TOKYO - Each year, on the Saturday closest to November 15, children aged 3, 5 and 7 all across Japan dress up in traditional garments — kimonos for the girls and hakamas for the boys — and are taken by their parents and grandparents to shrines to participate in an ancient ceremony called Shichigosan.

ONOMICHI, JAPAN - When you think of Japan you probably don’t think about cycling. But far from the busy streets of Tokyo is a small port town that is a haven for cyclists.

Nikkō, JAPAN - About two hours north of Tokyo, nestled among the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture, sits a wealth of Japanese culture. Nikkō, which means “sunlight,” is considered one of the most beautiful places in Japan.

TOKYO - Total strangers, speaking every language imaginable, huddle beneath tarps slung between the small sushi restaurants opposite the Tsukiji Fish Market trying to avoid the relentless spring shower.

TOTTORI - Japan is recognized for having the world’s longest life expectancy, so it is not surprising that its people are slight in stature and often look younger than their years.

TOTTORI, JAPAN - Visiting Tottori feels like you’ve entered a magic forest. The purity of the air, the beauty of the mountains and the trees fantastically-coloured trees of reds, yellows and greens are complemented by small villages and quaint farmhouses with persimmons and daikon radishes hanging out to dry.

KARUIZAWA, JAPAN - Excitement builds in Car 8 as the Shinkansen (bullet train) rumbles out of Tokyo Station. The usually reserved elderly Japanese are in a festive mood; lively chatter and laughter fills the car as the high-speed train whizzes past the lush rice fields that dominate the countryside just outside the capital.

TOKYO - When we reach the landmark Nihonbashi Bridge that crosses Tokyo’s fabled river of the same name, we find ourselves standing in the centre of Japan, literally.

YOKOHAMA, JAPAN - It’s almost deserted in Yamashita-cho, the main street in Chukagai (this city’s Chinatown and biggest tourist attraction) where I’ve come to satisfy my dim sum craving.

KANAZAWA, JAPAN – It’s a bright sun-drenched day when our motor coach enters the abyss of a volcanic mountain tunnel and quickly our vision is drawn to a tiny speck of light in the distance.