A group of twelve people visited Japan in May 2024. They enjoyed the many wonderful things about the island – the land, the culture, and the food. In just 14 days, they explored six cities: Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, and Hakone.

Tokyo is a busy city. They saw the modern side of Japan with its fast and organized subway and train system, the buildings and nightlife in Shinjuku and Shibuya, and ate at Fusao, a deaf-owned restaurant in the heart of Tokyo. They also watched a sumo tournament in Ryogoku, cheering as the wrestlers clashed.

Kanazawa has one of the top three gardens in Japan. They walked around the beautiful garden and pond and tried the famous gold-leaf ice cream. From Kanazawa, they took a day trip to Shirakawa-go, a village with thatched houses in a valley of rice fields. They ended their visit to Kanazawa with sushi at a popular place.

Kyoto was Japan’s capital for a thousand years before Tokyo, so it has many historical sites. They rented kimono and climbed the cobblestone alleys of Higashiyama in traditional shoes. They admired the Golden Pavilion and visited the bamboo forest in Arashiyama. During their stay in Kyoto, they took a day trip to Nara to see the wild deer near the Todaiji temple, which has a giant Buddha inside.

After Kyoto, they took the bullet train (shinkansen) to Hiroshima. They enjoyed the local food, okonomiyaki, with beer. They visited the Peace Memorial Museum to honor the victims of the A-Bomb. Near Hiroshima, they visited Miyajima, a sacred island. They climbed Mt. Misen and enjoyed a beautiful 360-degree view of the islands in the Seto Inland Sea.

Finally, they went to the mountains of Hakone, known for its natural hot springs. They relaxed in the hot springs at a ryokan. Even though they didn’t see Mt. Fuji, they made many great memories in Japan, the land of the rising sun.