As they got to know each other, they traveled hundreds of miles west - to Kyoto, Osaka and Nara, sleeping in his car or crashing on friends' couches to save money.

If you have some extra time, you might take a side trip to Nara, which was the capital before Kyoto.

Canberra maintains sister-city relationships with both Nara, Japan and Beijing, China.

The city is located in the heart of the Kansai region where the beautiful ancient cities as Nara and Kyoto, and the modern harbor city of Kobe is easy access to visit.

After the long day, our next stop is Kyoto station to catch the Limited Express train to Nara (37 min, 1110Yen).