My mother and I traveled to Japan in 2015. This was one of many adventures we have had together and presently many of the pictures on this site are from that trip. This experience is a very fond memory for me and I’ll always appreciate my mother for making this trip happen.
We spent some time in Tokyo and made a day trips out to Kyoto and nearby towns. I would absolutely recommend seeing Kyoto if you ever have the opportunity. The city is beautiful and maintains much of the older culture and aesthetic. Many people wore traditional clothing such as kimonos, I believe this was due a holiday tradition.Tokyo on the other hand is very modern with skyscrapers a highly efficient train system which we used to get around.
The Japanese society is steeped in strong themes of purity and cleanliness which came across in the food and diet. Sushi restaurants small to large, make a point to show off the tanks hold the live fish and lobsters which they serve. The idea being that the food is as fresh as possible, you can see your food alive before they serve it. At one restaurant I saw the chef serve a lobster while the front half of the lobster was still moving.
I loved the trip to Japan and I look forward to travelling more.