Maura & Leonardo's Japan

There is a season - besides spring - when the Japanese go crazy and flock to the temples and shrines. It is the "momiji" season, which is technically autumn but practically corresponds to those weeks between November and December when the maples turn red. Well, this is the season we chose for our first trip to Japan. This account is not meant to be a guide for anyone, but just a memory for us and a small help for the TPC. We strongly believe in Pessoa's thought: the traveller is the journey. What we see is not what we see, but what we are.

Our itinerary: (FLIGHT) FLORENCE-PARIS PARIS-NARITA TOKYO 5 NIGHTS (visit to Kamakura and Nikko) (Shinkansen) TOKYO-KYOTO KYOTO 4 NIGHTS (visit to Nara) (Shinkansen) KYOTO-HIMEJI (Shinkansen) HIMEJI-HIROSHIMA HIROSHIMA 2 NIGHTS BEPPU 2 NIGHTS YUFUIN 1 NIGHT NARITA 1 NIGHT

If you travel in autumn, apart from the Tokyo-Kyoto route, booking trains isn't necessary, you'll easily find a seat even in the non-smoking carriages. Normally the unreserved carriages are at the back. In any case you'll find it written on the platform boards, where they're located and whether they're non-smoking. It's not true that Japanese sweets are all filled with bean paste. In truth there's a big variety of sweets, unfortunately delicious. They're very attentive to product quality, normally the chocolate used is Belgian. The quality of the ingredients isn't only a hallmark of the sweets, but is at the base of the whole food sector. Don't miss out on tasting, the variety is wide and you'll surely find things you like.

Sushi has nothing to do with what you find in Italy; as a first experience, having sushi for breakfast at Tokyo's fish market was perhaps a bit risky and didn't thrill me, but in the restaurants where the little plates of sushi run along the belts I found lots of things I liked. The fruit and fresh juices are delicious. In the shops open 24 hours you can taste, at cheap prices, small portions of whatever intrigues you. Food is culture too. If you can activate the JR pass, using the JR-EAST Railway Lines which is the surface line, you can visit all of Tokyo without problems; otherwise the day ticket for the metro costs 1000 Yen, is very convenient, and in that case you can visit Tokyo without problems using the subway.

The JR Pass is a blast for the whole period of its validity, you just have to show it even from a distance and all the doors of the rail transport (JR) open, it feels like being an Italian government official. The Japanese - I confirm everything written by other TPC - are "special" people and go literally crazy for Italy and France. Organisation, safety, cleanliness, good manners are things that unfortunately struck us because unfortunately for us they aren't a given. Treat yourself to at least one night in a ryokan, whether budget or luxury, it's worth it to enter the Japanese atmosphere. In luxury ryokan the quality of service is very high.

Japan is a trip for everyone and these days it's no longer expensive, we feel we can recommend it especially to those who are sceptical about the Oriental way, it's a good starting point to begin appreciating this part of the world so different from ours, but of great charm; trust us. Lots of travels to everyone! Leonardo & Maura