The name of Japan evokes wondrous images and sensations. While in popular imagination Japan is associated with Anime and Sushi, there is so much more to this beautiful country. Whether it is the visually enthralling play of pink and crimson of Japan’s national flower, the cherry blossom or the succulent umami flavours of its popular street food, ramen, Japan has a plethora of experiences that could turn an ordinary holiday into an extraordinary life experience. Irrespective of your budget or time constraints, Japan offers something for everybody: history, architecture, spirituality and loads more. So waste no time in packing your bags and get ready to soak up the culture on a Japan tour.

While there are innumerable adventures to partake of in Japan, here is a list of some of the most quintessential Japanese experiences:

Trot in Tokyo

Tokyo is one of the busiest and most bustling cities in the world. There are a lot of fun activities to choose from in this vibrant city. Kids will specifically enjoy trips to the Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea. A particularly thrilling attraction is a ride in Japan’s famed bullet trains that run at a speed of 200 km per hour. Tokyo is also a land of dreams for electronic aficionados, bursting forth with the very best of Japanese electronics. If one tires of sightseeing, one can always sit down and marvel over the variety of mindboggling architectural specimens.

Closer to Nature

Japan boasts of exquisite natural beauty and with good reason. Be it playing with monkeys in Arashiyama Monkey Park Iwatayama or taking a climb up to Mount Fuji, if forging a closer bond with nature is your goal, Japan will not disappoint. If you are looking to indulge in something a bit more serene, there’s nothing like watching cherry blossoms bloom, in a quiet park, away from the madness of a city life.

History, Spirituality and Culture

While on a tour of Japan, it is imperative to allow its history, culture and spiritual dimensions to take over your soul. Visit shrines like Tosho-gu in Nikko, Todai-ji in Nara, Oku-no-in in Koya San and, Izumo Taisha in Izumo to get a sense of Japan’s multi-faceted spiritual inklings. Places like the Hikone Castle, Himeji Castle and Miho Museum offer a treasured insight into Japan’s unique art and culture. But perhaps the most overwhelming experience can be visiting the Peace Park in Nagasaki and the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, a solemn reminder of the most devastating of tragedies in the history of Japan.

Off the beaten track

If unconventional ventures are your forte, Japan can satiate those needs as well. How about a trip to explore the Japanese national sport, Sumo? A visit to a Sumo stable will reveal the exemplary details of what goes into the making of these fantastic wrestlers, ranging from their training and practices to their distinctive diet of a one-pot wonder called Chanko. Another eccentric adventure to embark upon would be a trip to the Abashiri Prison Museum that uses the very best of technology to exhibit the history of the prison complex as well as the lives of its prisoners, some of them notorious, others national heroes.

Food, glorious food

It was perhaps through Miyazaki’s films that Japan’s culinary repertoire became famous in the rest of the world. From the husky taste of miso to the wonderfully fierce wasabi to the subtle tastes of seaweed, Japanese food is like a festival inside the mouth. While in Japan, lose yourself in the delicate broth of ramen, the fluffy crunchiness of tempura fries and the rich spiciness of yakitori.