A Blogger's Guide to Japan

INTRODUCTION

For many, the island country of Japan is a far distant place characterized by temples, shrines, kabuki, Noh, tea ceremonies, ikebana, kimonos, geisha, and samurai. They often dream about visiting this alluring nation, but few actually have an opportunity to do so.

However, for those who do travel to Japan, it becomes a destination that they visit over and over again. As a matter of fact, Japan received a record number 12 million visitors in 2014 and is seeking to increase tourism up to 20 million visitors by 2020. With the Olympic Games scheduled to take place in Tokyo in 2020, that number does not appear far-fetched.

I had the pleasure of traveling to Japan on several occasions, fell in love with the country, and vowed to return many times. I approached each visit with wide-eyed enthusiasm, immersing myself in the local culture and learning about the history and traditions of this magnificent place that once I only dreamed about. I fell in love with Japan and its people and wanted to share my experiences with others so that they too would carve out an opportunity to someday travel there. I found that the easiest way to reach people in this age of technology and social media was by creating a blog. Thus, Traveldreamscapes was born.

I published numerous blog posts and photos gathered from my travels, which was received with so much enthusiasm by my readers that several asked me whether I had intentions of writing a book about my travels to Japan. At first, the idea seemed daunting but the more I thought about it, the more I gravitated toward the notion.

Certainly, there are countless travel books about Japan but I wondered how many were actually written from a travel blogger’s perspective. You will find that this book offers a different approach to introducing both new and seasoned travelers to Japan. I will give you the history and background of each place to help you develop a greater appreciation for the sites you visit. Not only will you learn about the popular destinations for tourists but you will also discover attractions off the beaten path. I will uncover festivals and traditions unique to each area and introduce you to local cuisines.

One of the best ways to immerse yourself in a culture is to sample its diverse cuisine. While traveling in Japan today, you will find many western chain restaurants as well as wester style eateries to choose among. Rather than settling for the familiar places, select a traditional restaurant frequented by the locals and sample some of Japan’s regional cooking.

Japanese cuisine has a vast array of local specialties known as kyodo ryori (郷土料理). These dishes are typically prepared using local ingredients and traditional recipes. Although many local ingredients are available nationwide these days and it is not uncommon to find regional dishes throughout Japan, you can still find true kyodo ryori to fulfill your adventures in gastronomy. After all, your travels should be an adventure where you actively engage in the traditions and offerings of a country rather than just observing them as a bystander.

The book is organized by region/prefecture so regardless of whether you are traveling for a week, a month or several months, you can use this book not only to plan your travels but also to explore further once you are there. Where available, the web page address, physical address, and travel tips will enable

you to obtain current, detailed information for each venue.

It is my hope that this guide to Japan will awaken your curiosity about this beautiful country and encourage you to explore it on your own. To quote J.R.R. Tolkien, “Little by little, one travels far.”

Wishing you happy and safe journeys to Japan!