Japan

Visiting the scenic country of Japan during cherry blossom season is a bucket list must. We visited the end of March beginning of April and followed the peak bloom from Tokyo to Kyoto and down to Hiroshima. Japan is fascinating. The streets are impeccably clean and quiet, people are polite to a fault and toileting is taken to new heights – bidet anyone? This is the only country we have traveled to that my husband has felt comfortable carrying his wallet in his back pocket. A quip we were told is if someone in Japan sees a $10 bill on the hood of the car they would put a rock on it so it would not fly away. Japan was my husband’s idea and our whole family loved it and want to return in the autumn to see the leaves turn and the winter to ski. We began our trip in the busy yet eerily quiet streets of Tokyo. We explored by foot and subway and found it easy to navigate although not as many people speak English. Hand gestures and a smile work miracles. We traveled around the country on local and bullet trains and buses and found that buying a countrywide bullet train ticket is the easiest and cheapest way to travel. Kyoto and Miyajima island were our favorite stops but each town we visited had its own charm and character. Some of our highlights were participating in hanami (cherry blossom viewing often accompanied by a picnic), learning more about the Japanese history and culture, zip lining in Hakone, visiting an onsen (a gender divided public bath), staying the night and eating with a local family in Miyajima, eating clean delicious food and staying in a ryokan in Shirakawago (a traditional inn where you sleep on floor mats, are given yukatas to wear and often eat a communal hall with other travelers). Japan is truly a unique country with enduring tradition and beauty all around.

Japan Itinerary-Tokyo, Hakone, Gora, Kyoto, Miyajima, Hiroshima, Takayama & Shirakawago

View Inspirational Japan Photos: https://thewanderingfirefly.com/japan-delights/