Japan - a land of ancient traditions, deep-rooted culture and modern innovation

I don’t really know where to start in sharing the ridiculous number of magically memorable experiences and adventures my lovely fella and I had during our three unforgettable weeks in Japan. In the interests of an attempt at brevity, and to save you from detail overwhelm, I’ll reign in my eagerness to pour everything into just one blog, and rather split my jam-packed Japan expedition into two separate, and hopefully more manageable, posts.

So here goes with Japan 1.0 - a look at some of the ancient traditions, cultural customs and modern innovations which combine to make this such a fascinating, surprising and welcoming country to visit.

Almost everyone who goes to Japan reports that it’s one of the most foreign places they’ve ever visited. And having finally made it there after four years of trying - our first trip was booked for 2020 and Covid generously scuppered both of our subsequent two attempts to get there (Japan was a lot slower to fully open up than most of the world) - I would certainly agree. It’s not just the language, but everything, from the lifestyle and the aesthetic, to the food and the fashion, that’s so strikingly different and unfamiliar.

Obviously some of that I had anticipated - I made sure before we left that my Google translate app was fully up to date and rehearsed my bowing - but much of it was unexpected and, mostly, delightfully surprising (there were some uncertain food moments when it was pretty much impossible to figure out exactly what we had been served).

Here, then, in absolutely no order of preference, importance or touring time-line, are some of my highlight traditional, cultural and innovation moments and memories.

Japan has 26 UNESCO World Heritage sites

We didn’t see them all, obviously. But we did manage to tick off a fair few.

Ticking off some of Japan’s 26 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Clockwise from top left, Senso-ji temple in Tokyo, Nijo Castle in Kyoto, Itsukushima Shinto Shrine on the island of Miyajima, the Buddhist temple in Nara, the Kumono Kodo trail in the Kii mountains.

Predictably a lot of them are shrines and other sacred sites related to the twin national religions of Buddhism and Shintoism.

Others carry the weight of darker moments from Japan’s history, such as The Genbaku Dome, or Hiroshima Peace Memorial,  the skeletal remains of one of the only buildings left standing after the atomic bomb was dropped on August 6th 1945.

The Genbakau Dome in Hiroshima

An entire historic mountain village makes it onto the list thanks to its distinctive wooden houses with steep thatched roofs to protect them during the heavy snowfalls of winter. Images show it as an unusual and attractive place in a stunning mountain setting. Sadly its delights were rather less obvious on the day we visited, in relentlessly driving rain and enveloping low cloud. Sigh….

The historic mountain village of Shirakawa-go, as it looks in the sunshine and as it looked when we saw it in the pouring rain.

It’s traditional to take month-old babies and children aged 3, 5 and 7 to a shrine to be blessed

Children are brought to a shrine by their parents for special blessings when they’re one month old, 3, 5 and 7

On our visits to the many, many shrines we saw on our travels, we frequently witnessed proud families with their exquisitely traditionally dressed children posing for pictures presumably before or after whatever ceremony was involved in the blessing.

Onsen are an important part of Japanese culture

Onsen are hot spring baths known for their health benefits, which include promoting blood circulation and easing muscle tension. There are approximately 25,000 hot spring sources throughout Japan, and roughly 3,000 onsen establishments, including many traditional inns, or ryokan, which use the naturally heated - and often very hot - water from these geo-thermally heated springs.

A cedar clad osen in the traditional ryokan we stayed in on the in the Kii mountains.

There are quite specific rituals around taking an onsen bath, which are always segregated because the process is done naked. When you go into one, you’re given two towels, one large, one small. First you’re expected to wash yourself down whilst sitting on a low stool, using the small towel as a flannel. Shampoo and body soap are often provided and you must make sure that you rinse yourself well afterwards so that no soap gets into the onsen water. You’re expected not to wet other bathers while washing and to tidy up your space after you are finished.

Whilst you’re in the hot bath, you must keep the small towel out of the water either by putting it on the side or on your head, which must also stay out of the water at all times.

At the second ryokan we stayed in there was an outdoor onsen. The water in the upper tier was very hot, the water in the lower one slightly less so.

To get the full benefit of the minerals in the water, you shouldn’t rinse off afterwards, just pat yourself dry with the large towel. The whole experience is fabulously cleansing and relaxing.

When you stay in a ryokan, your room and the dress code are not what you expect

Guests in a traditional ryokan will find their generally generous size rooms will be furnished with a low table and chairs, but a key item will seem to be missing. The bed. That, it turns out, will magically appear whilst you’re eating dinner, made up on a futon mattress rolled out on the bamboo matted floor. (A tip from back-achey experience - one rather thin mattress does not make for a comfortable nights sleep. You’ll almost certainly find there are more mattresses in the cupboard where all the bedding is stored. I can report that three piled on top of each other is the perfect number.)

Our futon beds which magically appeared whilst we were eating our dinner

You’ll also find traditional Japanese outfits are provided for each guest. You’re more than welcome, indeed it’s positively expected, to wear these at all times when you’re in the ryokan, including to eat your meals.

Some of the outfits provided for us to wear in the different ryokans we stayed in

In traditional establishments you’ll be served set Japanese meals - for dinner and breakfast

Having been sure to alert the ryokan to any food restrictions or allergies ahead of time, your meals whlist you’re a guest will be an impressive and at times bewildering array of umpteen different dishes, flavours and textures. Not all of them easily identifiable.

A myriad of dishes for dinner

I loved how fresh and healthy so much of the food was (deep-fried tempura not so much. But SO delicious) but I never did quite manage reconcile myself to what I think of as dinner food - fish, rice, vegetables and soup - for breakfast.

And almost as many for breakfast!

Forest bathing has become a part of preventative healthcare in Japan.

Walking through the forests along the ancient Kumono Kodo pilgrimage trail in the southern Kii mountain range, we came across a group of people lying on log platforms in a clearing alongside the path, gazing up at the giant cedar trees.

Forest bathing on the Kumono Kodo trail

I realised what they were doing was a version of forest bathing - the practice of immersing yourself in nature as way of improving your physical and mental wellbeing. What I didn’t know is that the experience is often actually prescribed by Japanese doctors and has been shown to lead to a healthier lifestyle for a population often suffering from the effects of one of the most demanding work cultures in the world.

Of course we had to try it out for ourselves!

Can highly recommend

It takes four years to train and qualify as a Geisha

We were lucky enough to have a private meeting with a young Maiko - a Geisha (known as Geiko) in training and were fascinated to learn about the rigorous learning they have to do in order to become one of these world-renown traditional hostesses and entertainers.

Meeting a 17 year old Geisha in training

Every aspect of a Geisha’s appearance and conduct is rigorously instructed and controlled. From her distinctive make up (a trainee can only colour in the lower of her two lips. She must be fully qualified before she can paint her upper lip) and hair (the intricate styles are re-done every two weeks. Between stylings she sleeps on a special pillow that keeps her head suspended), to the 60 different dances she must master, the musical instruments she must learn to play, the traditional ceremonies she must be able to conduct, and the conversation she must be able to prompt and maintain.

Her intricate make up - which she does herself - and hair - which she doesn’t!

During her training, the Maiko’s expenses are covered by the ‘mother’ of the house where she lives (the mother will take any income the Maiko makes during that time, for example, what we paid for our meeting with her). Once she is deemed to be fully trained, a qualified Geiko will live independently and be responsible for finding work and supporting herself. She can only remain a Geiko until she marries.

Bowing is a big thing

Bowing is an absolutely ingrained element of life and an important way to demonstrate the respect that’s integral to Japanese society and interactions. There are three levels of bowing. A gentle nod of the head, which is the most informal and widely used version. A lower bow, 45 degrees, is expected in interactions in a business setting. And if you’re apologising, then the corresponding bow should be so low as to be almost at right angles.

I watched with fascination at one station as the cleaners waiting to board the bullet train after its final stop bowed their heads to each passenger as they disembarked. And how many of them amongst the Japanese returned the greeting.

(A Japanese person will always hand something to you, or take it from you, using both hands. which is another way of showing respect).

The bullet trains are every bit as magnificent as you expect

Not only are the Shinkansen trains one of the most beautiful things you’ve ever seen, certainly on a train track, and not only do they go at the most staggering speed - it makes your eyes go funny when you try to focus on anything whistling past the window - but their reclining seats and generous leg room make them delightfully comfortable too.

My favourite thing about them, though, is that all the rows of seats - 2 on one side of each carriage aisle, three on the other - can be pivoted, meaning that all the seats face the direction of travel on every journey. Genius.

Gaming arcades are huge - in every sense

Gaming is the most popular leisure activity in Japan and the eye-achingly bright arcades full of slot machines and games are not just enormous - there are ones entirely filled with those mechanical grab machines with prizes up for grabs (literally) ranging from huge cuddly toys to small trinkets - but unbelievably loud. Stepping into one is like toppling into an alternative universe where all your senses are instantly overwhelmed.

You’re rarely more than a few hundred metres from a vending machine or a convenience store

The quality of the food everywhere in Japan is amazingly good and that’s reflected in the provisions on offer in the convenience stores that you’ll find liberally scattered through every city and town in the country.

Along with drinks - alcoholic and non - toiletries and lifestyle goods these brightly lit stores sell a range of tasty snacks, ready meals and sweets (oh but the Japanese LOVE their sweets, and shops devoted to the huge, and sometimes very odd, range of sweets including KitKats in the most bizzare flavours, like wasibi, or strawberry cheesecake, are almost as numerous as the convenience stores.)

Fancy a wasabi flavour KitKat?

But not nearly as numerous as the vending machines mostly selling a vast array of drinks but sometimes snacks and sweets as well, which you’ll find on practically every street corner, and in places far more remote and sparsely populated..

No-one jay-walks

As well as being profoundly respectful, Japanese people are also very obedient. Even faced with an entirely empty road, no-one will cross it until the green man lights up, giving them permission to head over the the other side.

Well that wasn’t exactly as brief as I promised at the start, but I hope it has given you a flavour of the traditions, culture and innovation that are to be found in this fascinating country. Next time I’ll take you on a whistle-stop tour of the places we visited, which included Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima.

In the meantime, if you’d like to discover two very special cultural experiences we were lucky enough to have on our travels, head over to These Are the Heydays on Substack.

Other posts you’ll enjoy

An exhibition all about the history of the kimono

Ten take-your-breath-away places to visit

The benefits of heading off the tourist trail when you’re travelling