Our flight from Australia landed us in Tokyo around 11pm. The immigration procedure at the airport but a bit of a fiasco, as our airline (Qantas - which is Aussie for "Worst Food Possible and no WiFi") had neglected to give anybody immigration cards to prefill, and the online system just plain didn't work. We had a bag scare with somebody mistaking Dani's (Clearly labelled) suitcase for their own, but luckily we were able to intercept them before they left the baggage claim area so all was well. Tokyo greeted us with a very wild and wet night so out came the wet weather gear and off to our hotel, where we were introduced to the tiny rooms that are the norm throughout Japan.

After a nights rest the weather had cleared up nicely, so we started the day with (a great) breakfast at Bills, a renowned restaurant run by an Australian Chef and then set off to explore Ginza, which is primarily a fashion area but hosts a huge range of shops and eateries.

The next day we walked to the Tsukiji Fish Markets for a look. The crowds were insane. The markets whilst predominantly seafood oriented had a wide variety of other food and drink stalls. Dani tried a few things (all delicious) and I settled on an amazing Kobi Beef Hotdog. It was really interesting to watch it being cooked and constructed, the cook was absolutely meticulous in making sure the wafer thin Beef was cooked properly, and that that the hotdog was constructed perfectly. And it was delicious! This was the moment that I realised how different Japanese culture is - EVERYTHING gets 100% attention and detail in order to be as near to perfect as possible.

Our first Japanese Temple - Whooo! Once again the crowds were thick, as was the smoke which greeted us as we entered. Evidently part of a purification ritual, along with hand washing (which we saw at several other temples). Senso-Ji is a busy, vibrant place, with Weddings and other ceremonies being held throughout the beautiful gardens. Lots of Japanese (and some foreigners) in traditional dress made it a really immersive experience.

The Tokyo Skytree is the tallest tower and the third tallest building in world. Visits to the two observation levels (at 350m) cost about AU$30. There are the inevitable queues to get in, but the lifts are super fast and the views are amazing, spanning Tokyo to the horizons. Exiting the tower there is a neat shopping mall nearby, and food and drink stands. The Train Station is in the mall, so access to the Tower is very easy.

Akihabara is Tokyo's Tech District. The area is full of Electronic and specialty shops, and of course shops full of vending machines (which sell everything from hot coffee and chips to digital cameras!) We spent a few hours in a multi-floor building which was PACKED with every electronic device you can think of. Interestingly prices are probably a little more expensive than in Australia, I thought.

We had heard of Takeshita Street, so had to go and take a look! The street (packed, as is everywhere) is full of stores selling Anime, cosplay costumes, cool T-shirts - all sorts of things. We finished our walk up the street with an ice cream, and then watched the huge digital sign (pictured here) for a while, as it changes constantly and sometimes shows a view of people standing beneath it. Definitely not to be missed!

Meiji Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Shibuya, Tokyo, that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken. Some interesting points were the massive racks of Sake and Wine, which are donations from Japanese Breweries and French Wineries respectively. The entrance gates (Torii) were MOST impressive, the craftsmanship is amazing. We were fortunate enough to witness a traditional Japanese Wedding ceremony, with incredible costumes.

Japanese gardens are famous for their serenity and beauty, and Shinjuku Gyoen is no exception. We spent several hours wandering through the gardens looking at the beautiful ponds and lakes, and the trees and plants which had been manicured to within inches of their lives.

TeamLab is a high-tech immersive experience which challenges your senses in different ways - LED displays, Lasers, different textures and strange lighting. It was beautiful in places, just weird in others, but definitely worth going to. Amazing.

We hopped on a Coach for a day Tour which started with a visit to the famous Mount Fuji. Not being avid hikers and mountaineers, we settled for the coach driving us up to where we had a fantastic view. The weather was interesting , with low cloud cover which came and went.

Next stop was Lake Ashi, which sits amongst mountains at an elevation of 723m. We traveled the lake on a small cruise ship, from which we spotted other ships - Pirate ships! Very cool. The lake is absolutely stunning, and we disembarked at Gora and hopped onto a cable car, which gave us the most amazing views of the lake and Mount Fuji.

Our next stop was Kanazawa, which we used as a base for tours - so didn't really get to explore it as much as we would have liked.

Kanazawa looked like a great place, but we didn't get much time to explore - one interesting thing we found was a HUGE shopping centre beneath the railway station!

Kanazawa Gardens are a bit of a walk from anywhere, but totally worth it!

Next we took a day trip to a beautiful traditional Japanese Village/Tourist trap.

Another day, another coach tour. This one started with a visit to a traditional town called Shirakawa-gō, where we wandered around for several hours and took in the sights - beautiful old buildings, a Shrine, a mountain river. A very peaceful place (in spite of the tourists). Shirakawa-gō is a Unesco listed site.

After Shirakawa-gō the coach took us to Hakone-Machi, a small town which obviously gets most of its income from tourism. Very cute though, and some interesting shops, lots of great snacks and delicacies.

Our last stop on the bus tour was Arashiyama, another lovely village sitting alongside a lake.

Back in Kanazawa, we explored their local markets, which were very cool! Some amazing sea-food stalls were the primary interest. Not sure if it was a special day or not, but there were hundreds of small children on school outings, all dressed impeccably, and very polite - may of them said hello to us as they passed.

Our last outing in Kanazawa was another beautiful Garden, which was very relaxing. The attention to detail in these gardens is almost beyond belief - every tree and bush appears to have been grown with care - in the right place and with the most appealing shape. There was Japanese Wedding in progress, which was very interesting to watch - lots of ceremony and beautiful clothes!

Another bullet train took us (Rapidly) to Kyoto, which turned out to be one of the spots we liked the least. We used the local train system to move around to various tourist spots. Kyoto train station is INSANELY busy!

A climb up a small mountain took us to Iwatayama Monkey Park (which is open all year round) where we got to meet many Snow Monkeys in a spot with fantastic views over the city.

A walk back down the mountain and a wander along some forest paths led us to the Bamboo Forest. Which was packed with people as well as bamboo!

Next was a ride through the mountains on the Sagano Romantic Railway. I guess the romantic refers to the fact that the train carriages felt 200 years old :) Very quaint, and we got to see some amazing scenery.

Next on our list was Himeji, home of a famous castle. The train trip passed a lot of rural area and small towns which looked very pretty and well laid out and maintained.

Himeji is a modern and well laid out town with wide streets and lots of civic ornaments and decorations

Himeji castle was built in the 17th century, and was designed to be highly defensible, although ultimately never attacked. The castle is both a Japanese National Treasure and a World Heritage site, and very much worth a visit. We were extremely lucky to be approached by a lovely Japanese Tour guide who took us around (and refused payment of any kind)

Next stop was Osaka, where we spent hours walking around the city - and loved it. One of the most vibrant, friendly places imaginable, with fantastic cafes and eating houses.

We'd heard of Nara Deer Park, so off we went! There are hundreds of deer in residence. All are very docile and friendly, and have perfected the art of cadging off of tourists. If you bow to them, they bow back - and expect a biscuit! They're also not reluctant to rummage through your pockets or bags looking for treats. A very enjoyable and pleasant experience followed by a walk through another beautiful park, topped off with an ice-cream!

We went to the port to visit their Aquarium, but the weather was perfect so we ended up walking around the port, exploring the shopping mall there and having some lunch. Lots to see and do, including huge Lego toys, and a Lego exhibition that was empty, but was only available by pre-booking. Weird. The port was a stark contract to any other port I've seen - clean, tidy and very peaceful.

Our final stop before returning to Tokyo was Hiroshima. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but Hiroshima far exceeded expectations. It's a city of contrasts - old Trams, new buildings. Very friendly people. Definitely worth a visit, read on..

We stayed just a short walk from the site of the Atomic Bombing, which is now Peace Park. Peace Park is a beautiful open space with memorials and tributes to the people who died as a result of the bomb. There is a fantastic museum which documents the day of the Bombing and the after-effects - very confrontational. The part that I found interesting was that there was not a theme of blame or self-pity, but a very clear message that Japan would work to ensure it would never happen again. A place of love, not hate - and not at all what I expected.

We had the worst (weather) day of the entire trip when we visited Miyajima Island - a real shame as the island is stunning and would have been absolutely amazing in nicer conditions. You get there by ferry - no bridges. If we make it back we would definitely consider staying a night or two on the island and exploring more.

As a life-long rotor-head a visit to the Mazda Museum was mandatory and did not disappoint. Bookings are required, and you are taken by coach around the Mazda factory, getting a great commentary of the factories workings and ultimately seeing the new car production line and the Museum, which had an example of just about every model Mazda (including motor bikes!) ever made. Not to be missed.

Our last day was spent back in Tokyo, where we stayed right above the legendary Shibuya Crossing. Shibuya was much more what we expected of Tokyo, as it is the part most often shown in shows and movies - full of massive high tech screens and advertising, and absolutely awash with people. A really exciting place.

We spent a couple of hours in the amazing Shibuya Sky, which offered incredible night time views of the billions of Tokyo lights. The roof of the building is open to the sky and even has a heli-pad - don't think I've ever walked on one of those before.

Our flight out was a late one, so we spent the day walking around Shibuya and visiting (another) park. It was a great finish to our trip, which had us agreeing with everyone else we know who has visited - Japan is amazing!