Japan jumped to the top of our wish-list when we heard so many reports from Aussie friends that they loved it so much. It appealed to us because of its unique culture and cuisine. It didn’t hurt that it was a 10-hour non-stop flight from Melbourne with only 2 hours’ time difference. Compared to the USA and Europe this sounded reasonable.  We began planning in 2022 but Covid prevented us from seeing that plan to fruition. Border closures were still highly possible and we thought not worth the risk of cancellation.

For the first time we decided to work with a travel company. I was a bit paralyzed by the language barrier and the cultural differences but we had options like small group tours, deluxe tours and self-guided tours. Since we wanted to get an in-depth look at the country we thought a month would be the best way to get a bead on this. Most companies don’t offer one-month options and combining two tours invariably results in overlap. With a self-guided tour we could tailor the trip to our exact desires. The best times to visit seem to favor autumn for fall foliage and spring for cherry blossoms because the weather is not as insufferably hot and humid or cold enough for snow. These are also the most popular seasons for tourists so early planning is crucial. We settled on autumn since colour variety is more appealing than simply pink and white.

We did a lot of browsing for a company that would give us a good basis for setting our own itinerary. The options became greater as the country moved out of Covid. Inside Japan (aka IJ) came highly recommended and we decided to see what they could offer us. Our consultant was a young thing out of Brisbane but had lived for a few years in Japan and became proficient in Taiko drumming, which refers to a range of Japanese drums. For some reason, certainly not our musical talent, we were keen to experience this and Sado Island is the international centre for Taiko. Another curious interest of ours was attending the Sumo wrestling championship held in Fukuoka in November. Then there was hiking a few days in the wilderness. And the Art Island of Naoshima. On this basis we cultivated our ultimate itinerary with IJ. They would book our accommodation, train tickets, tours and guides, as desired.