From Tokyo to Kyoto, this journey through Japan combined history, culture, landscape, and reflection. Travelling between 20 February and 7 March, we experienced temples, castles, gardens, markets, and traditional customs while moving through some of Japan’s most historic cities.

Although too early for the cherry blossom, the plum blossom provided a striking seasonal backdrop, particularly within the carefully designed gardens we visited. Wildlife also became part of the experience, most memorably at Jigokudani Onsen, where snow monkeys could be observed in their natural environment.

The trip offered a rich cultural immersion: visits to fish markets and a sake brewery, outstanding regional food, and encounters with Japan’s architectural and spiritual heritage, including Crow Castle and numerous temples. A ferry crossing to Miyajima Island to see the famous torii gate, wandering deer, and temple complex was one of the highlights of the journey.

Our time in Hiroshima brought a more reflective dimension. The Peace Memorial Park and museum stand as powerful reminders of the devastation caused by the atomic bomb and of the importance of ensuring such events are never repeated.

The journey concluded in Kyoto, where we experienced a traditional tea ceremony, visited Nijo Castle, and explored one of Japan’s most beautiful and historically rich cities