Every good holiday needs some quirky tales to tell on your return home and if you visit Japan then rest assured it delivers more than its fair share. It is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world where the past co-existing amicably with the modern achievements. From Imperial palaces to majestically beautiful gardens, from hot springs to active volcanoes and from bullet trains to futuristic cities, there is wealth of things to do and see in Japan to enjoy fun-packed holidays.
Visit Japan and enjoy a great journey that you’ll surely cherish throughout your life.
Cheerful Cherry Blossom
If you are in Japan in the months between March and April then you surely fell in love with the beauty of this country. It is a time of cherry blossom. It comes in different sizes and colors ranging from hues of pink and lilac to white. Walk on the streets covered with these delicate flowers in Nara, Kyoto or elsewhere and sooth your senses. Japanese celebrate the cherry blossom by picnicking under these trees with food and drinks. The whole atmosphere is full of relaxation and the cheerfulness in the surroundings is infectious.
Exceptionally symmetrical Mount Fuji
The highest mountain of country Mount Fuji is known to be a female mountain because it does not easily reveal itself. On a clear sunny day one can easily see this exceptionally symmetrical cone-shaped mountain which is depicted in various arts and photographs. It is a major attraction for sightseers and climbers and is visited by 200,000 visitors every year. On a drive up to Fuji, just hold your breath when you see the abundance of natural beauty scattered at every inch of it.
Hot springs of Jigokudani Monkey Park
The park is a famous hot spring area near Nagano. It has a steam and boiling water that bubbles out from the frozen ground surrounded by steep cliffs and formidably cold forests. The area is also famous for its large population of wild snow moneys that descend from the steep snow covered cliffs to sit in these hot water springs and return back to the forests during evenings.
The active volcano valley of Owakudani Hakone
Japan has 109 volcanoes in different state of activity. Mount Hakone was supposed to erupt about 3000 years ago. As you climb up the hill you can come across steams emanating from the vents on the ground scattered across the mountains giving the space a mystical quality and the odour of sulphur fumes. The whole atmosphere is like that you are visiting a mountain valley which has recently lost its cool. Once reach the top don’t forget to eat the black eggs which are boiled in natural spring water containing iron and sulphur.
Amazing Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines
In Japan Buddhist monasteries and Shinto shrines exist in close quarters. Shinto is the indigenous faith of Japanese people and since ancient times they worshiped all the deities of heaven and earth such as islands, rocks, mountains, trees etc. While Buddhism is one of the world’s big three religions after Christianity and Islam. A visit to Japan is not complete without taking in and appreciating these temples and shrines scattered throughout the country.
Scrumptious Jap-meals
Japanese food offers a large variety of dishes and regional specialties. Many restaurants in Japan display plastic or wax replicas of their dishes in a window in their entrance. These replicas serve both to entice and inform visitors about the restaurant’s menu, visual description, style and price of meals found inside. Jap-meal is supremely healthy and every morsel promises you a long life. You can savor some great fish and vegetarian delicacies all neatly partitioned and served in a Bento Box. If you are not adventurous then stick to tofu, Mizo soup or tempura.
Shopping at the streets of Tokyo
Walking on the streets of Japanese capital Tokyo is quite an experience in itself. Go to Ginza and it is very hard for you to tear your eyes away from the colorful and imaginatively decorated shops. Pop in and out of these shops because the country has so much to offer in branded clothes, electronic goods, chocolates, cosmetics and finest varieties of green tea and snacks that you won’t find elsewhere.