Our Globus guide, Hiro, was full of admiration for us having travelled independently from our point of entry into the country – Osaka – and reached Tokyo to join the tour.

From the time we touched down in Osaka to being released from the terminal, three long hours passed. Never before have I encountered such a tedious and inefficient entry process for foreigners. Perhaps ‘Spring Break’ holiday had something to do with it, and they are still concerned with Covid.
Was it worth going to Osaka first? Oh yes, our timing was perfect for the blooming cherry blossom in the streets and around Himeji and Osaka Castles - sensational. Our stay here also allowed us to acclimatise to the abundance of humanity in Japan… everywhere, and this is not counting foreign visitors (tourism is now back to 100%). In fact, Japan has a problem as it does not have enough English-speaking guides and it is begging retired tour guides to come back to work. Hiro was close to 65 and ‘Daisy’ was close to 70!
A day trip from Tokyo seemed doomed, with its showers and heavy cloud. (The weather is very changeable in Japan). Just as we arrived at the viewpoint, the clouds dispersed, the sun came out and 398 steps later, I had an awesome view of Mt Fuji framed by a towering pagoda and cherry trees.
Ex- Tokyo, our route took us up into the mountains to Takayama, an alpine town famous for its old wooden houses and where, amongst other things, we visited a Sake brewery. It snowed overnight. Further on, Shirakawa did not disappoint with its famous A-framed thatched dwellings nestled in a valley.
After Kanazawa, we reached Japan’s old capital Kyoto by train, where Buddhism and Shintoism reside side by side. Apart from the mandatory visits to temples, shrines and vintage shopping arcades, we walked through the Gion district. I went back alone at night, and in true paparazzi-style, managed quite a few decent photos of the Geishas scurrying around in the lantern-lit lanes.
Our tour has also included two of the top three gardens in Japan. From Kyoto, we shot down to Hiroshima on the ‘bullet’ and here visited the Atomic Bomb Dome, the flame of Peace and the Cenotaph, and spent time in the Memorial Museum. It was all very graphic.
My visit here has opened my eyes, and I have learnt a lot about Japanese culture. The cities are squeaky-clean, skyscrapers freshly hosed with manicured gardens at their feet. Bins for garbage are few and far between so, presumably, everyone is trained to take their waste home with them to dispose of. And transportation is super-efficient. In fact, it is so essential to the rail authorities that their timetable is adhered to precisely that instructions are relayed to passengers to be completely prepared to disembark well before the train comes to a standstill – no dilly-dallying!
The courteous, rather shy people are exceedingly fussy, and pride themselves on their perfection, their traditions and protocols. I have now witnessed many of these in regard to food, dining, train travel, use of a spa, the exchange of money and social interaction. And I have been required to remove my shoes on endless occasions. I have started bowing. Even the bus driver acknowledges his passengers by bowing and the conductor on the train, when passing through a carriage, turns around at the end and bows to all of us before moving on.
Even our guide, Hiro, made fun of his folk. He likened them to cucumbers standing upright on a shelf. You can’t tell the difference; they are clone-like. This is especially true of businessmen in suits and school students in uniforms. He also commented that many of them, while carrying out prescribed tasks very ably, have a great deal of difficulty coping if a change is required.
And so, I have a question. How is it these people are so innovative and forward-thinking when they are bound by so many self-imposed rules, restrictions and protocols? I am curious.