Japan- Culture and Choas

Just before midnight I take a deep breath, close my eyes and fall backwards into the earth’s embrace.

I spread my arms wide and make my first snow angel.

Some memories are worth waiting for and at 23 years old Kyoto Japan gave me a thick, pure white blanket of snow.

In the past six days I stood at the world’s busiest intersection on New Year’s Eve, unknowingly ate tongue, threw my first snow ball and rode my first roller coaster.

I’m not the only Australian who discovered that Japan is a great holiday destination.

Japan National Tourism Organisation director Maiko Zenki said a record 302,700 Australians travelled to Japan in 2014, an increase of 23.8 per cent from the previous year.

Mr Zenki said the weakening of the Japanese yen against the Australian dollar and increasing international awareness of Japan’s three peak seasons – ski season, December to February; cherry blossom season, March to April; and the cruise ship season, September to October – could account for the increase.

He said cheaper flights and cruises had made the country more accessible.

“Qantas has announced they will commence daily flights from Sydney to Haneda (central Tokyo) and Brisbane to Narita from August, so we can expect increase in the visitor numbers.”

My group of nine merry travellers arrived in Tokyo on December 31 after a 50-hour flight delay.

In the 12 hours that we had before the big New Year’s bang, we joined thousands of Japanese at Sensoji temple in Asakusa as they celebrated an important day of their cultural year.

We watched as locals shook metal tins and withdrew sticks with the number combination to a box, which held their fortunes for the coming year.

As the daylight faded we returned to our hostel for warmer clothing before heading to Shibuya, most commonly known as the busiest crossing in the world.

At ten to midnight we joined a river of people and flowed into the square to join the countdown.

On the first day of the New Year we emerged with three hours’ sleep and jumped on the bullet train to Kyoto where we hiked the snow-covered Fushimi Inari shrine and bamboo forests and tasted a particularly tough piece of meat my friend later revealed to me as tongue.

On the second day we ate ramen under the shadow of the Kiyomizu-dera temple and strolled the Gion district where Geishas graced the streets.

On the train again to Osaka where four of our group traded in the cultural sites for a taste of the western world with a visit to Universal Studios.

From 9am to 9pm we drank Butterbeer and became honorary witches in Harry Potter

Goodbye Osaka, hello Niseko. Located on Japan’s northern most island, Mount Yotei is known as the Mt Fuji of Hokkaido.

Six days, one snowboarding lesson, one snowstorm, two dozen ski-lift trips and countless bruises later we left our white oasis comparing ourselves to Australian pro snowboarder Torah Bright.

For the last, but not least, three days of our 16-day trip we returned to Tokyo sore and tired and filled our days at Disneyland, the City’s (and the world’s) tallest tower, the aquarium, we shopped in Shinjuku, partied in Roppongi, watched robotic snakes and spiders fight an invading alien species, ate the freshest raw fish straight from the docks and Dance Dance Revolution-ed in a six-storey arcade.

Japan is so safe you can leave your wallet in a bar and return hours later to find it sitting where you left it.

Bump into a stranger and they’ll turn and apologise.

The streets are immaculate.

The food is to die-for.

Women walk around in Kimonos and the shopping is cheap.

Forget everything you thought you knew about Japan and just go there.

#tokyo #newyear #travel