Japan - Order, Chaos & Cherry Blossoms Waiting to Bloom
From corporate coffee to capsule living in less than 24 hours - that’s how our Japan adventure began. After wrapping up the E-World energy conference in Essen (where even my face ended up printed on a cappuccino), I had just enough time to swap bags at home before boarding an overnight flight via Doha, bound for the land of sushi, shrines, and Shinkansen.
Tokyo greeted us with sunshine, spotless streets, and a sense of calm order beneath the neon chaos. Wandering through Shinjuku, Harajuku and Shibuya felt like jumping between worlds - from the serenity of temple gardens to the sensory overload of gaming arcades and giant screens. One minute we found ourselves in a maid café where the waitresses only responded to “meow meow” (our first proper “only in Japan” moment 😆), the next we were 450 metres up in the Skytree watching the sunset dissolve into a sea of city lights.
Tokyo is a paradox in motion - hyper-modern and deeply traditional at once. You can stand in the middle of the world’s busiest crossing and, ten minutes later, find silence and stillness in a garden shrine. Everything just works: trains, payments, queues, people. It’s both impressive and oddly soothing.
Escaping the capital, we took the train to Hakone for a glimpse of Mount Fuji. Japan’s transport system deserves its own fan club - perfectly punctual, whisper-quiet and run with a level of efficiency that makes German railways blush. With our all-access “Hakone Free Pass” we hopped between trains, cable cars and boats, chasing Fuji through the clouds until the mountain finally revealed itself in the afternoon, perfectly mirrored over Lake Ashi. And while the local tofu dinner that night was… experimental, Japan’s endless supply of limited-edition KitKats (blueberry cheesecake!) more than made up for it.
The journey continued north to Nagano and Yudanaka, home of the famous snow monkeys. Watching them soak in steaming onsens while snowflakes drifted down felt like stepping into a National Geographic scene. We stayed in a traditional ryokan, dressed in yukata, and soaked in our own thermal bath afterwards - the perfect way to defrost after wandering through the snow.
Kyoto, on the other hand, felt like travelling back in time. We dressed in kimonos for a traditional tea ceremony, visited ancient shrines and temples, and joined the early-morning pilgrimage through the famous red torii gates of Fushimi Inari. The higher we climbed, the quieter it became - until only the wind and our footsteps remained. Later that day, deer in Nara reminded us that politeness is a human trait as they eagerly chased us for rice crackers.
Evenings in Kyoto brought some of the best food of the trip - from Michelin-listed vegan ramen to perfectly crispy gyoza. After a week of early mornings and constant exploring, we were grateful for a slower rhythm, letting the city’s beauty unfold at its own pace.
A short hop brought us to Kobe for one of the most anticipated experiences of the trip - A5-grade Kobe beef, prepared right in front of us and melting in the mouth like butter. Diana stuck to shrimp, but I savoured every bite. From there, Osaka greeted us with its usual madness - bright lights, noisy crowds and endless food stalls. Between retro gaming bars, street food, Japanese pancakes and a night in a capsule hotel, Osaka showed us Japan’s playful and slightly chaotic side.
Then, in complete contrast, we headed up into the mountains of Koyasan, home to the origins of Shingon Buddhism. Snow was falling thick, and the atmosphere among the cedar trees and temples was deeply peaceful. We stayed with monks, joined their 6 a.m. chanting ceremony, ate vegan temple food and soaked in the lodge’s onsen. After the intensity of the cities, this was a much-needed pause - calm, quiet, and spiritual in the best way.
Returning to Tokyo felt almost like coming home. The weather was warmer, the streets more familiar, and we finally navigated Shinjuku Station without getting lost (almost). We cuddled Shiba dogs and owls in the same café (yes, really), trained at a local gym, and discovered Tsukemen - ramen served with cold noodles dipped into hot broth, an umami revelation.
We celebrated a very special birthday with omakase sushi - the best and freshest we’ve ever had - followed by art, cocktails, and a visit to TeamLab Planets, where we literally walked through water and light. Only in Japan can digital art feel so deeply human.
Our last days were spent soaking up as much of Tokyo as we could. A cooking class taught us to make ramen and gyoza from scratch, the world’s fanciest Starbucks Reserve Roastery tempted us with whisky-infused coffee, and Akihabara delivered its usual dose of anime madness. A night walking tour through Shinjuku’s “lights and darkness” revealed another, sobering side of Japan - a culture struggling under the weight of overwork, loneliness and escape mechanisms. Behind the politeness and perfection lies a society where exhaustion and isolation have become normal, and it left us both reflective and grateful.
On our final day, the first cherry blossoms started to bloom - Japan’s gentle way of saying goodbye. We wandered through Ueno Park, sipped another perfect coffee, sampled a last round of conveyor-belt sushi, and celebrated the trip with some fine Japanese whisky tasting before boarding our flight home.
After twenty hours of travel we landed back in Amsterdam, tired but glowing. Japan had exceeded every expectation: a country of endless contrasts, where precision meets poetry, where chaos coexists with calm, and where every meal, train ride and smile feels perfectly timed.
We left with full hearts, tired feet, and a sense that we’d only scratched the surface of this extraordinary place.
Arigatou, Nihon 🙏🏼🇯🇵 - it’s been an absolute pleasure, and we’ll be back.
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