Column: An experience of a lifetime in Japan

A family trip chases cherry blossoms, runs into Godzilla and more as we experience some of what Tokyo and Japanese culture has to offer

The inside of a Japanese Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. Steve Puterski photo

TOKYO – It is a contradiction to be excited for a 12.5-hour flight, but when there is a new destination on the other end, a plane cannot fly fast enough.

I spent last week in the Land of the Rising Sun with my parents and sister for an early celebration of my parents’ 50^th wedding anniversary. The anticipation was high as all the stories I’d heard from friends, acquaintances, and others about Japan all pointed to a fantastical island country, people, sights, food and experiences.

The trip lived up to the hype as we spent six days in Tokyo and a long day trip to the country’s cultural center – Kyoto. Tokyo is a bustling major city with too much to do in just one week. As such, there are too many anecdotes for just one column.

However, one of the primary sights – a point of emphasis for the trip, really – was the country’s famed cherry blossoms. Cherry trees dot the massive city’s landscape, along with the countryside and other cities, as locals and tourists alike flock to the Imperial Palace, parks and anywhere the trees and blossoms can be found.

Nerves ran high the first several days as some trees were blooming, although most were just peeking out. Locals we spoke with mentioned how many tourists had descended to the country to see the blooms – which typically come in mid- to late-March – but over the final several days we witnessed an incredible explosion of blooms from white and pink cherry trees.