock pillars at Huangshizhai in Zhangjiajie
Huangshizhai
The Li River winding between karst hills near Yangshuo
Li River near Yangshuo
Rows of terracotta warriors in Xi’an
Terracotta Army, Xi’an
上海

Shanghai

Standing on the Bund when the lights come on in Pudong. The old waterfront on one side, the future on the other.

The illuminated Pudong skyline in Shanghai at night with the Oriental Pearl Tower
Pudong at night
The Pudong skyline in Shanghai from the waterfront, by day
Pudong by day
A pink and white lotus flower in a pond in Shanghai
Lotus
Traffic and neon signs on a street in Shinjuku at night
And back home via Shinjuku

A few lines from me

I'm Sven. I'm doing my apprenticeship right now and build MyWorkLog on the side, on my own, in the evenings and at weekends.

For years, Japan and China have been where my thoughts drift when I need a break. For an apprentice, a trip like this is no weekend getaway. Flights, accommodation and time are a big goal for me right now.

Why this page? Because dreams nobody knows about quietly fade away. If you say yes, I know someone out there is rooting for it. That means more than you might think.

Sven

The plan

Six stops, no dates yet. The order is set, the rest grows with every yes.

20.000kilometres, from Frankfurt and back again

  1. 01 東京

    Tokyo

    Arrive, ignore the jet lag, Shibuya at night.

  2. 02 京都

    Kyoto

    Temples in the morning, bamboo forest in the afternoon.

  3. 03 富士

    Fuji

    A day at Lake Kawaguchi with the mountain in view.

  4. 04 北京

    Beijing

    Great Wall, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven.

  5. 05 张家界

    Zhangjiajie

    Rock pillars in the mist and the glass bridge, if I dare.

  6. 06 上海

    Shanghai

    The Bund at night to finish, then the long flight home.

If you flew along this far:

Would you be in?

One click is enough. No money, no sign-up, just yes or no.

Your answer didn't arrive. Check your connection and tap again.

You said no.

Thanks for flying along.

Honest beats polite. If you change your mind, the question above stays open.

You said yes.

You're in.

Thank you. If you know someone who would root for this too, pass the page on.

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Sven, 2026

Image credits

All photos are from Wikimedia Commons. They were resized and saved as WebP, otherwise unchanged.