As mentioned in my 2018 round-up, in September I visited Japan, with a stop-over in Hong Kong. When I travel long-haul with my family, we tend to tour as much of a country as possible, rather than just staying in the same region the whole time or hopping between multiple countries in that region. We often tailor the trips with a travel agent (my favourite is Audley, however Hayes and Jarvis often provide great trips too), so everything is taken care of and helps the local economy as in each place a local can teach us about the traditions of that area. From the US to Brazil to Australia to Vietnam, this has served us very well and I'd recommend it for family holidays. Fortunately, Japan offers a Rail Pass which allows you to travel throughout the country easily, which was a game-changer for our trip.
One thing to know about me is that I love long-haul flights and we were fortunate enough to go in Business Class on this trip, which is always makes the trip that much better and allows you to properly relax and enjoy the flight. We had a three day stopover in Hong Kong en route to Japan, and although it wasn't on my bucket list and I was fairly indifferent about visiting HK, I was very pleasantly surprised and it even ended up being one of the very few places that I'd consider living in! The combination of sea, mountains, and city was everything I love in one and the city was fascinating. Although it rained a fair bit, we managed to hop on a city sightseeing bus and explore the city. I've said it before and I'll say it again, these hop-on hop-off buses are perfect if you have little time in a city, as you can see all of the main sights whilst learning about the history and culture of the city in an efficient manner. My most memorable part of the city was the view from The Peak Tower, but I enjoyed Deep Water Bay and other residential parts of the city too. In Central, I was shocked by the volume of people at the crossings and the double decker trams, but I found the city to be very multicultural and offer something for everyone. I was keen to take a ferry to Macau, but between the jet lag and the time constraint we weren't able to do so.
Next on the itinerary was Japan, and similarly, I didn't actually know too much about the country other than what I'd seen in the media. My family aren't into anime or the like, and although my brother enjoys video games and I like Japanese cuisine, as a family Japan was an obscure choice. Nonetheless, on 3rd September 2015, we boarded a flight headed for Tokyo and on landing came my first insight to what this experience would be like. We arrived at Narita International Airport and found that the toilets offered a multitude of functions, including a speaker, a bidet (with the option to modify the water pressure), and heated seats. I'd only seen these in films up until this point and was impressed (and entertained) by the novelty.
We visited Japan in September, which meant that we missed the cherry blossom season, and although the temperatures were ideal (in the low 20s), we were equipped with umbrellas as the rain was unpredictable. On our first day we visited a couple of temples and Shrines in Tokyo, including Meiji Shrine, where we learnt the proper way to cleanse before entering the main Shrine area, and Senso-ji, where we drew our fortunes by O-mikuji (and I got a bad fortune). The tradition is that if you draw a bad fortune, you should tie it to the designated area, while those who draw good fortunes should take them home with them. Interestingly, throughout the country most of the temples we visited offered stamps (goshuin), which many people collect in a stamp book (goshuincho) as they visit temples. Over lunch, whilst we were waiting for our food to be ready, a very friendly chef came over with a puzzle and asked whether I could match up the corresponding letters without any of the lines overlapping.
As you can see in the image, I couldn't, but this good-humoured gesture has stuck with me years on and is an indicator of how lovely the Japanese were to us when we visited. We took a trip to Tochigi to visit Nikko Futarasan-jinja Shrine, which felt close to nature with the greenery and river, and was quite impressive, and on our last day in Tokyo we visited Hama-rikyu Gardens, which were nice but perhaps better saved for a sunny day. Nonetheless, we did experience a traditional tea ceremony here, which involved specific customs and etiquette, and although I am usually not a fan of matcha or wagashi, both were very enjoyable and I'd recommend the experience if you're ever in Japan. I remember being shocked by the amount of order on public transport, and noted that contrary to in London, everyone stood on the left hand side on escalators. As expected, work hours seemed to be very long and seeing people fast asleep on public transport wasn't uncommon. On our last day, in true Tokyo fashion, we saw some sightseers go-karting, but given how often we go-kart in Madeira, we didn't partake.
We then travelled south of Tokyo to Hakone. This region was lovely, with a lake featuring the classic torii gates (which indicate the sacredness of the area), a gorgeous view of Mount Fuji, and volcanic sulphur vents and hot springs which can be seen (and smelled!) via a cable car ride.
Our accommodation here was a very novel experience as, in typical Japanese fashion, our room consisted mainly of a low table (over which we enjoyed tea and wagashi) and cushions. The idea was that during dinner, the table and cushions would be replaced with very thin mattresses or mats, and that would be your bed for the night. My dad and brother weren't too keen on this idea, but my mum and I wanted to experience it so it we comprised on two nights of sleeping on the floor. We were told to wear traditional attire as we ate our dinner and it was definitely a memorable experience. One thing to note was that the meals were plentiful, with a lot of variety and the types of food are consistent for every meal. For example, part of our breakfast included fish and salad, which would be very unusual in the UK, but luckily none of us are fussy eaters so we gave everything a go.
The next part of the trip was one that we were all excited for: The Bullet Train (aka the Shinkansen). We were heading to Takayawa, with a quick transfer in Nagoya, where we grabbed a Bento box, which I enjoyed greatly. The Takayawa Jin'ja is described as 'a surviving Edo period jin'ja' and although I loved the Shinkansen, the pouring rain and lack of activities in Takayawa-Shi meant that this region was probably my least favourite part of the trip. Nonetheless, we were only there for a couple of days, after which we headed to Kanazawa, which I found more enjoyable, followed by Kyoto.
Kyoto definitely doesn't lack things to do, and I'd recommend visiting the Golden Temple, Motorikyu Nijo Castle, and Kiyomizu-dera. Kyoto actually ended up being one of my favourite cities in Japan, as aside from the abundance of temples and cultural sights, there was also a lot of novelty and activities on offer. It was here that we tested our ninja skills with shuriken (ninja stars), and learnt about the shoguns and the ritual suicides of the ancient sumurai. Unsurprisingly, my favourite part of Kyoto was Fushimi-Ku, which is world-renowned for its thousands of torii gates.
Hiroshima was the next destination, and given its history, it was obviously a more sombre experience. Nonetheless, Chuo Park and Peace Memorial Park are a must as I believe that these historical events are important to learn about and it's amazing to see how the area has recovered. Hiroshima was also the first place where I saw a robot working in a restaurant, and the famous Itsukushima Shrine (the floating torii gate) was stunning with all of the (unexpected) deer roaming around. Our final destination was Osaka, where my memory fails me as I remember visiting Osaka Castle Park but little else.
Japan was one of the most unique countries I've been too and it definitely lives up to the hype. Everyone was so respectful towards one another and there was a lot of order. Although having miso soup for every meal eventually made me grow tired of it, all in all my family was pleasantly surprised by Japanese food; my dad had spent years thinking he wouldn't like sushi or sashimi, but ended up enjoying it the most and all of us tried many foods for the first time. Japan has the best of both worlds; from beaches to mountains, countrysides by cities, and cutting-edge technology alongside ancient traditions, there's definitely something for everyone here.
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