The great thing about travel in Japan is that it offers something for the visitor every season of the year, and whether the trip is in winter or summer, the visitor is assured of a great holiday. Think of the snow sculptures in Sapporo, the red-faced macaques that sit all day in the waters of the hot springs in Yamanouchi, just like their human cousins relaxing in a Jacuzzi. Then think of the many floral festivals, the cherry blossom festival, the hydrangea festival and the bamboo festival taking place at different times of the year. Wherever you go, you can join in or just be an observer.
Two towns worth exploring are Okinawa and Kyoto.
Okinawa for a Relaxing Beach Holiday
If a relaxing beach break is needed, then Okinawa is a good bet, popular with Japanese travellers as well as international visitors to the country. It offers great snorkelling and diving for the dedicated sea sports person, but around the city are good walking areas located in ancient forests full of interesting flora and fauna .
Okinawa lies in the Pacific Ocean between Taiwan and southwest mainland Japan: it consists of 161 islands of which only 44 are inhabited. It is the country’s only prefecture located in a subtropical climate zone, in the same latitude as Hawaii, Florida and the Bahamas, which gives it comfortable weather throughout the year. Even during the winter the temperature averages 16 C (60.8 F) and never dips below 10 C (50 F).
Kyoto for Tradition and World Heritage Sites
Kyoto was formerly the Japanese capital but today it exudes calmness and an sense of the past in its atmospheric streets. This is the place to watch the traditional geisha dances to catch a glimpse of the Kinkaku-ji Pavilion, and marvel at the number of World Heritage sites (Rome is the only city to have more). Seventeen of the many historical sites, including shrines, temples and castles are World Heritage Listed.
A point very much in its favour is that Kyoto was chosen as a new capital by the system of Chinese divination called Feng Shui because it is surrounded and protected by four guardian gods. The four gods are a blue dragon to the east, a white tiger to the west, a sacred bird to the south and the water god to the north.
In all cases, take advice from your local government travel advice centre before jetting off to Japan. The recent earthquake and tsunami, plus the danger from radiation in certain areas, needs to be kept in mind.
Mari Nicholson - Award Winning travel writer and historian, member of British Guild of Travel Writers.Travelwriters.co.uk, and Society of Women Writers and ...
