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Hina Matsuri 🎎 Japan’s Girls’ Day 🇯🇵 If you find yourself in Japan around this time of year (mid Feb-March) you might wonder what these displays of Hina dolls dressed in Heian period clothing are all about 🎎 well today March 3rd is a day for families to celebrate their daughters 🥹 And this sacred forest shrine overlooking the sea has one of the largest & most impressive displays in Japan with 118 steps full of the most spectacular dolls! 🎎 Whilst tiered hina doll displays are often incredibly expensive (we’re talking £1000+ 👀 & as such are often heirlooms passed down by generation), historically families who couldn’t afford these, created hanging hand-made decorations which you can see either side of the staircase. Known as tsurushi kazari they are a renowned cultural tradition in this particular region of Japan 🇯🇵 Sewn from repurposed old kimono scraps, they represent a family’s hope for the health & happiness of their daughters with each different shape having its own symbolic meaning ✨ 📆 Until March 8th from 10am-3pm 🕰️ this display started from Feb 14th so if you don’t have time this year, save this post & visit next Feb/early March! 🔖 thank you @maris_adventures_in_japan for this rec! ✨ 📍 Susanoo shrine, Inatori Onsen, Shizuoka (素盞鳴神社) ♨️ as it’s an onsen town I recommend staying here like I did for the weekend! My recommendation is Katasekan Hiina #hinamatsuri #japanfestival #traditionaljapan #japaneseculture #dollsfestival

My most frequent DM at the moment is where to see cherry blossoms right now? So here’s an updated list of where to go & conditions starting off with Tokyo’s… 🌸 Sakura Jingu - the magical pink ribbon, sakura shrine is in full bloom now, the best time to visit! 🎀 The rest are day trips, all accessible from Tokyo… 🌸 Kawazu town’s sakura has also reached full bloom (on the 23rd) so this weekend might be perfect timing to visit to experience the start of falling sakura petals 🍃 🌸 Oi Yume no Sato - my favourite place 🥹 full bloom but the rain will have affected them, this weekend will be the last chance to visit 🍃 🌸 Matsuda has officially announced ‘桜吹雪～散り始め’ meaning that the sakurafubuki has begun, essentially meaning a snowstorm, blizzard, or shower of cherry blossom petals 🥹 a beautiful name for my personally favourite part of sakura season! ❄️ 🌸🍃 Miura Kaigan - the recent rain has scattered a lot of the petals but there still are beautiful trees here & there, this coming weekend is the last to enjoy the festival. Even though the green leaves emerge & more petals are falling, an upside is it may not be as busy! Even though the prettiest pink kawazu sakura may be coming to an end, plenty more sakura varieties are about to bloom! 🌸 Stay tuned & follow along for more sakura guides as we head into March & April! 🇯🇵 #sakuraseason #kawazuzakura #cherryblossomseason #japantravel #springinjapan

🇯🇵 Blooming now, Mt. Fuji x sakura 🗻🌸 this is the most beautiful view in Japan or the world in my opinion 🤭 And I know that sounds clickbaity but I’m not saying that lightly 😅 for me, I cannot think of anywhere more picturesque than this Mt. Fuji view on a crystal clear day from a hill of perfectly pink sakura! 🌸 What’s the most beautiful view you’ve ever seen? Since my last visit in 2023, it’s gotten a little bit more known, but is still very much a lesser visited spot, especially in comparison to Kawazu and Matsuda, most likely because it’s harder to get to with public transport, but it is 100% worth the effort! 🌸 📍 Oi Yume no Sato, Kanagawa 📸 taken 21/02/2026 - there are still plenty of buds on many of the trees, only one tree had green leaves so it will be good to visit in the next week 🌸 #mtfuji #fujiview #sakuraseason #cherryblossomseason

Blooming now & an easy day trip from Tokyo, this is another one of those beautiful cherry blossom spots that bloom in February! 🌸 🍡 from Miurakaigan station walk along to Komatsugaike Park where you’ll find lots of food stalls for the festival, but if that’s too busy or you fancy sitting down to eat, I recommend… 🐟 Mottainai shokudo, a restaurant focused on supporting local farmers & fishermen with a mission of reducing food waste by using surplus, non-standard vegetables & underutilised fish. The lunch set was delicious with such variety! 😋 🫜 & for those that live in Japan, Miura is famous for its HUGE daikon radish so don’t miss buying one for a bargain price & you can even pull your own one out of the ground! Watch to the end to see the one I got 🤭 📍 Miura Kaigan, Kanagawa 🚃 Miurakaigan station ~1.5 hours from Tokyo 📸 taken 15/02/2026 at 80% blooming, it’s now full bloom so go, go, go! 🏃🏻‍♀️ 📆 the festival is on until 3rd March but visit in the next week for best timing 🌸 #miurakaigan #cherryblossomseason #sakuraseason #japantravel

❄️ Sapporo’s 76th Snow Festival ☃️ 76 years celebrating this now iconic snow festival which started from humble beginnings of middle school children building snow sculptures in Odori Park 🥹 ⛄️ Now, Odori Park hosts the huge sculptures created by the Japanese Self Defence Force, creations from local groups across Japan & submissions from around the world for the international competition, with Finland taking 1st prize this year 🇫🇮🥇 🧊 The Susukino site with all its intricate crystal clear ice sculptures is the perfect site to enjoy before or after dinner as it’s situated right in heart of the entertainment district of Sapporo 🛝 Families will also want to check out the Tsudome site as it has giant snow slides & activities for kids Personally there were a few too many anime sculptures this time, but my standouts were the Star Wars Mandalorian piece - Yoda is just too cute 🥹 Aizu Wakamatsu’s Tsuruga castle which looked incredible with projections turning it gold 🏯✨ & the sculpture highlighting the Jōmon period (from 15,000 to 2,400 years ago, a time where nature was worshipped) with the message that “humans are the smallest nature” and the message that with our life of convenience, we are starting to forget just how much we depend on & are supported by nature 🥺 6 years since I last visited yet I was just as impressed with the scale & artistry that goes into the making of this incredible festival 🤍 Will this be making your Japan travel bucket list? Make sure to save for next time! 🔖 📆 takes place in early Feb every year #sapporosnowfestival #japanfestival #sapporo #hokkaido #japantravel

Don’t miss this hidden 🌸 spot! ⬇️ With beautiful bright pink cherry blossoms, golden canola flowers AND Mt. Fuji views, Matsuda Sakura Matsuri is one of Japan’s favourite spots to kickstart sakura season, but with all this beauty comes of course many cherry blossom hunters 🤭 Now 40% bloomed, it won’t be long til it reaches full bloom! 🌸 Due to it blooming earlier than expected, the festival’s been moved earlier starting this weekend! ✨ From February 7th to March 8th 📆 Last year we arrived before 9am, and whilst we didn’t need to queue to get in, it was still very busy, and by midday the line was all the way down the hill 😱 Luckily there’s a solution which not many know about! 👀 Just an extra 15 minutes walk from Nishihirabatake Park (or 30 minutes if you’re at the base of the hill) is Aguri Park Sagayamaen 🌸 disclaimer - it’s very steep… but if you make the effort, you’ll be greeted with so many cherry blossoms & canola flowers in a much more serene setting - heaven! 💛 📍 Nishihirabatake Park & Aguri Park Sagayamaen, Matsuda, Kanagawa 🎟️ ¥500 to enter each park 🚃 Shin-Matsuda station (an hour & 20 from Shinjuku) 🌸 for blooming updates check the parks official websites #cherryblossomseason #cherryblossoms #sakuraseason #japansakura #japantrip

Japan’s early blooming sakura 🌸⬇️ If you’re visiting Japan in February, don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’re too early for cherry blossoms! You can still see them, you just need to know where & when to go 😉 February is still such underrated months when it comes to international tourists visiting Japan & yet for me it’s one of the best times of the year for sakura! Mid-late Feb especially is my favourite time to see Japan’s cherry blossoms as the early blooming varieties are pinker & more vivid than the somei yoshino variety that late March & early April season is known for - their colour just pops!! Being off-peak means cheaper hotels & flights too! ✈️ & you don’t need to worry about the weather either as these months are clearer & sunnier so you can also catch Mt. Fuji more easily too 🗻 Now onto the places featured in this clip! 🌸 Atami - Itokawa Promenade Sakura Festival is held now until Feb 8th 🌸 Toi Sakura Festival is held from January 17th - February 11th 🌸 Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival held Feb 7th - March 8th 🌸 Matsuda Cherry Blossom Festival held Feb 14th - March 8th 🌸 Sakura Jingu shrine, Tokyo (usually late Feb) 🌸 Ebara shrine, Tokyo (mid-late Feb) 🌸 Kuramae shrine, Tokyo (usually late Feb - early March) 🌸 Aogehari river, Washinomiya, Saitama - head to Washinomiya shrine & then wander along the river (late Feb) #sakuraseason #sakura #cherryblossoms #japan #japansakura

Slow, sustainable travel close to Tokyo 🍃 Searching for a more sustainable escape in Japan, far from the usual tourist spots, I headed to Chiba (@Visit Chiba | Beyond Tokyo), just next door to Tokyo for a slower kind of travel. If you want to slow down and explore Japan more thoughtfully too, here’s what I recommend…  🚂 Ride the scenic Kominato railway, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, through bamboo forests and rice paddies, and see what life is like in rural Japan. Each station has its own charm, whether it’s being greeted by locals selling snacks for your journey to Ghibli characters decorating the station walls  🧑‍🌾 Savour an organic farm-to-table meal at Jiroemu, cooked with love by a family who have tended this land for 16 generations. The farmhouse is over 300 years old & you’ll love seeing some of the older relics lying around. The fluffy tamagoyaki was delicious but they can also accommodate vegan customers too 🌱 We booked through Boso Adventure Tours and it was a true highlight of our trip!  🐴 Breathe in the fresh ocean air as you go horse riding along Chiba’s scenic coastline. At Sunshine Stables you can have a lesson in Western riding (my first time to try!) before heading out on a coastal trail 📕 End the day at one of Japan’s most unique stays, Kurkku Fields - a place where you can curl up in the  “library in the earth,” appreciate Yayoi Kusama’s art, go on a farm tour where you pick the vegetables you’ll eat for dinner, enjoy an unexpected fine dining experience all with locally produced ingredients, and sleep in a cosy cocoon!  🔖 Don’t forget to save this post & stay tuned for more of what Chiba has to offer!  #VisitChiba #chibaprefecture #japantravel #sustainabletravel #slowjapan

Now that Mt. Fuji’s snow cap is back, it’s time to plan your Mt. Fuji getaway! 🗻 One hotel stay that really lived up to my expectations was Fuji View Hotel 🗻 With panoramic views of Mt. Fuji seen straight from your own private balcony, or from your own private onsen (ideal for those with tattoos!), you can’t choose a better place to rest & rejuvenate this autumn & winter 🍂 Included in the stay is a kaiseki course for dinner which was delicious! Really loved the local wagyu beef cooked on lava stone 🌋 The location also makes for an ideal base when exploring Yamanashi’s popular autumn leaves spots & the Lake Kawaguchiko area 🍁 Plus their huge 100,000 squared meter garden including a koi pond (see the last scene of the reel, perfection!! 😭) makes it worth a visit in any season 🍃 🔖 don’t forget to save so you can stay & see one of the best views of Mt. Fuji!! 📍 Fuji View Hotel, Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi 🛏️ The room featured is the Junior Suite #mtfuji #fujisan #mtfujiview #mountfuji #onsen

🦢 Koi fish & a solitary swan swimming across a lake reflecting the autumn leaves above… Japan, can you be any more beautiful? 🥺🍁 Now that the temperatures have suddenly dropped, autumn really has arrived! And I’m so looking forward to beginning my annual momijigari (autumn leaf hunt) trips, of course I’ll be checking new places out but I’m not sure if anything can compare to Minami-Inaga Lake, it truly looks like something out of a fairytale… 🦢 ✨ travel tip! For precise updates on leaf colours, hunt leaves like a local & stay up to date using Koyo.WalkerPlus.com (not sponsored just love this site!) 🇯🇵 📆 the website above mentions that the leaves have just begun to start changing colour, so the best time to visit would be the end of October or beginning of November 🍁 #momiji #autumnleaves #japanautumn #yamanashi #japantrip

Tokyo’s Yōkai Parade 👻 Enter the world of Yōkai - supernatural creatures found in Japanese folklore that range from being cute, friendly & mischievous to rather dangerous & terrifying! 😱 Which yōkai would you like to meet out of the ones that appear? 👻 Let me know in the comments! & have a Happy Halloween! 🎃 📍 Koenji, Tokyo - this event is part of the Koenji Festival which also includes Japanese pro-wrestling (just as brilliantly bizarre to watch) and Awa-odori dances, something this neighbourhood is famous for too! 📆 Saturday 25th October 🕰️ Parade is from 13:30-16:00pm #yokai #yokaiparade #yokaifestival #tokyotrip #tokyofestival

Instead visit in autumn 🍁 here’s why… 🍁 the colours!! Sure pastel pink is pretty & all but the vivid reds & yellows you see during autumn in Japan… I promise you there’s nothing else like it! 🍁 Whilst you may know about hanami (cherry blossom picnics), koyo, or “changing leaves” is just as significant in Japan with everyone taking part in the much loved hobby of momijigari, otherwise known as maple leaf hunting! 🍁 It’s much less crowded than sakura season 🌸 of course autumn spots still draw many visitors but it feels a lot more manageable than in April & you can easily get away from the crowds by getting out & hiking in nature, my favourites being walks in the Mt. Fuji area shown in this reel 🍁 the changing autumn leaves last longer compared to the cherry blossoms which are only around for a week or two & are so fragile if it rains (which it always seems to 😅). You can see autumn leaves from late October through to late December so it’s not as rushed 🍂 🍄‍🟫 final point - the food 🤤 all of the mushroom flavours, matsutake are divine! Plus the chestnuts, sweet potatoes, persimmons, pear, pumpkin, I could go on but you get the idea! 🌰 Have you visited in either spring or autumn? Which did you prefer? 🍂 🔖 Don’t forget to save, share or repost & follow along as I’ll be updating plenty of autumn recommendations soon! #autumninjapan #momijigari #autumnleaves #kyoto #tokyo

The onsen town to visit this autumn 🍁 This is Ikaho Onsen, a picturesque historic onsen town located on the hillside of Mt. Haruna, famed for its “Kogane-no-Yu” golden iron-rich healing waters 😌 Known for its distinctive stone steps, 365 in total, they’ll guide you past historic ryokans, cute cafés, retro restaurants & bars, until you reach the top where you’ll see Ikaho shrine ⛩️ With Gunma ranking 38/47 prefectures for overnight stays (despite Ikaho Onsen only being 2 hours from Tokyo!), I’m hoping this will help persuade you to book a night & experience a traditional hot spring town like a local! 🛏️ stay at Chigira Jinsentei, a historic ryokan established for over 500 years! With large open-air public baths as well as 4 private onsen (perfect for those who have tattoos!) overlooking the beautiful natural scenery. There were so many momiji it’d be perfect to visit this autumn! 🍁 They also have a stylish café/bar 🥃 🍸 step back in time to the Showa period (1926-1989) & enjoy retro cocktail floats & local beers at New Belle Bara, a unique bar full of cute retro things! ⛩️ climb the 365 stone steps for good luck & to reach Ikaho shrine which dates back to 825! 😋 savour a golden hot spring manju filled with red bean paste at Yunohana Manju, a shop known across Japan 🚠 take the ropeway up to see panoramic mountain views of Gunma prefecture #ikahoonsen #ryokan #japaneseryokan #gunma #onsen #privateonsen #tokyotrip #japanguide

🌜Don’t miss Tokyo’s Moon Art Night Festival on until October 5th!🌛 Tokyo’s trendiest neighbourhood is back with its popular Moon Art Night Festival 🌒 popular for its second-hand shopping, trendy cafés & restaurants, Shimokitazawa is suuuper close to Shibuya so if you’ll be in Tokyo this September & early October hop on the 3 minutes train to the moon! 🚃 The Moon itself features detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface to scale which is so impressive to see during Japan’s tsukimi (moon-viewing) festival 🌝 Instead of the adorable bunnies they had when I last visited in 2022, this time we have electric blue Schrödinger’s cats! 😸 There’s also many more pieces of art & galleries to visit as you wander around & many of the cafés & restaurants are serving moon-inspired snacks like the tasty lemon soda float I had from Nikkiya Tsukihi café near the cats at Bonus Track 🌛 📍 Shimokitazawa 🚃 Shimokitazawa, Tokyo - you can see the moon as soon as you arrive at the station! But it’s best to pick up a leaflet at the station to see where the other spots are & all the limited editions snacks are sold! 📆 September 19th-October 5th 🕰️ from 3-9pm (make sure to not get there too late as the lights will be switched off & art deflated! 🥲) #moonartnightshimokitazawa #shibuya #shimokitazawa #tokyo #ムーンアートナイト下北沢 #tokyonight

Looming over the charming city of Tondabayashi is this surreal 180m tall tower that looks like something straight of a sci-fi movie 🛸 Futuristic, mysterious, eerily silent & rather intimidating as you approach, it’s actually a place where everyone is welcome to pray for world peace 🙏 Built by an organization called the Church of Perfect Liberty which was founded by a Zen priest (interesting…), some say its a cult… so perhaps one should exercise some caution whilst visiting... You can actually go inside the tower too but my husband didn’t want to go any further 😅 so what lies within remains a mystery to me… See my previous reel for a guide on the delightfully retro, historic town of Tondabayashi & don’t forget to save, it makes for a perfect afternoon add-on to an Osaka Expo trip! 🔖 📍 PL Tower - Great Prayer Peace Tower 🚃 Tondabayashi-Nishiguchi station #tondabayashi #pltower #osaka #hiddenjapan #secretjapan #osakajapan #富田林 #offthebeatenpath #osakatrip #osakatravel #visitosaka

A side of Kyoto not seen before 🍃 If you want to escape the crowds of Arashiyama & see a unique view of the bamboo forest, then you’ll want to hop on the Sagano Romantic Train! 🚂 Make sure to book your tickets in advance as it’s quite popular especially in autumn season! 🍁 #saganoromantictrain #arashiyama #kyoto #kyotojapan #kyototrip #japantravel

🍃 Ghibli’s Laputa: Castle in the Sky really does exist 🥹 Sarushima is such a beautiful island full of nature & if you’re lucky you might meet a robot too 🤖 #ghibli #laputacastleinthesky #studioghibli #ghibliinreallife #animeinreallife #japanlife #japantravel #sarushima