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Japan was certainly a strange country, with the very latest in modern conveniences alongside ancient traditions and superstitions.
I travelled the full length of the main island (from Horishima in the south, to central Kyoto and Tokyo and as far north as Sendai and Morioca), using a Japan Rail Pass that gave unlimited usage on virtually all Japanese trains (including the amazing 200kmh bullet trains). My first few nights were spent in traditional "ryokan" rooms - with straw mat floors and no furniture (roll-out bed)! My final few nights were spent in a capsule hotel - a coffin-shaped bed (1m x 1m x 2m) with no room!! I saw lots of temples, shrines, castles, Samurai houses, and museums, as you might expect. Those in Hiroshima about the A-bomb certainly gave pause for thought. I also enjoyed watching a professional baseball match there (having sneaked in for free).
I had wondered if the ancient "Hida" people of Takayama were descendants of the "Hiders", but it turned out their name is pronounced "Hidder", so no joy there! But a very enjoyable day spent in the Hida Folk Village (or "Fork" Village as many of the signs said), reconstructed from ancient houses that were about to be flooded by a new dam. Another enjoyable day was spent at Matsushima, by the seaside. It included spotting hawks in the sky, multitudes of crabs on the beach, and not spotting a snake until I nearly grabbed it! The weather here, as nearly everywhere on my trip was hot and humid.
A few less than happy memories included getting totally lost on a countryside hike and having to be "rescued" by a passing driver! Also, I doubt that I'll ever try sushi (raw fish) again! Perhaps the weirdest thing I came across was the salesmen in a Toyota showroom giving away free stag beetles to passers-by. Don't even ask!!
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