By Bruce Rutledge
NAP General Manager
The NAP revived its Japan tours in 2023 after the COVID-19 pandemic. I have had the pleasure of going on all five of those tours.
Each spring and fall, a group of 20 or so explores various parts of Japan for an immersive, exciting two weeks. We take the subways and buses, literally rubbing shoulders with the locals, and do a lot of walking – which stimulates our appetites for all the delicious food.
This spring, the group went to Tokyo, Takayama, and Kyoto with day trips to Kanazawa, Hiroshima, and Kobe. In Kobe, we had lunch with the Kobe sister city delegation and received a blessing in a special ceremony at Ikuta Shrine, one of the oldest shrines in Japan. I lived in Japan for 15 years and never experienced anything like that!
The group hiked through the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest outside of Kyoto. Photo credit: David Hatten.
We toured a gold museum in Kanazawa, soaked in hot springs in Takayama, and took a cruise down the Edo River in Tokyo. Sometimes, it is the less touristy experiences that stick with you like when someone in our group dropped her telephone at a store near Ginza. When returning to the store later that day, the employees had the telephone waiting for her. This sort of thing happens on almost every tour. When in Japan for an extended period, one can feel that American armor worn in our daily lives falls away. It is a delight to remember how to trust strangers.
The day trip to Hiroshima is always a somber affair. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is an intense experience that leaves most of us speechless for a time. Other experiences induce silence for a different reason – like when one first encounters the teeming masses of humanity at the Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo. However, there are also serene moments on the tour: strolling through the old section of Takayama or Kenrokuen garden in Kanazawa or walking through the bamboo forest in Arashiyama.
The Atomic Bomb Dome looms in the distance during our visit to Hiroshima. Photo credit: David Hatten.
Our spring tour coincided with the Expo 2025 Osaka. We spent a day touring the Expo pavilions. Photo credit: David Hatten.
Our spring tour coincided with the Expo 2025 Osaka. We spent a day touring the Expo pavilions. Photo credit: David Hatten.Since the tour is immersive, there is always a surprise awaiting. I calculated that we had about 10 to 15 minutes of wiggle room to catch our bullet train from Hiroshima Station back to Kyoto. Since the trains are never late, I braced everyone by saying, “When we get to Hiroshima Station, we really have to boogie to catch that Shinkansen (bullet train)! No standing on the escalators. Keep moving!” This time, the train was, in fact, 11 minutes late.
To the group’s credit, we all made it to the bullet train with about 90 seconds to spare. There was a shared collective sigh of relief with the adrenaline still pumping through everyone. Then we settled into our seats to watch the countryside whiz by as the train sped toward Kyoto at 175 mph.
