Osaka is the third largest city in Japan, is a port city and for many years has been a commercial hub for the country. The city’s population is around 2.7 million, with a metropolitan population of around 19 million.

It is close to Kyoto, so much so that on the train between them it was hard to tell where each city started/finished. Osaka was our last stop and a big contrast to the previous one in Koyasan.

The focal point is Osaka Castle, originally built in the 16th Century and rebuilt after being destroyed in WW II. Most of the city dates from post WW II, with many buildings dating from the economic boom of the 1980s.

We went on a guided food tour and were surprised to see local drunken behaviour in the early evening. Our guide informed us that Osaka is not like the rest of Japan and in her words “Japan’s Liverpool”! That said, our other Osaka interactions were far more respectful including a man who went out of his way to help us find a sushi restaurant- he didn’t just point us in the right direction, he escorted us there.

Osaka’s citizens are said to be “contrary” and many of the country’s comedians are from the city. We also noticed that people walk on the right, whereas in the rest of Japan they walk on the left. This is said to be because Osaka’s merchants kept their money on the right, whilst Samurai in the other cities wore their swords on the left.

While we were in Osaka, cherry blossom was designated as being in full bloom. Our visit was over a weekend, so we saw groups of families and friends having picnics under the trees, a “Sakura” pastime that has been popular for generations.

Okunoin was opened as as cemetery in 835 and is the largest in Japan with over 200,000 graves and memorials. The path through the cemetery is about 2km in each direction. Some large Japanese corporations, including Panasonic, have memorials for former senior staff and staff killed in work accidents. It is common for a family to have a memorial at Koyasan as well as graves close to their home.

Okunoin’s most important and sacred site is the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi where followers believe he is in a state of eternal meditation rather than dead.

We visited during the day and also at night with a group led by a monk from our temple who recited prayers at the Kobo Daishi mausoleum. Among other anecdotes he told us that the monks had to take issue with Nintendo when players of Pokémon Go were searching for characters near the sacred mausoleum. Nintendo duly banished the offending monster !

Eko-In Temple, our home for two nights, is one of the 51 temples in Koyasan Lodging. The rooms are simple and each night the staff make up futon beds. Vegan breakfast and dinner are delivered to your room on stacking trays and served with green tea. Most guests use shared bathrooms, although we had one of a few rooms with a private bathroom.

Guests are invited to attend temple rituals and services and the monks and novices were happy to talk about their backgrounds and day to day lives. We attended the 7am prayer service which was followed by the fire ritual and also the evening meditation. At the fire ceremony pieces of wood with wishes written on them are blessed and burned; for a fee guests can write their wishes on one or more.

Kobo Daishi (Kukai) was born in 774; in 805 he returned to Japan after two years in China, from where he introduced Shingon (Esoteric) Buddhism. He was given permission by the Emperor to set up a home for the sect. After searching he chose Koyasan’s mountain top, at a height of around 1,000 meters.

At one point Koyasan had over 2,000 temples but fires caused by lightning have resulted in a consolation to 117 temples today, about half of which provide guest accommodation. The town has 3,000 residents of which 800 are monks or novice monks. Walking down the main street, every other building is a temple, with the remaining businesses supporting the pilgrims and tourists.

Today Koyasan is reached by train (in our case about two and a half hours from Kyoto) and cable car. The latter stages through the mountains are very picturesque.

In Japanese the tea ceremony is Chado, literally “the way of tea”. The ceremony and its rules were originally set out in the 16th century. The tea master, Sen no Rikyu, elevated it to an art form reflecting the culture of the country.

The host prepares matcha (ground green tea) with hot water and presents the tea to each guest in turn. The ceremony emphasises respect between the host and guests, with specific words, phrases and actions, reflecting Japanese culture. Today, there are three branches of tea ceremony, each with their own hereditary grand tea master.

As part of our tea ceremony introduction, we were provided with traditional Japanese kimonos ! It was explained that an important part of the philosophy is that while each ceremony follows the set protocol, no two ceremonies would be the same as every encounter in life is unique.

In Japan cherry blossom or Sakura has deep cultural significance, symbolising spring and renewal. The act of viewing the flowers is called hanami, which may date back to the 8th century. There are over 600 varieties of blooming cherry trees none of which bear fruit. Weeping trees are particularly revered.

The transition from bud to bloom is closely monitored by the meteorological office with updates and forecasts published each day. There is a specifically defined data set – which trees (58 preselected nationwide) how many blooming buds (5)etc – to determine that the season has begun in a specific location.

There are a lot of events and festivities centred around the season from food stalls in parks to illuminated displays as well as seasonal food and sake.

We were in Tokyo for the official start of the season and Kyoto for the full bloom.

Emperor Kanmu chose Kyoto as the capital of Japan in 794. It remained as such until the Shogun resigned under pressure from the regional Lords and the capital was transferred to Tokyo in 1869.

Unlike many other Japanese cities it avoided most of the bombing of World War II and was removed from the potential list of A bomb targets as a result of pressure from the US Secretary of War Henry L Stimson, who had visited on his honeymoon.

“1,000 gates” – there are more – on the back of each gate is the sponsor that has paid for the gate and its subsequent upkeep

Miyajima translates as “shrine island” and is a small island reached by ten minute ferry from Hiroshima.

The tori, traditional Japanese gate, of Itsukushima Shinto Shrine sits in the sea, but can be reached at low tide and is one of the most photographed sites in Japan.

The island is visited by thousands during the day but with limited accommodation becomes very calm for those staying overnight. We stayed for two nights and enjoyed the peace while it lasted!

There are a number of Shinto and Buddhist shrines and temples. It is popular for weddings and birth marking ceremonies. However it is forbidden as a location for births and deaths as the whole island is designated as a shrine. With so many visitors and some elderly residents, we were not sure how this works in practice.

The centre of the island is mountainous, accessed by hiking trails, gondola or (as in our case) a combination.

A city forever known for a single event.

On 6 August 1945 at 8.15am the United States dropped the first atomic bomb, Little Boy, on Hiroshima. The order was given by President Harry Truman on the basis that a land invasion of Japan would give rise to total casualties in the millions.

Within a year of dropping the bomb it is estimated 140,000 mainly non combatants had died from the effects.

After the end of the war a Peace Memorial was built. The memorial comprises a museum, a park with a number of memorials and “The A Bomb Dome”, a concrete building constructed as an exhibition hall in 1915 to withstand an earthquake, which was almost directly below the blast.

Today Hiroshima is a city of just over a million almost entirely built since its near destruction in 1945. It was the southern most point of our trip, reached by two Shinkansen trains.

Gora is a major tourist attraction (predominantly domestic tourists) with hot springs as the source of onsen (traditional hot baths). The public onsen comprise male and female only pools where clothes and tattoos are forbidden.

Gora has several art museums including an impressive open air museum but the highlight is the trip to Sounzan by cable car followed by the ropeway (gondola) to Lake Ashi. The ropeway passes over a volcanic valley with active sulphur vents, smelling of bad eggs before, on a clear day, giving views of Mount Fuji.

Mount Fuji is an active volcano and at 3,776 m the highest mountain in Japan. Lake Ashi also gives views of Mount Fuji as well as temples and shrines around its shores.

On our second day the ropeway was closed due to high winds giving us an “opportunity” to try our luck with local buses!