Japan in photos: Capturing beautiful moments on tour
Our staffer Zoey visited Japan on our tour, Highlights of Japan: Tokyo to Kyoto. Here, she shares her story—and her amazing photos from her trip.
Japan is a country where opposites compliment each other. Deep roots in the past and tradition meet a soaring hope for innovation and the future. Nature and technology flourish side by side.
You can see an appreciation of beauty in every aspect of life in Japan. That beauty is incense burning at a temple. It is neat rows of bamboo swaying with the wind. It is human voices and excited chatter when the artfully arranged sushi arrives to the table. It is koi fish swimming in a pond. It is hanging your wishes on a tree near a temple and seeing what everyone else has wished for.
Even in Tokyo, the most populated city in the world, there is an orderliness and an element of tranquility shining below the surface. Quiet and serene temples could sit side-by-side with bustling markets. The calming countryside was always a quick bullet train ride away.
Waking up to a reflection of Mt. Fuji on the lake below could knock you off your feet, and then a warm matcha tea latte would be there to pick you right back up. You can take a zen meditation class in the afternoon and then going to a lively karaoke bar in the evening. Traveling in Japan means that you can always have both.
