Travel Feature: Japan in Focus

from Emily Jarvie

Nothing brings me joy quite like sharing my love for Japan, an interest that stemmed from childhood memories of my father bringing home popular Japanese toys after business trips to Yokohama. The simple design and bold colours of much-loved characters like Pikachu, Doraemon and Anpanman captured my attention as a child and have become so nostalgic in my adult life, despite having been raised in Scotland, where many such characters had not yet hit the mainstream.

My first trip to Tokyo was during spring break, 2015. I was studying for my undergraduate degree in St Andrews and dedicating as much extra-curricular time as I could justify to learning Japanese. In summer 2016 I was offered a place on a short-term language course at Tokyo's prestigious Waseda University. Since then, most of my visits have been for pleasure, though I had contemplated moving more permanently after job hunting in Tokyo towards the end of 2019. However, after - what was intended to be - a brief return to the UK when Covid-19 began to threaten our ability to travel freely, my career took a different path. I'm still learning the language to this day, though far more casually than before, and take any opportunity to visit, especially in the winter months for a break from our beloved Scottish weather!

Pictured above is an early-blooming cherry blossom tree, which I stumbled upon on January 31st in the gardens of the Imperial Palace, Tokyo. April is a very popular month for travellers hoping to align their trip with the blooming sakura, which flower first in the south of Japan and quickly ascend north, often reaching the northernmost island of Hokkaido after a period of around a month. If you want to avoid the largest crowds of the year and still see some cherry blossoms, travelling in late January or February can often yield great results and save you some money, as cherry blossom season (late March-early May) is often the most expensive time to fly to Japan.

Fewer crowds and cheaper flights aren't the only things you can take advantage of when experiencing Japan at the beginning of the year! Cities more than make up for the lack of natural light in the winter months by designing and implementing elaborate illuminated displays. I found an impressive example of this in January 2024 when in Yamashita Park, Yokohama, a nod to the the city's substantial Chinatown which sits within walking distance of the park. Similar decorations can be found within Chinatown itself, which really is best experienced after sunset, though they appeared to be more permanent fixtures. Christmas illuminations are often active well into the New Year as well. In addition to other prime tourist spots, I enjoyed lots of lovely displays around Tokyo Station and Skytree both this year and last!

If you're looking for a seasonal activity to do on or around Valentine's Day in Japan, I recommend visiting Kawagoe, a small city in Saitama prefecture, around an hour's train journey from Tokyo. Here you can find Hikawa Shrine, the ultimate destination for the hopeless romantic! Known for giving blessings of love, this shrine offers an incredibly unique omikuji (a method of fortune telling). Omikuji often involves drawing a stick to reveal a number and then pulling a fortune slip from a small drawer with the corresponding number. At Hikawa Shrine, one uses a miniature rod to 'fish' for a fortune, here called aitai kuji, which is actually a fun play on words in the Japanese language. Individually, the words ai and tai mean "love" and "sea bream" (respectively). Combined, aitai expresses a desire to meet someone! The fortune fish are miniature versions of those pictured above. Once you have hooked a fish, remove the paper note to reveal your relationship fortune. These fortunes are in Japanese, so have a translator app handy!

Hikawa Shrine's influence can be seen even in the street food spots that line the city's main thoroughfare, with many stall owners capitalising on the location's association with love. Kawagoe is also famous as a primary producer of the Japanese sweet potato, or imo (ee-mo), the steamed variant of which is a very popular street food option on cold days. You can find sweet potato prepared in many creative ways, not least as a unique flavour of soft serve ice cream!

It is no secret that Japan is currently experiencing a surge in tourism, particularly at visitor hot-spots in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. With the spring season being a peak time to visit, you will likely see a lot of people online sharing sakura-abundant snaps of their travels. While we may indeed get "fomo" (I know I certainly will), it is important to remember that there can be - and should be - more to a Japan trip than simply ticking off those 'must see' spots that populate the social media accounts of travel influencers. A popular itinerary I have seen numerous times in travel forums encourages first-time travellers to hit the 'big three' cities in a relatively short span of time, normally around 2 weeks. Alternatively, I strongly recommend basing yourself in one city for your first visit and taking day trips further afield every so often for respite from metropolitan chaos. This also means less time in transit which, having already endured a 13 hr+ flight to get here, we should welcome!

Both Yokohama and Kawagoe (aforementioned) are accessible from Tokyo by train and you can easily spend a whole day in each. Another of my favourite spots is Kamakura, a seaside city that is home to an impressive bronze Buddha. The beach is a pleasant walk, even in winter, and the Enoshima Electric Railway (or Enoden), oozing with retro charm, is a must-ride for train enthusiasts. Chiba prefecture is also close by and boasts Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea, should you feel so inclined. I adore the latter, though I urge you to research tips in advance to maximise your time there.

If you haven't yet experienced the land of the rising sun, or are dreaming of going back, I believe the winter months have a lot to offer, though are often overlooked. I hope this glimpse into what a trip to Japan might look like for you has inspired wanderlust - Skyscanner at the ready!