Tokyo to Hiroshima: 13-27 June

Well who would have thought we would make it to Japan! This was the most difficult part of our trip to get booked as Japan Airlines were really late in releasing the flights; we finally managed to get them confirmed shortly before we left the UK. We almost gave up at one point but we were both so keen to come here so we persevered with the airline. Then, in March, we were on the beautiful island of Koh Tao in Thailand having our breakfast when we heard the shocking news that Japan had bit hit with an earthquake resulting in a devastating tsunami resulting in yet another nuclear disaster for this incredibly charming country. Three months later we were on the flight here, hardly believing that we were actually on our way to one of the most intriguing countries on our trip.

So it's been a pretty hectic fortnight in Japan. We deliberately kept our time here short due to the reputation that Japan has for being expensive; a very fair reputation we can now confirm!

We started in Tokyo and some of the differences between Japan and China were immediately apparent. At the airport, nobody stepped over the line at the baggage carousel to claim the best spots and there was plenty of bowing as people who had met each other on the flight bid their fare-wells. The customs officials were friendly (though they gave our bags a thorough going over once they knew where we'd been) and the girls at the information desk were extremely helpful in helping us locate our hotel and pointing our way through the massively complicated Tokyo underground map. We had offers of help from English-speaking locals on the underground itself and upon arrival at our hotel were set upon by the staff there with maps and directions to everywhere we might need. We eventually made it upstairs to our postage-stamp sized room with a great first impression of the Japanese people and more maps than the Ordnance Survey.

We were prepared to be blown away by Tokyo, expecting a glitzy, uber-modern city but we never did get the 'wow factor' from the place unfortunately; for two reasons probably: the first is that we were feeling a bit run-down, having not taken a few consecutive days out for a while and had both developed colds, so we didn't cover as much of the city as we would have liked. The second is that compared to the likes of Shanghai, Tokyo just doesn't seem to have the big show-pieces, the charms of the place and of the country in general are a bit more refined.

Despite feeling under the weather we managed to see a good chunk of the place though, from the tranquil landscaped and very Japanese gardens of the Imperial Palace, to the high-rises of downtown and the biggest Buddhist temple in Japan, dating from the 7th Century. A few general things caught our attention as well, the cleanliness of everything and everyone, the number of vending machines (there are 'shops' just consisting of rows of vending machines) and the politeness and orderliness of the people and the general lack of noise. We found ourselves walking past the World Trade Centre in rush hour, surrounded by commuters but feeling compelled to whisper – quite an odd feeling!

We also took the time whilst in Tokyo to plan our two weeks in Japan. Due to the uncertainty about coming here we hadn't arranged anything in advance so set about looking through the train times and working out a route that would give us a good variety and see most of what we wanted. Japan's railway network is fully deserving of the praise it gets and everything is scheduled (and runs) to the minute. Again, more cheerful and helpful people helped us reserve seats on the busier trains and gave us maps and connecting bus times etc. The only problem we ran into was finding accommodation in the small preserved towns on the old post-road between Tokyo and Kyoto. There was a big ceremony there for local victims of the earthquake in March, so rooms were all full. We tagged an extra night on to our time in Kawaguchiko instead.

There are five lakes around the foot of Mt Fuji and Kawaguchiko is the largest and closest to the mountain. The lake is beautiful, surrounded by rolling green hills and with great views of Mt Fuji......apparently! We spent two days there looking for a crack in the heavy rain-clouds that were obscuring the view, but with no luck unfortunately! We had a good time all the same though, hiring bikes to ride round the lake in the pouring rain. The bikes themselves were pretty nifty with battery powered assistance that nearly doubled the effect of each turn of the pedals – great for a turbo start away from the lights! The hotel was nice too. We were staying in a large Japanese-style place with paper dividing walls and tattami mats on the floor. All the furniture in our room was at floor level and the beds were futon-type mattresses that were stored rolled up in the cupboard during the day and laid out at night time. We sat, ate and slept on the floor. It felt a bit like indoor camping.

After being ill in Tokyo, missing out on Tsumago/Magome and not seeing Mt Fuji despite being right next to it, we were due a change in fortune. Our next stop, the city of Kyoto, provided just that; the sun came out and we had a great time exploring the town and the wealth of historic sights close to the centre. It was Japan's capital between the 8th and 19th centuries and escaped the worst of the bombing during WWII, so retains a huge number of old temples, buildings and gardens and the like. Some of the old streets and alleyways are really picturesque. We spent a good couple of days just wandering around visiting shops and temples and walking along the river that runs through the town centre. Of everywhere that we've been so far, Kyoto probably is the most 'homely feeling' place; Japan was definitely starting to grow on us. We were lucky enough to come across a couple of Geishas/Maikos (they may have been real ones, I don't know how you can tell) while wandering around and sparked a bit of a photo-shoot amongst some Japanese tourists who now had some foreigners and traditional Japanese to photograph at the same time.

The good weather has stayed with us for the rest of our trip and actually became scorchingly hot the further west we came. The next stop out of Kyoto was only an hour or so away to a small town called Arima Onsen, 'Onsen' being the Japanese word for Spa. Being a volcanic place, there are loads of natural spas in Japan and they form a big part of Japanese culture and leisure time. Arima Onsen is one of the places to get away to for the weekend, so we thought we'd have a look and see what it's all about.

The town itself isn't that pretty architecturally, but is set up in the hills surrounded by nice countryside, rivers and waterfalls. There are a number of hot springs throughout the town, although they are all covered over (probably for safety's sake being 90+ degrees celcius), so aren't much to look at and you wouldn't know they were there if not for the steam. There are a couple of communal baths and most of the hotels have their own baths fed by one of the springs, the water being a muddy red colour.

Upon checking into the hotel, we had to leave our shoes at reception and were given slippers for use inside the building and also kimonos for going to/from the baths. It was funny to see groups of Japanese out in the streets in basically their underwear and dressing gowns walking around. All of the baths themselves are segregated by sex and are totally nude. Why can't they allow swimming costumes and have mixed baths? Maybe we're a couple of prudes, but we get stared at enough for being western without being naked too! We made do with soaking our feet in one of the hot water pools in the street.

One night in Arima was enough and we came back down from the hills and set out for Hiroshima, stopping at Himeji on the way. Himeji castle is deemed to be the finest example of Japanese castle-architecture and has been in it's current form for 400 years, although a castle has stood on this site in one form or other since the 14th Century, well worth a visit then we thought. If we had done just a little bit more research though, we would have found out that it is currently undergoing a 5-year restoration program and that the main keep has been completely covered in a 50-odd metre high rectangular protective covering while they strip down the plaster walls and re-tile the roof. It was a bit of a disappointment to look up at the hill where the castle stood and to see what resembles a B&Q warehouse sat on the top with the outline of a castle on its side. We went in anyway and while the main part of the building is covered up, the grounds and lesser buildings are still there to see and you can still go inside the keep as the restoration works are mostly external. Somewhat cheekily, they'll charge you extra so that you can take a lift up inside the scaffolding and see the works that are going on.

After our stop-off, it was early evening when we arrived in Hiroshima and took the tram from the station to our hotel just across the river from the Peace Memorial Park. It was the following day when we visited the Peace Park and Museum, and it was a scorching one at that. The park was completed in 1954 and serves to remember the destruction caused by the atomic bomb dropped here on 6th August 1945 and to appeal for elimination of all nuclear weapons and true world peace. There are poignant reminders, including the Cenotaph and the 'Atomic Bomb Dome' – the remains of the Hiroshima Prefecture Building that has been preserved in the state it was left immediately after the bombing. The museum explaining the history of the city and the events surrounding the bombing and the impact that fateful day had on Hiroshima and indeed Japan makes for an emotionally draining and thought provoking experience. The pictures of the city immediately after the bombing show a flat barren landscape, an incredible contrast to the bustling city of Hiroshima today and a true testament to the people of the city who began the reconstruction process almost immediately after the bombing took place, indeed a couple of the tram lines were up and running again within the week.

We spent quite a long time in the museum and wandering around the park, longer than anticipated and were shattered when we left so headed out in search of some lunch. We've found a couple of local dishes that have been a hit for us: Okonomiyaki (thanks for the tip Malcolm), a kind of Japanese-pizza where the base is noodles instead of bread, and Mazemen, another yummy noodle-dish.

While in Hiroshima, we also travelled out to Miyajima island, less than an hour away from the town centre. Miyajima has long been proclaimed to be one of the three most beautiful sights in Japan and it did its tag justice. It was another boiling hot and crystal clear day that let us see all the way over Hiroshima Bay from the forested hills of the island. The main sight on the island is the Itsukushima Shrine which, at high-tide, looks as though it is floating over the water as it is built on stilts directly into the beach. The big O-torii Gate of the temple sits even deeper in the water, a big 60-tonne construction that sits on the sand supported by its own weight. It was a beautiful day and we wandered around the island and patted the wild deer that are so used to human contact that they'll approach you and try to steal your food.

And so, sadly it's our last day in Hiroshima today and our last full day in Japan, before we make use of the bullet trains to speed us back to Tokyo and to the airport tomorrow. Unfortunately, the rain has returned today so we've knocked the idea of hiring bikes in the rain on the head this time and settled for a few hours of mooching around the shops and alleyways of the city.

It looks as though our flight to Australia should be leaving on time despite the efforts of a Chilean volcano, so we will be saying sayonara to Japan tomorrow after a very short but sweet visit and farewell to Asia as a whole where we have had the most incredible time.

Hope you are all well,
Dan & Sue