News from the road – Discover Japan – April 2025

For the second year in a row, our ‘Discover Japan’ group has got our timing perfect, with magnificent cherry blossoms in full bloom. Such a festive time to be in Japan, with a sense of Spring optimism in the air. Many of the historic castles are specially lit in the evenings, so you can wander around the cherry blossoms with beautiful lighting (and, in our case, a full moon).

Taiko drumming in Tokyo, gold leaf decorating and paper making allowed us to try our hand at some Japanese arts and crafts.

A visit to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Shirakawa-go was a real highlight. We didn’t expect to see significant snow still on the ground, which made the whole visit even more special.

We visited Naoshima Island, Japan’s art island in the Seto Inland Sea. Three galleries were built to blend into the landscape. Chichu Art Museum is largely underground. All three galleries display fabulous artworks and outdoor sculptures. Another ferry trip took us to Miyajima Island to visit the stunning Itsukushima Shrine and the floating Torii gate.

A highlight of any of our tours to Japan is the chance to experience traditional Japanese culture with a stay in a Ryokan and opportunities to partake in Onsen baths. Japan’s food is spectacular, especially the incredible attention to detail in the presentation, and we enjoyed many Japanese feasts and unique food experiences…including shrimp tempura for breakfast!

A free day in Kyoto allowed members of the group to explore their own interests, and half of us went to Osaka for the World Expo, which was very worthwhile. They are expecting more than 20

million people during the six-month run, and we were lucky to get there in the first week and beat the crowds.

We enjoyed the hospitality of the Japanese people and a special shout-out to our local guide, Mayumi-San, who is our “go-to” guide for our Discover Japan tours and does a wonderful job showing us her country and giving us insights to life, food, culture, history and gardens.. Best of all, a great group of like-minded travellers who really enjoyed each other’s company and camaraderie made this a great tour.

We will be running this tour again in 2026, so pop us a note if you would like to be on the interest list, and we will send you an itinerary as soon as it’s ready. contact@calderandlawsontours.co.nz

Participant feedback from this tour:

A great balance of experiences, generally excellent accommodation and superb food. Guide was exceptional and enjoyed having Kevin there.

Kevin and Mayumi made a great team and that made the tour even more enjoyable.

A great all-round taste of Japan overall.