Visiting Kyoto during the cherry blossom season immerses you in an atmosphere of antiquity and poetry: Philosopher’s Path is a picturesque walk along a canal surrounded by cherry trees, Maruyama Park has a huge weeping cherry tree illuminated at night, and there are the temples of Kiyomizu-dera and Heian. Ninna-ji — blossoming trees against the backdrop of pagodas. Here, cherry blossoms combine with ancient architecture and a Zen atmosphere.
Kyoto is the heart of old Japan, with more than 1,000 temples, hundreds of red torii gates, gold and silver pavilions (Kinkaku-ji and Ginkaku-ji), geisha in the Gion district, meditative gardens and tea houses, a place to slow down, a city of silence, rituals and tea shadows.
One of Japan’s iconic locations is Hakone, the ‘Japanese Alps' near Tokyo: a trip on a retro train and cable car over a volcanic valley, bathing in an onsen (especially with a view of the mountains), boating on pirate ships on Lake Ashi.