Returning to dreamlike Japan

What is it about certain cities or countries that makes them so magical that they seem to call you to return? After my first trip to Japan in March 2010, I couldn’t shake the dreamlike visions from my mind.

I found an ad in ITN for “Japan on the Colorful Road” with Essential Travel & Tours (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA; 310/544-9596). After talking to them, I knew this was the trip I needed to take to see if Japan was as wonderful as the vision I had in my mind.

The tour I took, Nov. 7-19, 2013, was a perfect autumn trip, with maple leaves changing color, chrysanthemum festivals and exhibits everywhere we went. It satisfied my curiosity.

The price I paid, $4,500, included all flights (Los Angeles-Tokyo-Fukuoka and Osaka-Tokyo-L.A.), hotels, most meals and travel insurance. Our 22-member group visited many typical sites, but Essential Travel also took us to places not usually seen on tours.

I could tell that Kambiz, our tour leader, was as smitten with Japan as I was. It seemed as though many locals knew him, welcoming him graciously, as is the Japanese custom.

During my 2010 trip to Japan, our group visited the Kantō region, home to Tokyo and Yokohama. On my 2013 visit we traveled farther south to Japan’s third-largest island of Kyushu.

Fukuoka, on Kyushu, has been an important harbor for centuries. Not far from Fukuoka is the small, quiet city of Dazaifu, also dating back many centuries. Among the hundreds of Tenman-gū shrines throughout Japan, Dazaifu’s is considered to be the most important. We also saw the Zen garden of Kōmyōzen-ji Temple, and the Kyushu National Museum (4-7-2 Ishizaka, Dazaifu, Fukuoka) is superb. 

At the next city, Nagasaki, we visited the Glover family’s residence (sometimes referred to as the “Madame Butterfly house”). I have always enjoyed Giacomo Puccini’s 1904 opera, “Madame Butterfly,” and it was breathtaking to stand in front of the house that is believed to have been its inspiration. I could imagine, without closing my eyes, soprano Cecilia Violetta López as Cio-Cio-San (Madame Butterfly) singing in front of the house.

During the tour, we visited many castles, world-famous gardens like Suizenji, Shukkei-en and Kōraku-en, small historic towns such as Yufuin, Kumamoto and Tokuyama and cities like Hiroshima, Kyōto and, the ancient capital of Japan, Nara. Each historical site was different.

Walking alongside deer on Miyajima Island, I saw red torii (sacred gates) in the sea — a scene portrayed on many Japanese postcards and tourist posters.

Some people don’t find Japanese meals interesting, but I couldn’t even start eating some dishes before taking pictures of them. They served us a Japanese wedding dinner one night at a hot spring resort, and we all dressed in yukata (Japanese kimonos) that were provided by the resort. It was amazing.

When I returned home, I found myself missing Japan as I would miss an old friend. There is still a lot more to see.

SUNNY B. BUCHANAN

Sylmar, CA