I absolutely love to holiday to Japan and once you go you will most certainly be addicted from day one. The sights, sounds and culture of Japan just makes it one of the most incredible places to visit. I wanted to write a bit more about it, so here is my view on Japan.
The weather
Japan has a temperate climate that has four distinct seasons that many other countries experience. During the Winter months between December and February the weather is quite dry and sunny and the temperatures rarely go below 0°C and the weather is relatively mild during this period. In the Spring time the weather is warm, but not hot and there is little rain. This is also a great time to visit due to the cherry blossom trees being in bloom.
The summer months are quite warm and have a four week rainy season in June. The weather is quite hot and humid and in the high 30’s. The Autumn months are quite mild at around 10oC. As you can see, the weather means that at most times of the year it is a great time to visit Japan. My personal favourite would be the Spring months, when it is not too hot and there is little rain.
The people
One of the first things that you notice about Japan is definitely the people. The Japanese are a very unique people that are some of the most polite in the world. One thing that I love is that they will try to help you, even if they can’t speak your language. This says so much for the culture in Japan. It may be a little hard to get used to at first, but it is certainly a thing that I appreciate about Japan.
The food
One thing that makes traveling to Japan great is the food and this is something that has become world renowned. The Japanese also take eating very seriously and the attention to detail with what they eat is a step above any other country that I have ever seen. One good example of this is the art of Sushi. We all know and love Sushi and some Japanese Sushi chefs dedicate their lives to learning how to artfully make it. In fact, the first job that a Sushi chef has is to wash the Sushi rice for about two years! Now that is dedication. Other great foods to try in Japan are definitely ramen noodles (a cult dish), tastsuta-age (Japanese fried chicken), miso soup and many more.
The culture
Japan has an extremely elegant culture and probably has the most traditional culture of any country on earth. They take anything and everything they do very seriously and focus on the smallest details. In particular, there are a number of crafts in Japan that still exist today and date back many hundreds of years. Examples of this include Sashimono woodwork (which uses wood joints rather than nails or screws), sword and knife making using traditional methods and the world famous Japanese tea ceremony. These cultural aspects make visiting Japan an absolute pleasure and there are many regions where these crafts are prominent.
The sights
Japan is a place that you could visit for the sites alone and I really appreciate this aspect of visiting there. One of my favourite places has be the quirky and interesting districts of Tokyo. Shibuya is a crazy part of Tokyo that is like a neon wonderland, with more or less any and every shop that is possible. Harajuku is also another one that is known for its extremely colourful costumes that people wear there and this place has developed a world wide following, particularly for those that love to dress up.
What I love is that there are some of these very colorful and exaggerated elements of Japanese culture. On the other hand Japan has many Buddhist temples and the place to see them is definitely Kyoto. There are quite literally hundreds of them and they are all waiting there for you to explore them!
I think that one blog post is not enough to talk about all the things that you can experience in Japan, but hopefully it has inspired you to see for yourself.
