Japan had been on my bucket-list for ages. We had even finalised a trip to the country back in the spring of 2011 which unfortunately had to be cancelled due to the tsunami followed immediately by the Fukushima nuclear disaster. With the Singapore government issuing a travel advisory for their citizens and residents to avoid travel to Japan, we had no choice but to cancel all our bookings and swallow our feelings of deep disappointment.
So when a golden opportunity came my way last year, I was determined to make the most of it. I already had a well-researched and detailed Japan itinerary from 2011, and while I had to make a few adjustments to accommodate my elderly parents and young children this time, it proved quite useful.
I'm capturing my experiences on this holiday in this blog post because some memories are simply too precious to go unrecorded. I hope that whenever my children revisit these recollections, they spark the same joy and nostalgia in them as they do in me.
Japan: Spring 2024
Tokyo: The City That Never Sleeps
Our Japan adventure began in Tokyo, and what better way to get a bird’s-eye view of this buzzing metropolis than from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office? The South Tower observation deck offers spectacular nighttime skyline views.
The reason we specifically booked our trip to Japan in spring (April) was the real highlight of our trip so we didn't waste any time getting to it.
Hanami is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers. The cherry blossom, or "sakura" symbolises the arrival of spring, new beginnings, and the fleeting nature of life, which is deeply ingrained in Japanese culture.
It isn't just the Japanese, but tourists from around the world flock to Japan to appreciate the beauty of the blossoms during their short blooming period which emphasises the impermanence of beauty and the importance of cherishing the present moment.
