Cherry Blossoms in Japan

Japan is one of my all time favourite holiday destinations. I am always happy to talk about this amazing country. I not only help you design your perfect itinerary, but I also offer advice and lots of insider tips.

Whether you are looking to experience a tea ceremony with a Geisha, see historic temples, castles and zen gardens, unique Japanese artwork or futuristic buildings and robot restaurants, Japan has it all. Walk the historic Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trail or the Nakasendo trail, cycle the Shimanami Kaido route. Visit theme parks like Universal Studios Osaka, Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea, or Fuji-Q Highland amusement park. Did you know Japan is also a very popular ski destination?

We chose to visit Japan in Spring, during the famous Sakura (cherry blossom) season. It is so eagerly awaited that it is tracked by the meteorological office, with a dedicated forecast on the national news. Hanami is the traditional custom of cherry blossom viewing. As soon as the flowers open on the trees, family and friends gather beneath them for picnics in parks across the country. As a rule of thumb, the best time to visit Japan is late spring or early autumn as the temperatures are mild with little rainfall.

On our 2-week trip, we visited Kyoto & Arashiyama with its bamboo forest, Hiroshima and Miyajima Island, Takayama and Lake Kawaguchiko, stopping off enroute to visit Matsumoto Castle, finishing in Tokyo. If you are short on time, you could concentrate on Kyoto and Tokyo, taking a bullet train between the 2.

I am a seasoned traveller and I am glad that I had prebooked a tailor-made package. I had researched everything about Japan and had bought a guidebook to take with me, but I was glad to have our itinerary pre-organised and to be met on arrival at the airport. We stayed in fantastic accommodation, a traditional machiya townhouse in Kyoto, hotels with futons and tatami mats for beds plus private onsens and modern spacious hotels. We had a private walking tour with a local in Kyoto and also in Tokyo. I found this great, as we not only got to learn more about the area and local life in Japan, we visited some of the main sights with our guide, but we also used public transport as part of these tours and were confident to then travel around the cities ourselves over the following days.

Kyoto was my absolute favourite part of Japan! It is beautiful. We visited Nijo Castle, Kyoto Imperial Palace, Kinkaku-ji (golden pavilion), Ryoan-ji temple and zen garden and Kiyomizu Dera (temple with fantastic views and traditional streets). We also prebooked a private tea ceremony with a Maiko (a trainee Geisha) in the traditional area of Gion. We experienced nightlife in Pontocho and also had great fun at the Kyoto samurai school. Another favourite was visiting Arashiyama with its scenic train, river boat, bamboo forest and temples.

Next on our itinerary was Hiroshima. This is a lovely small city, which is very easy to get around on foot. We visited the peace memorial park and museum, atomic bomb dome and also took the boat to Miyajima Island with its free roaming deer, Itsukushima Jinga (red Grand Torii Gate in the sea) and the cable car to the top of Mount Misen. This is a really lovely day out, very easy to do independently or as part of a pre-arranged tour.

In Takayama, a beautifully preserved old mountain town in the Japanese alps, we stayed in a traditional onsen ryokan. We visited Takayama Jinja museum, the local market and Hida folk village with its thatched farmhouses. My husband tried the famous Hida beef, a wagyu beef from Japanese black cattle, which are given individualised care and even massages! This was a much quieter part of Japan.

Enroute to Mount Fuji, we stopped off for a couple of hours to visit Matsumoto Castle. This is one of the best-preserved castles in Japan, built in the 16th century with a moat. It is known as Crow Castle due to its black exterior. We went inside and were blown away by the craftmanship and the history. It is an easy 15-minute walk from Matsumoto train station.

Next stop was Lake Kawaguchiko. It is a hot-spring resort town with views of Mount Fuji. We enjoyed a kaiseki meal in a private room with a little Japanese garden, dressed in a yukata (a cotton kimono/robe). Kaiseki is a multi course Japanese dinner with an emphasis on seasonal ingredients. We took the hop-on hop-off bus in Kawaguchiko to explore the area and we also enjoyed a speedboat ride on the lake with stunning views of Fuji-san. We spent the evening soaking in a rooftop onsen.

Our final stop in Japan was the bustling city of Tokyo. There is so much to see and do here. We visited Shibuya crossing, the Tokyo sky tree, Senso-ji temple, Ueno Park with its cherry blossoms, a sumo stable, Tsukiji fish market, miraikan museum with its robots and giant moving Gundam. We also visited the Neon area of Shinjuku with its giant Godzilla statue peering over the buildings, the infamous robot restaurant and Golden Gai with its narrow alleys and bars.

Whilst the people in Japan are very polite, this does not apply on the subway at rush hour! Very entertaining. Shinjuku currently holds the Guinness World Record for busiest train station. There are 12 train lines, 36 platforms and over 200 exits.

NOTE: For a tailor-made itinerary with tours included, you do need to book as far ahead as possible! There is huge demand for this destination and tour companies book up months in advance. However, if booking close to departure, don't fret, I can also help with booking just the essentials - flights, transfers and accommodation.

If you are looking to visit somewhere very different and Japan is on your bucket list, please do not hesitate to get in touch.