Something we love about traveling is having the opportunity to explore different cultures. Different foods, different languages (and ways of expressing yourself), different ways of living and of behaving. Yes, people are mostly the same the world over, but there are countless small differences that are culture-specific, and it’s these differences that make our world more interesting.

A small thing we love in Japan is the custom of providing customers with a small wet towel before (and sometimes after) a meal. In a good (or even medium-rank) restaurant this will be made from cotton, and quite substantial. In a cheaper place it will be moist paper, and probably sealed in a plastic packet. These towels are called oshibori, and in cooler weather they will be warm or hot, while in summertime they are likely to be cold. They are meant for cleaning your hands (not your face, though on a hot and sticky day we confess to having done so, and we have certainly observed many Japanese doing the same!), and the practice has spread to other countries (as well as in-flight services, especially on Asian airlines).

Like taking your shoes off when you enter a home, the oshibori seems to us like a Japanese cultural practice that should be adopted everywhere.

But today we want to write about a different Japanese cultural practice: bowing. We’re not going to cover bowing in detail (for Japanese it’s a big subject, with a lot of nuance), but just want to share a brief story.

This summer we visited a friend in Denmark who was in training to run his first half marathon. During our visit, we were watching the World Athletics Championships on television, and saw a Japanese marathon runner cross the finish line, then turn around and bow to the course.

Our friend said, “Wait, what was that?”

We explained that Japan’s Shinto religion holds that God (or gods) inhabit all beings, including mountains, rivers, trees and other natural features. A bow after completing a marathon is a show of respect for the gods who were along the course and were a part of the event. You can see baseball players bowing after they leave the field, and during the Olympics, you may have seen Japanese athletes in dozens of sports bowing to the field, or court, or course (you may remember having seen golfer Hideyuki Matsuyama’s caddie bowing to the Augusta National golf course after they won the Masters Tournament last year), or ring.

Our friend listened, then said, “I love that. I’m going to start to do that.”

Last week he finished his first half marathon, and posted two photos: in the first, he’s crossing the finish line (he came third!); in the second, he has turned around and is bowing deeply to the course.

Respect.

Japanese delight in telling visitors is that “Japan has four distinct seasons.” You very likely come from a country that also has four distinct seasons but is less proud of the fact. So what does it mean, this puzzling meteorological observation? And more importantly, what’s the best time to visit Japan?

Well, the “four distinct seasons” boast probably comes from Japan’s long history of observing and celebrating the seasons in art. For centuries (millennia?) Japanese and Chinese artists have been recording the seasons in woodblock prints, paintings and poems, and even today in Japan people will hang a different scroll in each season (e.g. a snowscape in winter, plum or cherry blossoms in spring, autumn leaves or persimmons in autumn; the truly observant will note the warmer colours used in winter scenery versus the cooler colours for summer, as the scrolls and other decorations traditionally play a role in managing the temperature of the room they are in). In other words, Japanese are probably more aesthetically attuned (if only subconsciously) to the seasons than the average North American or European commuter scraping snow off his or her windscreen!

But which season is best for visiting Japan? Trick question: it depends on what you like, and in any event we’re fond of visiting places in several seasons, to compare and contrast.

Obviously cherry blossom season (springtime) is a “bucket list” event for many Japanophiles, and in Japan before and while the trees bloom the media publish hanami (cherry blossom viewing) trackers (so that domestic tourists can time their visits to destinations that are famous for their beautiful cherry trees). The weather during cherry blossom season should be excellent (post-winter warming is why the trees are blooming, after all!), and for centuries Japanese gardeners have been planting cherry trees in anticipation that they will be appreciated in the springtime. The only downsides are that 1) when exactly the cherries will be in full bloom depends on the weather in the preceding several months, making travel planning trickier; and 2) domestic travelers love cherry blossom season even more than visitors from overseas, meaning it can be a crowded time, during which public transport might be more efficient that chartered cars and coaches.

What about summertime? Summer is historically a popular time for leisure travel, with the kids out of school, and in Japan many people take a (short) holiday – often traveling back to their home towns – during Obon, a gravesweeping festival. Japanese are famous for not taking much holiday, so domestic tourism does not spike enormously during the summertime, which means hotels, restaurants and venues are particularly welcoming of international guest. But it can be hot and humid (like many places). Silver lining: that means we can eat more kakigori!

Autumn means autumn leaves, plus a bit of relief from the humidity. As is true with cherry blossom season, autumn is a wonderful time to appreciate the craft of the Japanese gardener. Japanese maples and gingko trees are especially rewarding during this season, and as the temperatures drop, we start thinking about switching from lighter summer fare to comfort food (and roasted chestnuts!).

Finally, winter. Yes, “winter is coming”, and don’t tell anyone, but winter is our favorite season in Japan. Of course the snow in Hokkaido is famous, but often there’s also good snow (and far fewer people) in the Japan Alps around Nagano. If you’re not a snowsports person, another great thing about winter in Japan is the lower humidity, not-so-low temperatures, and very often, clear skies. The views of Mount Fuji are the best at this time of year (in summertime very often you can’t see Mount Fuji from Kamakura due to humidity in the air). Also, many Japanese cities are good for walking, and winter is a great time to do that without having to change your shirt every 20 minutes!

So, yes, “four distinct seasons”, all of which have distinctive charms. Let us know if you have questions!

Postscript: If you’re interested in diving deeper into the world of ukiyo-e and Japanese art, Japan is – perhaps obviously – the best place to do so. There are hundreds of interesting small museums dotted around the country, and the large and well-known ones are well worth your time if you’re a culture vulture. We’ll post more soon about some of these fantastic resources.

In the news this week, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has cancelled planned trips to Africa and the Middle East after testing positive for COVID-19. Luckily, he was vaccinated, his symptoms were relatively mild, and he continued working while isolating in his official residence.

In even better news, the Japanese government is reportedly considering scrapping pre-arrival Covid-19 testing for vaccinated inbound travelers.

Aspiring Japan travelers have not had an easy time of it during the past 30 months, but we can see light at the end of the tunnel.

Here’s how things stand today:

Inbound tourism to Japan is possible even today (and has been since June 10th), but there are a few hoops to jump through. We have clients who have done it, and had a fantastic time. The silver lining? If you decide to come, and persevere through the bureaucratic maze, there are very few other foreign tourists here. Your Instagram moments will be a lot less crowded!

What are the bureaucratic obstacles?

The main thing is the visa. Once applied for and granted, triple-vaccinated travelers (for the moment, but as written above, we’re hoping for relief on this soon!) will no longer need a PCR test from 7^th September. And, there’s no quarantine, and no monitoring.

The visa application process depends on what country you’re applying from. Some countries require an in-person appointment for dropping off visa application papers; other countries don’t permit that and only require a contactless handoff. Visa application handling times are less than a week.

What about flights and accommodation?

At the moment, our experience is that flights are easy to obtain, simply because so few tourists are going to Japan. If you come, your in-flight experience is likely to be similar to flying private, hahaha! The same goes for accommodation. Unless you plan to arrive during a big Japanese holiday, during which there is plenty of domestic travel, hotels will be delighted to have you, and prices are excellent.

So what next?

If you’re interested in planning travel to Japan, it’s definitely possible, and with the cooler weather not far off, now is probably a great time to book an autumn trip. We also have plenty of clients (and friends) who think winter is the best time to visit Japan. The days are often clear and dry, with (depending on where in Japan you are) temperatures rarely below freezing, and visibility (thinking about those Instagram shots of Mount Fuji!) is spectacular.