Trip to Japan, this past April 2023, came about by circumstance then by design.

Our traveling buddies in London were discussing it amongst their London friends, and we (a group of 3 couples) just jumped on the bandwagon when we heard about it.

The trip was organized by Rajdhani Travels UK, and we were part of a larger group with a fixed itinerary. And not just a fixed itinerary, but one serving an Indian meal for dinner, at a local Indian restaurant wherever we were scheduled to be on a given day.

We normally opt for custom small group private tours, so this was an outlier for us.

Really glad that we did! Wow!, what a fabulous trip! It was an 11 day trip, visiting Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kobe, Kyoto, and Osaka.

We got to see the tail-end of the cherry blossom season, it was still a sight to behold. We spent 3 days in Tokyo, visiting the Imperial Palace, Asakusa temple, Sumida river cruise, Ginza district, and with Tokyo as the base we visited Mt. Fuji.

The trip included stays at 4 star hotels, and these were more than good. Across from our hotel in Tokyo there was a small convenience store where we stopped to buy bottled water and some snacks. Now brace yourself, for 2 regular size bottled water and 2 bags of potato chips we paid approx $4.00. Yes, $4:00 !!!

Before this eye-opening event, I was led to understand that in Japan the cost of grocery items is extremely high. For the record, this was true of some items like a mango priced at $7.00, a small watermelon priced at $15.00. However, everyday staple items were priced below what we pay in the United States.

On our 2nd day in Tokyo, on the morning coach ride to the temple, we saw kindergartners walking to school but with no adults in tow!

What is going on here? Where are the parents? This is center of Tokyo.

The guide chimed in to say that all school-age kids across Japan, including kindergartners and teenagers, walk to school on their own. There are volunteers at each city block to help them cross the street.

And not just that, during the school day the kids are expected to sweep the floors, and clean the bathrooms. The schools do not have janitors. This blew my mind!!! Just imagine what would happen if kids in the US were asked to sweep and clean bathrooms!!

We rode on the fastest bullet train, Nozomi 19 from Tokyo to Hiroshima. It was fast and smooth. The train conductor bows when he/she enters and exits the car.

Enjoyed our stay at every stop. In Kyoto we visited a sake brewery, and a traditional tea ceremony, which included dressing up in traditional Japanese robes.

We found the Japanese people to be friendly and respectful.

Food wise, as vegetarians we encountered no challenges – each city offered a variety of options, from Indian, Italian, Thai, Japanese Ramen noodles, and even Mexican.

The only challenge from time to time, albeit minor, was a language barrier when they could not understand English, especially given that we could not converse in Japanese, other than very limited very basic phrases. This is where Google translate app came in very handy.

Japan is a beautiful place to visit, and would look forward to doing so again.

One Life Many Travels means One Life Many Trips; One Life Many Memories; One Life Many Journeys means One Life Many Experiences; One Life Many Journeys means One Life Many Moments

Rajdhani Travels UK … http://www.rajdhanitourstravels.co.uk