Autumn Colours of Japan - November 23 - Hostess Round Up

Starting in Tokyo, we were greeted with sunny skies and warm autumn weather. We were deep in the heart of the megacity, easily perusing the shops, restaurants, temples, and gardens on our doorstep. Making friends quickly, we enjoyed eating one of the greatest cuisines in the world together. From sushi to ramen, tempura, okonomiyaki and Macha ice cream, our gastronomic adventure had begun. After a few days in Tokyo, we moved to the mountains for a quiet escape in the hot springs region of Hakone where we were blessed with a full view of Mt. Fuji. Very rare and special! We rested our bones in our private hot spring baths outside our traditional tatami rooms. We loved wearing yukata to our meals in ryokan inns. We embarked on many cultural activities on the main island of Honshu, taking lessons in sushi making, ikebana flower arrangement, washi paper making, tea ceremony, furoshiki wrapping lessons and stencil fabric painting class. We experienced transport in all its forms; a private coach, trains, a traditional yudanaka long boat, buses, a pirate ship, a tram in Hiroshima, a ferry to Miyajima and our favorite, shinkansen bullet trains for longer distances between capital cities, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Osaka. Every day was a new adventure! We were entertained by the snow monkeys relaxing in the hot spring baths in Yamanouchi and loved the friendly wild deer on Miyajima island. The autumn leaves were dazzling in varying shades of red, orange and yellow which truly took our breath away at times. Maple and gingko leaves were the showstoppers. A wonderful time to visit Japan, autumn was as beautiful as we had imagined.