Japan trip 2026

        

Visit to Japan

        I had a long-pending wish to visit Japan. My father had been to Japan as part of the British Indian Forces that stayed in Japan post-surrender of Japanese Forces in 1946-47. He had brought an album that contained photographs of important places in Japan. He had stayed in areas closer to Hiroshima in Camp Hiro. Since childhood, we had seen those photos. twice, en route to the USA, I had a change of flights at Tokyo, but never got the chance to venture outside. My son and daughter visited Japan at different times. They spoke highly of Japan and its people. So, better late than never. 

 Plan

    The trip was planned by my son and daughter, who had earlier visited Japan. I wanted to visit two places, namely Renkoji Temple in Tokyo, where mortal remains of Netaji Sobhash Chander Bose are kept, and Hiroshima, where the first atomic bomb was dropped. Other places were visited out of curiosity..

Visa

    Hotels were booked in advance through the app Expedia. Based on the itinerary, the visa was applied for by downloading the application and physically submitting it to VFS Global Chandigarh. We got the visa within ten days. The visa was applicable for 90 days with a single entry of fifteen days.  Our trip was of 12 days' duration.

Arrival 07 Mar 2026 Saturday

    We arrived in Tokyo, Japan, from Delhi on seven hours Air India flight. Immigration was hassle-free. We arrived at APA Hotel & Resorts through Airport Limousine Bus, available right next to the exit gate of the Haneda airport. Bus seats were booked online in advance.

APA Hotel & Resorts, Tokyo

A good 4-star hotel in the downtown area. Rooms were compact. Cleanliness good. One has to be careful while booking rooms. Suitable bed sizes should be chosen,  maybe at an extra cost. 

Renkoji Temple

The mortal remains of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose are kept at this temple. We reached there through public transport. It is a nondescript temple. Not many persons visit this place.

Netaji's bust and inscription on a black granite lie on the left side of the entrance of the main temple. We paid our homage and wrote comments in the visitors' book lying there. There was hardly anyone at the temple. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, as PM, has visited this place. His homage, etched in black granite, is displayed as well. No other Indian PM has visited this place. There is a lot of controversy about Netaji's death. Mortal remains are required to be brought home to India. But our politics had denied the rightful place to the remains of our national hero. Anita Pfaff, the daughter of Netaji, has appealed to the Government of India, more than once, to get the mortal remains to India. She has not received any reply from the Government. 

08 May 2026 Sunday

Had a conducted tour of Tokyo on a tourist bus. 

First was a visit to Meiji Shrine. Nestled in a jungle right inside the concrete jungle of Tokyo high-rise. It is serene place and worth the visit. 

Next, we visited the imperial palace. Very spacious place. King and his family stay there. Tourists are allowed to have a look at the palace from outside, just like all other palaces in India or elsewhere. 

Sensoji Temple was next. Heavy rush there. One can give it a go. 

Tokyo Skytree is worth a visit. One should not skip it. It gives a bird's eye view of the entire Tokyo. One can see Mt Fuji as well. 

Had a boat ride in the Tokyo Bay area. 

Tokyo has expanded towards the sky. Full of high-rise buildings.  

09 March 2026. Monday 

 Travelled by Odakyu Romancecar en route to  Hakone up to Odawara station. Too much rush at the railway station in the morning. People were rushing to work. Mostly use the metro lines to go to work. Tickets have to be booked in advance. Got to buy a separate ticket to enter the railway station.  Thereafter, boarded a public bus to Hakone. It was a good ride through a semi-mountainous area.

Hakone is a mountainous area,  a hill station. Old Charm City. 

Stayed at Yu Yu Onsen Hakone hotel. Traditional room to stay. Beds on the floor. Shoes outside. Got Yakuta and Kimono (traditional Japanese dresses) to wear.

Took a Hokonoe sightseeing tour in Pirate Ship in Lake Ashi.  It is basically a ferry designed like a pirate ship. Gives a nice view of the surroundings. 

YuYu Hotel has traditional Japanese rooms.  One can experience sleeping on Tatami mats and Shikifuton mattresses. They say that these are good for your health. Low tables with low chairs are kept in the rooms for visitors to enjoy a typical Japanese room set-up. Natural sulphur spring bath tubs are available at a price. These are quite rejuvenating.  We also tasted typical Japanese dishes for breakfast. 

10 Mar 2026 Tuesday. 

Cold and chilly in the morning. Travelled on the ropeway (Gondola) to Owakudani. Owakudani is an active volcanic valley in Hakone, Japan, created 3,000 years ago by the Mount Hakone eruption. Known for its intense sulfuric fumes, hot springs, and panoramic views of Mt. Fuji, it is a premier tourist spot, often called "Hell Valley" in the past. There is a museum here which gives information on the surrounding volcanoes and how hot spring water is produced. 

Took a tramcar to Gora, where the Hakone Open Air Museum is located. The museum has some of the world's famous sculptures/replicas. It has a dedicated gallery to the works of Pablo Picasso. The museum is very well-maintained. One must visit it. 

As we moved out, it started snowing. By morning, it was white all around.

11 Mar 2026 Wednesday 

We moved to a small hilly town named  Fujikawaguchiko in the foothills of Mt Fuji. It was a one-hour ride through the picturesque countryside. 

As we arrived at the town Mt Fuji top was covered in clouds. Its top became visible for some time.

We moved to a vantage point through a cable car to get a better view, but to no avail. Returned back. 

Had lunch at an Indian Restaurant named Taj Fuji. The food was good. Very well prepared. The owner had proudly displayed Tiranga inside and a beautiful painting on the walls. 

Checked into the hotel Shiki-na-Yado. A four-star hotel. On the bank of Lake Kawaguchi. We got rooms facing Mt Fuji. 

The see-saw game kept playing between Mt Fuji and the clouds. 

It was quite a blissful walk around Lake Kawaguchiko. Well-laid-out pathways. Came accross a beautiful sculpture on the pathway. 

 

Japanese are art lovers. This is a sculpture of the Goddess of the Lake located at Oike Park near Lake Kawaguchi. 

For the dinner we again went to the Taj Hotel. Met the owner, from Mohali, Punjab. 

12 March 2026 Thursday 

The weather cleared in the morning. Had a full view of Mt Fuji while we waited for the next ride from Fujikawaguchiko to Misimo station. As we moved out on the bus, Mt Fuji came into full view. It was visible for most of the journey on the expressway. 

Having arrived at Mishima, we took the bullet train to Kyoto. The platform and railway lines are clean. No junk or garbage anywhere. No crowding. Everyone stands in line to board the train. A bullet train is just like the Shatabdi or Vande Bharat Train back home. Low in height, the windows are smaller. Speed is more, cleanliness is good, and all seats are good; nothing is broken or damaged, or non-functional. In fact, in public buses, the seats are also good. Every fitting, nut, and bolt is in place. Unlike our buses and trains, where some or other part is broken or missing, and the cleanliness is worse. 

Arrived at Koko Hotel, Kyoto

13 -14 Mar 2026 Friday Kyoto

Koko hotel was good. Good buffet breakfast. 

Went shopping in Kyoto. 

Lunch in the famous food joint  Nishiki Market. Almost all food is predominantly non-veg. Sushi, dumplings, etc., etc. Got to watch out for the well-being of your stomach. Mostly, food is deep-fried. Too oily.

Saw this in the washroom. 

Great idea to save water. As you flush, the water starts in the hand-wash basin area on top of the water tank. 

In the evening watched a one-hour Japanese art and culture show. No photography was allowed. 

Check it out.  https://www.kyoto-gioncorner.com/global/en.html 

It included Japanese art of tea making, Kyomai Dance, Ikebana Flower Arrangements, Koto music, Kyogen comedy show, and Noh Opera show. It was of one hour duration. The show was good. Worth a watch.

On 14 March visited the famous Fushimi Inari Temple, known for its innumerable Torii Gates. Check this ....  https://maps.app.goo.gl/dU6chceLZAdXUfNv9?g_st=ac 

There was a heavy rush of tourists. There are many other famous temples also located in Kyoto. 

Kyoto is also known for shopping malls and famous Japanese products. However, famous brands are very costly. Surprisingly number of products being sold are made in China. Once upon a time, Made in Japan used to be a rage. 

15 Mar 2026 Saturday Hiroshima

Travelled in the Bullet Train from Kyoto to Hiroshima. It is the fastest train. It goes up to the speed of 320 km/h. Trains, buses, taxis, etc., are punctual to the second. 

We arrived at the hotel, THE KNOT.  

The hotel presented a good view of  Hiroshima Peace Park and the museum. After checking in, we had a guided tour of the Peace Park. The guide, a migrant Pakistani (now Japanese), a PhD scholar at Hiroshima University, was very knowledgeable. Starting from the joining of Japan into 2nd World War, he explained the bombing of the city rebuilding, the making of the Peace Park, and took us around the various monuments and sculptures of the park. Some of the descriptions and information that he gave is not available on the internet. The guided tour was worth it.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) was the only structure left standing in the area where the first atomic bomb exploded on 6 August 1945. Through the efforts of many people, including those of the city of Hiroshima, it has been preserved in the same state as immediately after the bombing.

There is a bust of Mahatma Gandhi also on the bank of the Motoyasu river , near Atom bomb done. 

It was inaugurated in 2023 by PM Narendra Modi. 

It is outside the Peace Park.  

Peace Memorial Park is very well laid out. 

There are a number of sculptures, busts, and inscriptions that depict the horrors of the atomic bomb attack as well as hope, yearning for peace and love. 

This saddle-like dome is a cenotaph for atomic bomb victims. A box lying underneath contains registers bearing the names of all the victims. As new names are found, the register keeps getting updated. The cenotaph carries the epitaph 安らかに眠って下さい 過ちは 繰返しませぬから, which means "please rest in peace, for [we/they] shall not repeat the error." In Japanese, the sentence's subject is omitted, thus it could be interpreted as either "[we] shall not repeat the error" or as "[they] shall not repeat the error".

The Peace Flame is another monument to the victims of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima, but it has an additional symbolic purpose. The flame has burned continuously since it was lit in 1964 and will remain lit until all nuclear bombs on the planet are destroyed and the planet is free from the threat of nuclear annihilation

There is a three-sided clock mounted on a twisted angle iron tower. Mounted on the tower is a bell which is sounded every day at 8.15 AM in the morning, the time at which the Atom Bomb exploded over Hiroshima City. Approximately 2,00,000 citizens died on that day. 

Added in 2005, this monument contains ten gates covered with the word "peace" in 49 languages from around the world. The gates represent the nine gates of Hell plus one: "the living hell of Hiroshima caused by the atomic bombing

The Pond of Peace is a 70-meter-long, 17-meter-wide reflective pool in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and it surrounds the Cenotaph. Designed to make the cenotaph appear to float, it symbolizes the victims' thirst for water following the 1945 atomic bombing. The pond aligns with the Flame of Peace and the Atomic Bomb Dome.  

This monument was created in memory of  Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who died of leukemia on October 25, 1955, from radiation from the atomic bomb. The monument was built using money derived from a fundraising campaign by Japanese school children, including Sadako Sasaki's classmates, with the main statue entitled "Atomic Bomb Children". Sadako Sasaki, who died of radiation poisoning, is immortalized at the top of the statue, where she holds a wire crane above her head. Shortly before she passed, she had a vision to create a thousand cranes. Japanese tradition says that if one creates a thousand cranes, they are granted one wish. Sadako's wish was to have a world without nuclear weapons. Thousands of origami cranes from all over the world are offered around the monument. They serve as a sign that the children who make them and those who visit the statue desire a world without nuclear war, having been tied to the statue by the story that Sadako died from radiation-induced leukemia after folding just under a thousand cranes, wishing for world peace. However, by the end of August 1955, Sadako had achieved her 1000-crane goal and continued to fold more cranes. Unfortunately, her wish was not granted, and she died of leukemia on October 25, 1955. The organization, Nihon Hidankyo, received the Nobel Peace Prize on October 11, 2024, for its efforts to create a world free of nuclear weapons and to prove through eyewitness testimony that nuclear weapons should never be used again.

Among the 400,000 people who were killed or exposed to lethal post-explosion radiation, at least 45,000 were Korean, but the number is uncertain, because the population has been neglected as a minority. Additionally, 300,000 survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki returned to Korea after liberation from Japanese colonialism. The monument, decorated with Korean national symbols, is intended to honour Korean victims and survivors of the atomic bomb and Japanese colonialism. The monument's inscription reads "The Monument in Memory of the Korean Victims of the A[tomic]-Bomb. In memory of the souls of His Highness Prince Yi Wu and over 20000 other souls", while the side-inscription reads "Souls of the dead ride to heaven on the backs of turtles

16 March 2026 Monday

We had a walk in the morning in Peace Park and were there at the location of the twisted clock at 8.15 am. The alarm bell went off. There were a number of tourists at that place at that time. Some of them had tears in their eyes. The mood was solemn. 

After breakfast, we visited the  Hiroshima Peace Museum. The Peace Memorial Museum displays belongings left by the victims, photos, and other materials that convey the horror of that Atom Bomb Attack, supplemented by exhibits that describe Hiroshima before and after the bombings and others that present the current status of the nuclear age. Each of the items displayed embodies the grief, anger, or pain of real people. There are a number of screens and photographs that show the horrors of a nuclear attack. 

    After the Peace Museum, we took the ferry ride to Miyojima Island. Miyajima Island is a magical and remote Japanese island located in Hiroshima Bay, said to be one of Japan’s most beautiful and best-kept secrets. Also known as Itsukushima, Miyajima Island is famous for its towering torii gate, a massive wooden shrine and UNESCO World Heritage Site standing 55 feet tall and painted in vibrant vermilion. At high tide, the red gate appears to rise from the water, creating one of Japan’s most iconic and magical views.

  Itsukushima Shrine, located on Miyojima Island, is a renowned UNESCO World  Heritage site, famous for its "floating" vermilion torii gate and shrine buildings that appear to sit on the water during high tide. Built in the 6th century and refined in the 12th, it represents ancient Shinto architecture and scenic beauty.

My daughter purchased a wall hanging from a shop. It was nearly $300. The shop owner invited us for tea. We were honoured by a traditional tea presentation, and the lady also played a composition on koto,  the traditional Japanese thirteen-stringed instrument. It was a blissful experience. 

Miyojima Island is also known for Miyojima Beer and Oysters. We had a taste of it. 

Returned from the island by 5 PM. 

We had our last dinner together as a family in Japan..

17 March 2026 Tuesday 

We boarded the bullet train to Osaka. One of the fastest trains. Its top speed goes up to 320 Km/h. Needless to say, it arrived in time at Hiroshima as well as at Osaka. We arrived at the Cross Hotel Osaka at 12 Noon. Cross Hotel is the best possible location in Osaka. A lot of nightlife here. Plenty of eating places. 

 

18 March 2026, Wednesday. 

We flew back to India from Osaka..... 

Conclusion

    Japan overall is very neat & clean. Everything is so orderly. Japan is costly, quite costly. Officially, one Indian Rupee is equal to 1.71 yen. Indian currency is non-negotiable in Japan. Dollar is welcome. A Forex card is ideal. However, at times, cash has to be given. Better to get cash in Yen from India, though a hard bargain. Taxi service is costly. Most of the Japanese walk or travel on cycles, which are easily available for tourists as well. That may also be the secret of their longevity. We hardly found any obese people. 

    Most of the cars on the roads are small in size. The rooms in the hotel are small. Beds are small. Besides creating extra space,  it appears to be tailor-made for average Japanese folks. 

Japanese are stickler to rule. Rules are rules. No deviation. They are not flexible. One cannot enter a hotel room half an hour or an hour before the check-in time. If you want to enter your booked room an hour before the time, you have to pay extra. We reached early for the Limousine Bus timing at the airport. They did not allow us to board two buses that left for the same destination, right in front of us. Every additional service or even part of a service comes at a cost. There are no tips. Nobody expects tips, nobody accepts tips. People are very well disciplined. 

Free WiFi is available everywhere. All restaurants, hotels, buses, stores, and public places have free WiFi. One can buy a WiFi dongle to connect all members of the group. It can be deposited back at any store on the way back.

Electric plugs are of the USA type. Better get the adaptor along. USB plugs are fewer. 

Hotels do keep slippers to wear. In some places, separate slippers for the toilet. Separate towels for wiping the head and face. 

There are no big billboards, hoardings, or flex boards of politicians or advertisements of products. There are no temples or religious places on roads. There are no beggars. 

Traffic is very orderly. No one overtakes. No honking of horns. Not heard any sound of a horn. Most of the vehicles on the road are of Japanese origin, with Toyota being predominant. Drivers are very well dressed. Mostly wear a suit and tie. They do not overcharge. Payment is made through card or cash as per the reading on the meter in the car. One can blindly trust them. Every driver and almost every public department worker wears a mask. 

Indian restaurants are available. Can be easily found on Google Maps. However, the taste of food may not be the same as it was back home. 

Visited a mall. Uni Clo store. Most of the clothes on sale are in Small and Medium sizes. Few Large sizes. XL size is hard to find. 

Most of the Japanese faces one sees are expressionless. Do not wish. Do not smile. Exceptions are there. However, they are quite helpful to strangers.

Public places like roads, pathways, corners, washrooms, parks, etc. are spotlessly clean. Shows the efficiency of the upkeep staff and, of course, the civic behaviour of the general public. Everybody carries their used bottles, wrappers, etc., and disposes of them at the right place

Overall, Japan is worth a visit. One should visit it at least once in one's lifetime.