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12 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | MARCH 2026 Early morning in one of Takayama's side streets with eateries and traditional shops A rickshaw ride through Kyoto's Arashiyama Bamboo Forest Morning Market in Takayama By Elizabeth Westbrook A fellow traveler from Mumbai called her getaway in Japan, a "walking trip" and I had to agree. The upshot of a nation that relies on public transit was finding independent travelers from many countries crisscrossing its countryside using trains and buses with relative ease. The reliability of all its components – schedules, services, and payments (I can even get a refund before departure), markets and vending machines – the convenience for packing a reasonably priced meal including beers to take along. The railway stations and bus terminals were always adjacent. These locations were the main hubs, including airports, for regional specialties; they included eateries and markets as well as shops for shopping sprees. Traveling light and a good pair of shoes, choosing hotels near the stations, made an easy stroll to the front desks. They provided complete toiletries (even a hairbrush) and pajamas. Purchasing breakfasts (western along with traditional Japanese), refrigerator and tea kettle, microwave oven and laundry in the utility room (not all hotels), made it easy to prepare for a walking adventure. Our phone stayed on Airplane Mode most of the time because Wi-Fi was readily available from within the city, restaurants, stores, and the hotels. Navigation, Rome2Rio, JR Real-Time Route Search (even gave me the Platforms locations), Photo Translator Translate app, and translate English to Japanese from Google (I created an album of what I needed to convey regarding my food sensitivities), and of course, lessons from YouTube made the trip so manageable. If we wanted to join a tour, we had Viator. Choosing where to go was easy because I had looked at where travel agencies, Viator, Get Your Guide, and Klook advertised popular destinations. It was laborious planning each hotel, train/bus rides (scheduled published around 30 days in advance), and excursions – but it was worth it. I had created albums on the phone as well as printed versions. On the train, we observed a couple from Germany with a notebook. Their luggage was bigger than ours. Riding on Reserved Seats or the Green Car on trains guaranteed plenty of space for ours. The Shinkansens (bullet trains traveling up to 199 mph) were luxuriously smoother than I had expected. "Journey to Japan" by Mary and Bill Christelman (Breeze, May 2025) was an inspiration to visiting many cities. The freedom from a cruise schedule gave us even more options. We spent nine days in Shibuya (Tokyo area) and experienced the bay area, Mt. Fuji, Sendai, and even flew for a day to New Chitose (Hokkaido) and witnessed Sapporo's 70 and plus years old residents busily shopping (by walking and biking), restaurants and businesses also ran by these ageless people. The youngsters must have been in school. The young adults in office cubicles. Yes, keep in mind to travel during no commuters. Much the same way when we choose to drive our freeways here. Having the trains/buses to transfer to Matsumoto, Takayama, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima allowed us to traverse the major parts of Japan. Walking the streets of these popular destinations gave us the experience of the traditional and modern Japan. An excursion trip to Kamikochi from Matsumoto; a beach trip to Amanohashidate from Kyoto gave us time to mingle with Japanese families who enjoy walking on trails preserved as national parks. As we had learned from our world cruise travelers, we can take an overnight excursion. An easy flight to Okinawa from Hiroshima, we experienced our longest monorail (their version of trains) and walked the shores of Naha. Throughout the month, we were enlightened to see fellow travelers enjoying the hospitality, foods, and learning the culture of living among the Japanese. For example, learn to take your trash with you and dispense them in stores like 7-Eleven to be properly categorized. We were also surprised at the affordable prices of our meals. Cheaper than here! I saw more single women travelers in this country than in any of our past destinations. If you have a hankering to experience an adventure full of history and culture, now you have a choice to cruise the ports of Japan or by trains and buses. Either way, to enjoy the excursions awaiting you, take a pair of walking shoes. s Walking Japan s

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