Japan is dreamy in cherry-blossom season!

Nothing surpasses the glory of Japan in springtime, when cherry blossoms are in full bloom, blanketing the whole country in soft, pink splendor!

Close your eyes and picture a fantasy landscape of pastel pink cherry blossoms, verdant hills, distant blue mountains surrounded by fluff y white clouds . . . and you’ll know exactly what it’s like to be in Japan in spring!

Cherry blossoms are beloved for their beauty in Japan and revered as an expression of hope and renewal, one marked by costumed figures parading down Mt. Yoshino, winding past slopes covered in more than 30,000 cherry trees, to pay tribute to the gods. Imagine smelling the intoxicating fragrance at the annual festival in Hirosaki, where trees swathed in otherworldly beauty surround the ancient Hirosaki Castle. Or see yourself hopping aboard an open-air, old-fashioned steam train to journey through the western Kyoto countryside, viewing the blossoms that line the Sagano Scenic Railroad.

Beyond nature’s glories, this island nation offers plenty of cosmopolitan excitement. Imagine shopping for unusual knickknacks in Tokyo’s trendy Harajuku district . . . getting up early for a super-fresh sushi breakfast at the famous Tsukiji Market, where fish are traded daily . . . picturing the changing of the royal guard at the nearby Imperial Palace compound, home to Japan’s emperor. Feel the rush of a high-tech bullet train taking you from Tokyo to Kyoto to view Buddhist temples, soak in a natural hot spring or melt away your worries in a Zen garden. There’s no end to what you might enjoy on your dream voyage to the Land of the Rising Sun!