Japan offers a mixed bag of experiences that range from historic to ultra modern, traditional to kitsch, super quiet to uber chaotic.

Many years ago, my family had a wonderful Japanese food experience right in our own home.  We had a guest in from Japan and we invited her over for dinner, with a strange request – we wanted her to help us prepare dinner.  What she prepared was a huge departure from anything that we had eaten in our local sushi restaurants!  Until that moment, my knowledge of Japanese food consisted of sushi, tempura, noodles, and teriyaki.  What she presented to us were many small dishes consisting of vegetables, rice, and many types of tofu, including natto – a fermented soybean that is commonplace in Japan but an acquired taste for the American palate.  Not only were the tastes different, but so was the method of serving and eating.  This was a precursor to what we would experience in Japan.

Popularity: 14% [?]

One of the big issues that I grappled with during the planning stages was where to stay.  Do I stay in a super modern – techno hotel or a traditional, authentic ryokan.  I am usually driven by location and décor, then I will look at the price.  Within the first two parameters, there is quite a bit of choice.  When it came to the third, there was not a large disparity in price unless you go really high-end or hostel.  Narrowing down my choices was hard.  Ultimately, I ended up with a little of both: a high-tech, modern hotel in Tokyo and a hostel/minshuku in Kyoto.

Popularity: 42% [?]