A Glimpse of Japan through the eyes of Heather & Ailsa

We would like to share some memories of our trip to Japan during Cherry Blossom (Sakura) time.

The timing was perfect and we were fortunate to see the blossom at its peak everywhere we visited, the colours were breath taking from white through to deep pink such a beautiful contrast to the manicured gardens in all shades of green.
What an amazing place!  With very little knowledge of the language we were very proud of ourselves being able to navigate the train system and find our way around, but thanks to the locals who were friendly and courteous at all times we always found our way back to the hotel.  Japan is a very clean and safe country and we thoroughly enjoyed our free days. 

The tour was amazing where we experienced traditional banquets, staying in Ryokans – sleeping on a futon on the floor, seeing Mt Fuji (on a clear day), a private performance by a Maiko (apprentice Geisha), bullet train rides, rickshaw ride, a festival with its origins in the 16^th century the main attraction being the ornate yatai (floats).  Our favourite place was Kyoto with its many Temples and Shrines and small streets shared with cars and pedestrians.  We found some amazing fabric shops where we spent quite a lot of time checking out the multi story shops... “Patchworkers’  heaven” We returned hpm