We hired a guide to take us through the Tokyo National Museum with a goal to learn something about Japanese art. People from the West (which means me) are familiar with western art from the renaissance to impressionism and abstract expressionism, but learning about Asian art is not something one gets taught much in an arts humanities class in college. At the gallery, we had the pleasure of being guided by Rafa, the most organized and exceptional guide we've ever encountered.

Contemporary Japan has its own unique aesthetics and architecture; this was the focus of our last tour in Tokyo with Context. Our guide was Jay, who holds a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Tokyo and is an ex-pat from the US. Before settling in Japan 25 years ago, Jay spent time in Syria, Russia, and the UK. The quality of the Context guides continues to impress me. We met up with Jay in the Harajuku district , famous for its cutting-edge fashion retai

In Tokyo, we chose Context  to book our tours. We appreciate both ToursByLocals  and Context, and our choice usually depends on what each company offers for the destination we're visiting. Additionally, I find it optimal to stick with one company per location, though there is room for flexibility. Context typically features guides with a slightly higher academic background. We spent the entire day with Angel, an aspiring PhD candidate from Spain, who is studying the impact of

To understand Japan, it is essential to acknowledge the values instilled by Shintoism  and Buddhism  over the centuries, along with the external influences on the Japanese population. We explored beyond Tokyo by visiting Kamakura , a coastal town an hour to the south. Our Context guide, Fabien, a French expatriate, took us on this journey. Kamakura is a charming town, renowned for its remarkable 13.35-meter-tall bronze Buddha at Kotoku-in , which was constructed in 1252. We p

Our first exposure to the Ginza  area of Tokyo was to have dinner at a bustling Italian restaurant called The Kitchen Salvatore Cuomo Ginza . The food was decent, but the service left much to be desired. We experienced a long wait for our meal, and they played loud heavy metal rock music. Eventually, Scott's dinner came out but we still had to wait another ten minutes for mine to arrive. As a former New Yorker, I have no problem expressing myself and in this case, I pulled ou

We took a bullet train to Tokyo from Hiroshima for the last four days of our Japan tour. We stayed at The Okura Tokyo , which is a beautiful hotel that was rebuilt in 2019 and is located opposite the US Embassy. After what I considered to be mediocre accommodations with National Geographic, we were delighted to have a lovely, spacious, and elegant corner room on the 29th floor with a big view of Tokyo. I was very pleased and didn't feel the need to ask for a third room, as I

We wandered through the gardens of the 17th-century Ritsurin Park.  The beauty and serenity of the numerous gardens and parks we explored is likely my top highlight from Japan. This garden features over 1,400 pine trees, most of which are pruned by the gardeners to resemble large, elegantly curved bonsai.

The Zentsuji Temple is revered as the birthplace of the Buddhist priest Kobo Daishi. Kobo Daishi  founded the Shingon  school of Japanese Buddhism. There are many schools of Buddhism all with a goal of reaching enlightenment. If you are wondering what are the red hats and aprons about, they are adornments intended to ward off evil and protect children.

In the Iya Valley, we stayed at a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn called Hotel Hikyonyu , which featured an onsen , an on-site hot spring bath. The onsen was very relaxing, but the inn itself was simple and not exactly the 4 or 5-star lodging we prefer. In lieu of marble bathrooms, we had prefab "lego-land" bathrooms. At least here, we were able to procure a couple of extra futons for more padding and the room was not cold, so we slept better. National Geographic didn't s

The Double Vine Bridges  known as Oku Iya Niju Kazurabashi are twin suspension bridges made of intertwined vines. I am not a fan of crossing bridges that sway with every footstep, but if you don’t look down between the slats, it is doable.