An Ode to Japan!

By far, my favourite spring vacation was in Japan.

About three years ago, I went to Japan with my dad and his friend/colleague. It was my first trip to Japan. We were there for 12 days but managed to visit six different major cities! It felt like a marathon, but I enjoyed every second of it.

My dad always wanted to take me with him to Japan, but I had always refused, saying that I would only go to Japan if I could speak Japanese well! I didn't want to feel rude and disrespectful by speaking in English to everyone.

We tried to catch the cherry blossom or hanami season, and luckily, we did manage to catch the end of it! 

It was incredibly beautiful. I was completely in awe of the beauty and the serenity. 

On the second day, I went to the Ghibli museum on my own - I spent a whopping six hours there - and it was the first time in my life that I cried out of happiness.

In Kyoto, I spent over 7 hours just walking around and visiting temples and praying. As a Buddhist, this was quite special and spiritually very fulfilling.

I had such high expectations of Japan, and honestly, they were met. Actually, Japan was above and beyond my expectations. My trip to Japan was absolutely unforgettable, and I'm just dreaming of when the COVID situation settles and what I'll do when I'm back.

Thank you, Japan! I hope to spend the momiji season of 2021 back in your embrace, enjoying nature, temples, incredible food, and the warm, welcoming people.

Where was your favourite spring vacation? I'd love to hear about it!

Can you recognize any of these places in Japan?