From cherry blossoms in Kyoto to history lessons in Hiroshima, there’s so much more to Japan than Tokyo
AS we settle down to our meditation, the monk takes his stick and whacks it down on the back of one of my fellow travellers.
To show said monk that you want a whack – which, apparently, makes you meditate better – you bow down, so I maintain the straightest back that temple has ever seen!
My trip to Japan kicks off in Kyoto, and although it’s only early spring, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom at World Heritage site Ninna-ji – a temple founded in 888 AD.
There, we catch sight of the Buddhist monks in orange robes, and visit the North Garden, with its white sand and ponds covered in water lilies. Entry costs £3 (Ninnaji.jp)
Lunch is at Ganko: Takasegawa Nijoen, a house built by a wealthy merchant back in 1611.
Our epic meal of sushi and sashimi is made even more memorable by the appearance of a geiko – a woman who dedicates her life to her craft of entertaining clients with the traditional Japanese arts – and her 17-year-old apprentice.
They perform a dance and spend time answering my endless questions.
No, they’re not allowed to marry and yes, they’re in it for life.
Although the cost is £320 between five, and an extra £70 per person for the too-many-courses-to-count menu, the experience is one I’ll never forget (Gankofood.co.jp/en/shop/detail/ya-nijyoen).
Step back in time
Next up, we head to Nijo-jo Castle.
The home of the first Tokugawa shogun, or military ruler, is also where the premiere of Tom Cruise’s The Last Samurai took place.
The gold paint on the walls and murals of tigers and bamboo transport you back 400 years. Entry costs £7.60 (Nijo-jocastle.city.kyoto.lg.jp).
We rest our weary bones at the Kyoto Brighton.
Nestled in a quiet residential area, it’s a five-minute walk from the city’s Imperial Palace and its spectacular cherry blossoms.
Double rooms cost from £100 per night (Kyoto.brightonhotels.co.jp).
The next morning, we head to Bal, a department store that’s so exquisite it could pass as a museum (Bal-bldg.com/kyoto/).
Uniqlo is two buildings down and seems much cheaper than in the UK, or so I tell myself to justify the haul of clothes I buy!
War and peace
Next stop is Hiroshima.
When I told people back home I was heading there, they looked confused: few know anything about it other than the horrific atomic bomb attack it sustained in WW2, estimated to have killed 140,000 people – almost half of the city’s residents.
Even I Google: “Is Hiroshima still radioactive?” before booking. PSA: it isn’t.
The after-effects of the bomb are clear to see, though.
In the blast area, the only building still standing is the Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome).
Seeing the skeletal remains of what was once an exhibition hall takes my breath away.
Next I walk through the adjacent park to the Peace Memorial Museum.
Inside are relics from the day of the blast, including the watch that stopped at 8.15am – the moment of the explosion – and the buckled tricycle of a child who was riding it.
Entry costs £1.20 (Hpmmuseum.jp).
We leave in silence and walk to the nearby Orizuru Tower for panoramic views as far as Mount Misen.
Entry is £12.80 per adult (Orizurutower.jp).
Afterwards, we make an origami crane to symbolise peace and drop it down 50 metres on to the enormous pile created by other visitors.
The way down is unconventional – a helter skelter-style slide – but it helps put a smile back on our faces.
We bed down for the night at the Sheraton, and the next day, the breakfast – a mixture of Japanese and Western choices – is so good, I spend far too long going back for more!
Double rooms cost from £134 per night (Marriott.co.uk/hotels/travel/hijsi-sheraton-grand-hiroshima-hotel).
We then catch the ferry to Miyajima, which costs just £1 for a 10-minute journey.
The island is home to the Itsukushima Shrine, a World Heritage site that you’ll almost certainly recognise – a red gate that appears to be floating on the sea.
As we wander down the main street crowded with souvenir stores, restaurants and cafes, I pick up some My Neighbor Totoro figurines for my kids and some Momiji manju – a sweet bean paste wrapped in sponge cake that is divine.
We marvel at the wild deer wandering freely around the narrow streets and the nearby beach.
At Okeiko Japan, we pay around £90 for a 90-minute experience that includes Japanese calligraphy and a tea ceremony.
I adore every minute, particularly being dressed in a beautiful silk kimono (Okeiko-japan.com).
After bedding down at Kinsuikan – an old-style Japanese guesthouse with its own hot spring, mats on the floor and sliding doors to separate rooms, which cost from £210 per night (Kinsuikan.jp) – we buy tickets to ride the cable car up the 535 metres to Mount Misen.
A round trip costs £11.70 (Miyajima-ropeway.info).
The next day, we board the famously fast bullet train from Hiroshima to Fukuyama, which takes 24 minutes and costs £27, then a 30-minute bus ride to the tiny fishing town of Tomonoura.
We stay at Hotel Ofutei where my room has the most beautiful view of any I’ve stayed in – right across the calm waters of the Seto Inland Sea – and comes with linen pyjamas, plus three kimonos to choose from.
Double rooms cost £220 per night (Ofutei.com).
Another 30-minute bus ride from Fukuyama is the Shinshoji Zen Museum and Gardens, AKA the site of the aforementioned whacking.
This Buddhist temple offers visitors the chance to experience zen through various mediums, including a tea ceremony, meditation classes and bathing.
My meditation session costs £60, and once I stop finding the whole thing terrifying, I’m able to meditate for longer than I had expected (Szmg.jp).
Afterwards, I pick up some incense sticks in the gift shop and wonder how I can bring a bit more zen to my life back home.