I recently returned from a 3-week trip to Japan and I have to say that it was quite an adventure!

My wife and I flew out of Toronto on April 2nd and arrived in Tokyo on April 3rd. The line at the airport was unlike anything I had ever seen before, and even once we got out of the airport and into the city, I was shocked by how many tourists were in Tokyo! One of our first stops was UNIQLO to pick up some extra clothes for the trip, and 95% of the customers in the store were foreign tourists.

We met some family and friends in Tokyo, enjoyed early morning walks along the Sumida River, spent some time exploring the Tokyo Solamachi, and briefly stopped by Asakusa. I was once again struck by how huge and confusing many malls and stations are in Tokyo - such a huge difference from Toronto, where stores tend to be only 1 or 2 floors and stations are very simple (often with only 1 or 2 exits). 

We didn’t want to spend too much time in Tokyo, though, so we soon moved on and spent a night in Toyohashi before visiting Nagoya to see Nagoya Castle. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and since there was also a big F1 race and a big concert going on, the city was packed. Unfortunately, Nagoya Castle itself is closed for repairs, so we could only enjoy the area around it.

After that, we headed to Kyoto, where we visited the Kyoto Aquarium to see giant salamanders (oosanshouo) and watched the new Ghostbusters movie. We also took day trips to Nara (to see Tōdai-ji and feed the deer) and Shiga (to visit Hikone Castle and also pick up some Shigaraki yaki in a little town called Kumoi, which we reached by taking the one-car Shinobi Train).

Next, we headed to Himeji and spent two days exploring Himeji Castle and the area around it (including parks, gardens, museums, and a small zoo). During the sakura season, Himeji Castle is absolutely beautiful, and the area is so huge that it never feels crowded. The castle itself is the most impressive of the four castles that I’ve seen in Japan and it was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.

After that, we headed to Hakata Station in Fukuoka, where we met some more friends and family members, walked around Ohori Park and a nearby garden (where I was bitten by a lizard), and enjoyed lots of gyoza and beer! 

Then it was on to Kagoshima to meet up with my wife’s family and harvest some takenoko (bamboo shoots) and see the local koinobori (carp streamers). We had a little time to rest and visit an island called Nagashima (where you can sometimes see whirlpools in the water) before flying out to Yakushima to hike in the mountains with the Yakushima sika deer and macaques. Yakushima was another highlight of the trip and I was happy to experience hiking in both the rain (which makes the forest misty and mysterious) and the sun (which brings out the vivid green of the lush vegetation). 

Back in mainland Kagoshima, we visited the zoo, went for a tour and shochu tasting at Kinzan-gura (a brewery located in an old gold mine), checked out Marutake Sangyo (a samurai armour production facility and museum), and stopped by Nitta Shrine in Satsumasendai. It was a lot of fun, but unfortunately even in April the humidity was sometimes too much for me (90% in Kagoshima and 40% in Toronto on the day I checked it), so I don’t think I’ll ever be able to visit Japan in the summer. 

Now I’m back in Toronto and still trying to unpack and organize everything, and it’s time to get back to work!