Welcome back one last time to my blog! I wanted to wrap up my blog with one last place: Japan! Japan is definitely such a fascinating place full of culture, amazing food (hello sushi and ramen), and beautiful sites. My sister planned a trip to go to Japan, but unfortunately for her, she had to cancel it due to COVID. My mom actually lived in Japan for a year for work, and she tells us all the time about how amazing it was.

Let’s talk about some interesting facts about Japan.

• Tokyo is the most populated city in the world with about 37 million
• During rush hour, people are pushed onto the trains to be able to fit everyone. My mom tells me stories about this where people are actually hired and have sticks to push everyone on.
• There are more pets than children (about 22 million)
• Japan has the second highest life expectancy

I think one of the best times to Japan will be during the spring when the cherry blossoms begin to bloom! As you can see in some of the pictures below, they are absolutely stunning!

Mount Fuji

I remember when I was in 6th grade and we had to build a model of a volcano. I chose to do Mount Fuji, and ever since then, it has always made me want to visit in person one day. It’s the tallest mountain in Japan at 12,388 feet, and looking through pictures, it just seems to have the perfect shape and a beautiful snow cap. I can imagine it looks even better in person.

Imperial Palace

This imperial palace is located in Tokyo and just resonates peace and serenity with its gardens, art galleries, and museums as well. It’s so cool to see the different type of architectural style as opposed to the buildings in Europe. Tours in the imperial palace are actually free! So, that’s always nice when looking for attractions.

Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine

This Shinto shrine is located in Kyoto and is composed of five shrines altogether. It includes many trails through the grounds of the site along with the red statement temple building. If you imagine Asian architecture, this is probably what you’ll think of. It sits at the base of Mount Inari, and takes a few hours to walk through. The site is also known for its thousands of torri gates that you can walk through along the paths, which is also seen in the picture below.

Again, there are so many sites throughout Japan that would be amazing to visit. The few that I mentioned in this post don’t even begin to cover it all, but it’s a start to introduce the unique culture that Japan has. The buildings, temples, even the natural attractions are stunning, which is why it is on my travel bucket list.

Food!

Lastly, there’s no way I could talk about Japan and not mention the food. Japanese food is definitely one of my favorites. Sushi, ramen, udon, and so much more. I would absolutely love to try authentic food in Japan. I’ve also thought about the fact that many people haven’t had those foods before. So, if you are reading this and you haven’t tried those, you definitely have to. There are a couple places on campus and downtown that sell Japanese food, although probably not as good as in Japan, but still tastes delicious!

Thanks for following my thoughts on the places I would love to visit some day! I hope my blog inspired you to explore the world more and to be more adventurous! There is so much out there, even beyond what I’ve mentioned.