A voyage to Japan - October 2018

Called “Best of Japan Tour”, this trip by All Japan Tours covered almost everything from culture, architecture, nature, Onsen spa baths, and traditional Japanese cuisine. Our guide Kim Kida was wonderful and even feisty when she didn't let the bus drivers lecture her as to was the best itinerary! Our group was fabulous, very diverse with young and old, introverts and extroverts.

We even learned how to make our own sushi with a professional sushi chef, savor our concoctions and get a diploma! We visited the Asakusa district with an atmosphere of old Tokyo, Japan's largest and busiest fish market, saw a huge tuna, made a stop at the historical Imperial Palace, and climbed the Tokyo Tower. We spent a day at Hakone and Mt. Fuji, jumped into the a bullet train ride and stayed at an Onsen Hotel, where made sure to unwind in the hot springs (onsen) and dine on gourmet kaiseki cuisine.

We then proceeded a museum, spent a couple of days in the ancient city of Kyoto, where we had access to the city's gardens, temples, shrine, castle and specialty shops. We also got a chance to experience a green tea ceremony, taste sake and watch a kimono fashion show. We visited Arashiyama for its famous Togetsu Bridge, bamboo groves, and Tenryuji Temple where we had a glimpse of the traditional Zen landscape garden design. At Nara, we were inspired by the intricate architecture and towering monuments, including the Great Buddha statue, said “hi” to the deer population and finally understood why this city is considered the birthplace of Buddhism in Japan. From Nara, we drove to Osaka, we we had a chance to appreciate why Osaka is called the "night life city".

We toured the remarkable Himeji Castle, saw a few ninjas and the photogenic canal town of Kurashiki. We went on to Hiroshima to visit the Peace Memorial Museum and Park, then headed to Miyajima Island and take in views of the distinguished torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine. At high tide, the vermillion-colored gate appears to "float" on top of the sea. A big deal was the Okonomiyaki lunch we had, that was more “first class” than “economy!” Then, we drove through the Shimanami Kaido, a 60 kilometer long toll road that connects Japan's main island of Honshu to the island of Shikoku, passing over six small islands in the Seto Inland Sea. We overlooked the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridges from the Kirosan Observatory, along with hundreds of small islands beautifully scattered over the sea.

On the Shikoku Island, we took a trip to the Ritsurin Garden in Takamatsu, where Evelyne and I made a point to climb the 1,368 stone steps – no one less - to the Kompirasan Shrine, then we enjoyed a leisurely boat ride, and reflected on the panoramic views of the Oboke Gorge. To restore our strengths we also had a chance to savor the world-famous Wagyu beef in Kobe before flying back to the United States from Osaka, via Tokyo. A great trip with a wonderful group of people!

20181000 Jpn

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