As soon as we stepped out of the train, we were introduced to the local hero’s Tora-san and his little sister’s bronze statues. After that, we went to Taishakuten Sando, amd my eyes got caught by the old school sweet shop at the corner of the street and I started photographing away the old bubble machines and old the wonderful things that were surrounding them. We visited the gallery and admired the unbelievable wood carvings on the building, then went for a walk around the gardens, before walking to our next destination, Katsushika Yamamoto-tei, where we could admire some beautiful gardens whilst drinking some traditional tea.

We had lunch at Yebisuya, which has a history of 230 years, and enjoyed some of the local specialty, eel. On the plate we also had a selection of sashimis as well as rice and miso soup.
Right in front of the restaurant, there was a nice little street food counter with smokes flowing of the best smells. It was a feast for the nose as much as for the eyes.

We bow and step through the first imposing Torii door, and walk through the forest to the Shrine. The playfulness of the elements in that forest were instantly hypnotising. The way the light played with the shadows of the trees, and the calming sound of the wind blowing through the leaves, the flowing water in the streams, everything seemed so perfectly orchestrated to help you find yourself in a state of mindfulness.

Izakaya dining experience: After spending most of the day walking around the streets of Tokyo, dinner time was the most welcome time of the day. On the menu, the Izakaya experience of the Japanese take on a gastro pub, with great quality food (the rare chicken was definitely a winner for me!) and drinks in the heart of the city. We shared various meals tapas styles, and enjoyed some great beers and sakes.

At Shinjuku, we walked through the Golden Gai and the Kabuki-cho. My eyes didn’t stop taking mental photographs of all of these places, but also record some sounds and smells that we’re so not used to here anywhere in Europe.

We stayed at the beautiful Villa Fontaine Tokyo Shiodome, situated right in the station of Shiodome that has very easy train access to the city and the airport. The room comfort and amenities were great, with modern looking furniture, comfortable mattress and bedding, as well as pyjamas for guest use.

The internal flight from Tokyo was just as seamless as a first class train ride would have been. I napped right after take off, and woke up as we started to land. It was such a comfortable flight.

The lunch menu was one of Saga City local specialty, Sicilian Rice. It’s composed of rice, stir-fried meat mixed with vegetable salad, a delicious dressing and some Nori on top, without forgetting a perfectly poached egg hidden in the middle.

We had an experience making noodles called "Soba" (soba noodle-making), but we also visited the orange groves (which were some of the tastiest oranges I’ve ever had). Making our own noodles was a lot of fun, and some were more successful at it than others.

This factory is one of the last of its kind remaining around this area, and makes its paper from the mulberry trees fibres. They make Nao Washi paper, which is thick but lets light shine through and that is used notably for interior design purposes, such a lanterns or indoor screens. The process is still made fully by hand, just as it was hundreds of years ago.

Warakuen: This hotel is renowned for its thermal tea baths. My room was composed of tatamis, and I slept on a futon. I even had my own private bath in the bathroom, which I enjoyed thoroughly. At dinner, we enjoyed a broth infused with it, to cook our Saga Beef, another amazing local product.

Ureshino Chakoryukan Chaoshiru: We visited the fields of the tea farm, and then made our own designs of tea dyed handkerchiefs. Whilst the fabric was being cooked with the dye, we ventured in the field of widlflowers nearby the fields, getting lost in the beauty of the mountainous scenery.

This Shrine is dedicated to Inari, the kami whose messengers are foxes, and is one of the three largest Inari Shrines in Japan.
I was in awe of all that I was seeing around me whilst visiting the Shrine. Every place I looked at seemed more beautiful than the last thing I gazed upon, so rich in culture, and overflowing with a rich culture, and sentiments such as love and compassion.

The table setting at the restaurant Kappo Chuo was so fabulous that the food stylists would greatly admire. Everywhere you looked, there was some absolutely beautiful dish with some even more beautiful food on it.

We tried some Saké at the renowned Sake Brewery Avenue in Hamamachi.
We accessorily also learnt about the difference in grades of sake, and how it’s made, visited a cute little museum of toys from 40 years ago, but the highlight of it all were the ice cups we used to drink all the different sake available in the store. Since we tried a lot of Saké, we all shortly after fell asleep on the way to our accommodation for the night.

We stopped at Tara to see the floating Torii gates. During low tide, we walked through the successive gates, and then visited some local street food barbecue halls, where fresh seafood is available to roast yourself on a fire.

We enjoyed a dinner of crab and seafood, freshly caught in the Ariake Sea. Served in a beautiful dining room right besides the sea, the meal was even more delicious.

It was a beautiful hotel, and the amenities were satisfying. I was staying this time in the Western style room, with a direct view over the harbour (and I didn’t close my curtains for the night with a view like this!).

Saga Castle History Museum: The visit of the museum taught me a lot about the history of the Saga region. The Saga Castle in itself had been reconstructed 3 times in the past, and was still feeling very authentic.

We visited the traditional carpets, some of the oldest ever made in the country. We admired the fine work made by the weavers, and got to try and lay on some of the finest carpets. I definitely one of these in my dream house one day!

Kira Honten is a restaurant that people wait for months to get a seat at the teppanyaki table to enjoy some of the most delicious teppanyaki you’ll ever try.

We wandered in the cold in the streets of Saga city, and saw many beautiful things around us. My eye got drawn by the storefronts and the traffic mirrors we saw along the way, as well as the street vending machines. Everything looked straight out of a movie set and I could have wandered these streets for many hours.

Hand-woven Saga nishiki; keychain ornament-making experience: It was very insghtful to learn how to weave with the paper threads. It's a very delicate art, but I loved desiging my own key ring to bring back as a beautiful memory of the place.

Matcha grinding experience at Tsusentei: Matcha tea is one of my favourite thing to drink, so to properly learn how to do the ceremony, from grinding the leaves, to whisking it to the right consistency (bubbles) was very fun!

I had never been to Japan before this trip, and didn’t know what to expect, and we all know that’s how the best travel memories are made.
Tokyo and its beautiful streets took my breath away, and were a delight for the eyes. Saga was a region full of wonders and amazing people with a lot of knowledge about ancestral craft. The prefecture is so rich in its culture, and its beauty is astounding.
From the mountains to the sea, to the food and the amazing places we got to visit, I loved every moment of this amazing trip and I can’t believe how much we did and saw in such a short period of time. It was just the start of a love affair with Japan and myself. Japan, I’ll be back in 2019, that’s for sure.