BACK HOME AFTER 18 DAYS IN JAPAN
Julie and I arrived home yesterday afternoon after an unforgettable 18-day adventure in Japan. The first part of our trip was a cruise around the Japanese coastline, with a one-day visit to Busan in South Korea.
In Japan, we stopped at Kochi, Kagoshima, Nagasaki, Kanazawa, Niigata, Otaru, Aomori, Hakodate and Yokohama. Each port was unique—individually different, yet all beautiful, immaculately clean, and genuinely welcoming. We had timed our journey to coincide with the cherry blossom season, and we were not disappointed—Sakura were in full bloom everywhere, painting the towns and countryside in shades of soft pink and white.
A few things struck us immediately: not a trace of graffiti anywhere, and despite the bustling cities, no one locks their bicycles—not even the electric ones. You won’t find many public rubbish bins either. People simply take their waste home, or leave it at the shop where they made their purchase. The general attitude was one of mutual respect, and the people—though often unable to speak English—were consistently polite and helpful.
We’ve already been asked which city we liked best. That’s a tough one, but we both agreed our favourite stop was right up north—Otaru. This was a charming place where we happily spent the entire day on foot, exploring canals, markets, and quaint streets. There was just so much to see and enjoy, we ended up setting a new personal record on our step counter!
After the cruise, we spent three days in Tokyo. Wow—what a vibrant, high-energy city. People everywhere, all moving with purpose and pace. It felt like there were restaurants and small eateries every few metres—an absolute food-lover’s paradise. We did manage to get lost at one point and couldn’t find our hotel. The map we had was half in English, but the street names were all in Japanese.
We asked a gentleman for help—he didn’t speak a word of English, but we handed him our hotel’s business card. He nodded, gestured for us to follow, and then walked with us for over a kilometre until we reached the hotel. He’d clearly gone well out of his way to help us, and once we arrived, he simply turned around and went back in the opposite direction. We were deeply grateful—that small act of kindness said a lot about the people of Japan.
Back home and the day to day routine. I know there is a great deal of news for me to catch up with and 487 emails to read that have come in since I left, if you’re awaiting a reply, please be patient I will respond in a few days or so.
Please have a safe Easter particularly if you’re on the roads.
Cheers Ray
Just some of my favourite Cherry Blossoms
Great article.
My wife and I completed a 3 week trip to Japan late last year. We cruised with Coral Expeditions (based in Cairns) from Tokyo through to Fukuoka (also visiting Jeju Island in S Korea). We stopped every day of the 14-day cruise. Then Shinkansen with a couple of nights each in Kyoto, Kanazawa and back to Tokyo.
I agree with every one of your comments. A couple more which we noted: the ubiquitous 7-Eleven stores; the pride shown by all drivers in keeping their vehicles in tip-top condition; the fact that >10% of their houses are vacant (due to massive deterioration in population).
A wonderful journey!