Getting everything ready for next year

 

2015 Tours online now

I've just finished my tour line up for 2015. I've made some changes to hopefully make them even more wonderful! My Classic Sakura tour now includes a stay at Hakone, so we may wake to views of Mt Fuji. I've also extended my Sakura Highland tour to give you more time in both Kyoto and Tokyo. My walking tours in the green season stay the same, so if you want to see Kamikochi (pic above taken on tour this year), why don't you join me?
 

My 2015 brochure is done!

 

Ookini to my friend and helper Jason, for putting my 2015 brochure together. Here's the front and back cover. You can see it all in electronic format here. What do you think? He's refreshed the website too, so check it out. I know it drives you crazy sometimes Jason, but thank you for your labour of love.
 

 

Spring green tour report

 

Here is a pic of wonderful fellow travellers overlooking Shirakawago village in central Japan. My City Lights & Alpine Trails tour was made up of a great mix of people from all around Australia. They all got on very well together, which made a very happy tour. It was agreed that the two nights at Kamikochi (despite the cold and the rain) was a highlight. It's a great place to get away - surrounded by snow capped peaks, beautiful river and monkeys! Thank you for finding my tour and joining me. Ookini!

 

2014 Tour update

 

Nearly all my tours have sold out for the rest of 2014. Only my Kumano Kodo walking tour has spots left. It's one of my favourite tours and was great last year. See details here:
14 Nov   Spirit of Japan
more than 5 left     $2690     8 days

Looking forward to the warmer weather in Japan

May in Japan: azaleas, strawberries and shinryoku (try to say it!)

It's getting cooler each day here in Sydney, but it's getting warmer each day in Japan. Mid-May to mid-June is one of my favourite times to visit Japan. Why?

• The days are longer, so you have more time for sightseeing.
• It's not too cold and not too hot, so you don’t have to pack heavy clothes.
• The azaleas are in full bloom.
• Strawberries are in season and you can’t get enough.
• Shinryoku - new green: who can resist walking under new green foliage!!

So I'm really looking forward to guiding nine fellow travellers from next Saturday on my City Lights & Alpine Trails Tour. This itinerary is very unique, including a special viewing of the Kamogawa Odori, which is one of the most traditional dance performances by Maiko and Geiko in Kyoto's Pontocho Alley. We're also spending several days in the alpine region of central Japan - visiting, Gero Onsen, Kamikochi and Tsumago, where we get to stay in traditional inns and take hot spring baths. I can't wait! After this tour, some of us will be continuing on North to Kamui Mintara. Follow me on Facebook for updates.

 

2014 sakura tours report

We were blessed to have had great weather and happy memories on both the “Classic Sakura” and “Sakura Highland” tours. We saw so many cherry blossoms across Japan. On the first tour, we enjoyed a snow shower on Mt Misen above the floating red gate, followed by brilliant blue skies. On the second tour, we could enjoy hanami at our secret spot near Matsumoto. Here are some comments from my fellow travellers:

• Riki is a relaxed guide always reassuring, caring and reliable. (Ms Mar)
• We have seen & experienced life in Japan in a way we would never have achieved on our own. (Mrs Robertson)
• Riki treated all of us as part of his family. (Mr Kannangara)
• Personal + historical knowledge of Japan, terrific consideration of our well-being. (Mrs Collins)
• I’ve been on a few guided tours. Usually the tour leader goes away at the end of day, but Riki was always available to take us somewhere interesting for dinners. (Mr Collins)

Thank you for all your kind comments. It was wonderful travelling with you and I look forward to seeing you again soon!

Mr Kimura the Hiroshima taxi driver

My personal highlight in April was meeting with Mr Kimura in Hiroshima again. It was pure coincidence. I took his taxi last year in May, and I happened to take his taxi again this year too with my fellow travellers.  He is an 83 year old taxi driver who experienced the atomic bomb when he was 13 years old. He lost his father and three sisters at the time. He still drives his taxi three times a week and often talks about his experiences with visitors. He doesn’t blame anyone for what happened, he says sensou wa sensou (war is war). Click here for a video of him talking with us.

 

Hands on experience: indigo dyeing

Are you interested in doing something more than sightseeing?  During my "Classic Sakura" tour, I shared Japanese indigo dyeing experience in Tokyo with my fellow travellers, and it turned out really well. Tade Ai (Polygonum or Knotweed) is the plant which creates the beautiful dark blue colour, which you've probably seen on traditional Japanese fabrics. The plant is native to Japan, and many can still be found growing wild in Shikoku. Its green colour changes when it touches the air.

The year ahead

 

I'm starting to plan for next years' tours. I will probably change the "Classic Sakura" tour a little by including stays at Mt Fuji and Himeji Castle, which is Japan's best. It's been under wraps for renovation since 2010, so it will be great to see it again. Also, don't miss out. It's not too late to book yourself on one my Autumn Tours this November.

 

 

Wishing my fellow travellers well for my upcoming Sakura tours of 2014

How to enjoy Sakura Hanami in Japan

When I think of hanami, I think of the start of each school year in April that I had as a youth in Japan. So for me, hanami is a time to open my mind to new ideas with the warming weather. The best way to enjoy hanami (cherry blossom viewing) in Japan is to have a picnic party with friends under the cherry trees to welcome in the season. Having a hanami party among Japanese people with the blossoms floating around would surely become an experience you'd never forget... But there are some must-have items to properly enjoy a hanami party, which you can pick up at a 100 yen store: a picnic sheet, a pack of kairo (disposable iron powdered body warmers - yes it's true!), plastic glasses, a bottle opener, and your favourite booze! You can get food for your hanami party at the basement of any department store. They make beautiful bento-boxes full of seasonal treats that are cut and packed with tender loving care, including takenoko

 

Takenoko - What I look forward to eating in Spring

 

Fresh takenoko (bamboo shoots) arrives on kitchen tables throughout Japan at this time of the year. It tastes good grilled, boiled or steamed and has a distinctive woody texture and fragrance that always reminds me of Spring. It's like a best supporting actress for any main dish, and I recommend that if you're in Japan for early Spring that you give it a try.

Tour spotlight:
 Autumn Colours 12 days Nov 26 $3690

This pic was taken last year at Okouchi Villa in Arashiyama near Kyoto. It has some of my Autumn travellers wearing jackets to match the season! It was a great trip. This year, my Autumn Colours tour in late November provides some unique insights into the culture and nature of Japan. It includes a visit of the Benesee Art Site of Naoshima. It's a truly tranquil and picturesque spot situated on three islands of the Inland Sea, where you can reflect on art in nature on your own terms. My tour also has four gentle day walks under a golden leaf backdrop, so why don't you join me?

2014 Tour Update

Here's a pic of me on the Kumano Kodo last year when when I was researching my Spirit of Japan tour. The Kii Peninsula is such a special place. Anyway, I'm leaving Sydney for Japan on Thursday to meet my fellow travellers for my Sakura tours. I'm really looking forward it. Although you've missed my Sakura tours this year, it's not too late to book yourself on one of my Spring Green or Autumn tours.