Exploring India and Japan: Highlights from Our Seven-Week Adventure
- tgandco2
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 11 hours ago
What an adventure! Two weeks in India and five weeks in Japan. It was such an incredible trip that I’m going to write about it over a series of blog posts. This post provides an overview of our journey, and I’ll then dive deeper into specific destinations—India, the Kumano Kodo, Okinawa, Kyoto, Tokyo, and the World’s Fair in Osaka. I’ll share stories and details about the amazing experiences and activities along the way. Links to these more detailed posts can be found at the bottom of this article.
Our trip planning began with Japan, as Teresa studies Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging. Our home is constantly filled with beautiful arrangements of fresh-cut flowers. Every three to four years, there is an Ikebana course held in Kyoto, the world headquarters of Ikebana, and Teresa attends whenever possible. The course typically lasts four days, and in the past, we’ve turned those few days in Kyoto into a month-long vacation in Japan.
This was our third trip to Japan, but our first time visiting in March and April, which gave us the unique opportunity to experience cherry blossom season. Sakura, as it’s known in Japan, has become a global phenomenon, even leading to concerns about over-tourism. There have been reports of rude behaviour by some visitors and calls for the government to limit tourist numbers. Fortunately, while there were certainly crowds, it didn’t negatively affect our enjoyment of the blossoms. In addition to being in Japan during Sakura season, we were determined to explore new regions and take on activities we hadn’t done before.
Our first major adventure was hiking the Kumano Kodo, a UNESCO World Heritage site made up of ancient pilgrimage routes on the Kii Peninsula leading to the sacred Kumano Sanzan (the Three Grand Shrines of Kumano). The Kumano Kodo is also the sister pilgrimage to the Camino de Santiago, which Teresa and I completed in the fall of 2023. Completing both routes allows pilgrims to apply for a “Dual Pilgrim Certificate.” As I often said while walking the Camino, it shouldn’t really be about the certificate—but it kind of is. Receiving the dual certificate during a special Japanese ceremony made the experience even more meaningful.
With the Kumano Kodo planned, our next destination was Okinawa. This chain of islands in the far south of Japan is truly unique—a tropical paradise reminiscent of Hawaii. It’s also the most Americanized part of Japan we’ve visited, largely due to the large U.S. military presence and its historical ties to Hawaii. We spent seven wonderful days there and were very glad we included Okinawa in our itinerary.
Next was the World’s Fair in Osaka. We certainly wouldn’t have travelled to Japan just for the event—honestly, I didn’t even realize world fairs were still happening. But since the Osaka World’s Fair was running from April to October 2025, we thought, why not? Teresa and I were living in Vancouver in 1986 when the city hosted Expo ’86. We lived within walking distance of the site and had season passes, so we attended regularly during the six months it was open. That year, our oldest son, Sean, was born, and between Expo ’86, Vancouver, and a new baby, we had a steady stream of visitors. Teresa had also attended Expo ’67 in Montreal with her parents. The theme of the Osaka World’s Fair was Designing Future Society for Our Lives, and the three days we spent there were fantastic.
While in Osaka, we also attended our first-ever Japanese baseball game—an experience that could easily be its own blog post. We met up with my sister and brother-in-law, explored the city on foot, and visited a TeamLab exhibition. Although we had been to Osaka before, it was a joy to return.
The remainder of our time in Japan was split between Kyoto and Tokyo. I don’t want to shortchange either of these world-class cities. In Tokyo, we experienced baseball, TeamLab, and sumo wrestling. Even though this was our third visit to Kyoto—my favourite city in Japan—we still revisited classics like Kinkakuji (the Golden Pavilion) and the bamboo groves. Being there during cherry blossom season made it feel like an entirely new experience.
That covers the five weeks we had originally planned for Japan. To add some context, our only daughter, Lauren, got married in the summer of 2024. Our son-in-law, Ash (Ashutosh), was born in India and moved to Canada with his parents as a pre-teen. While planning the wedding, we got to know his parents, Rita and Vijay. They suggested that we travel to India before heading to Japan—and even offered to travel with us. Their generosity was remarkable.
I had long wanted to visit India, but knew that planning a multi-city trip independently would be challenging. Teresa and I aren’t big tour people, so travelling with Rita and Vijay was the perfect solution. It allowed us to explore the country with friends who truly understood it. As a bonus, Lauren and Ash joined us, and the six of us travelled together.
Once India was added, our five-week trip turned into seven weeks—the longest vacation Teresa and I have ever taken. Together, we planned an itinerary that included Mumbai, Ahmedabad (where many of Ash’s relatives live), Khambhat (where his parents have a home), Jaipur (the Pink City), Agra (home of the Taj Mahal), and Delhi.
Wow—talk about diving into the deep end. We experienced the full intensity and chaos of India, especially in Mumbai and Delhi. Overnight train rides and navigating the seemingly life-threatening traffic—both on foot and in vehicles—were adventures in themselves. We took an incredible walking tour in Mumbai (the Bombay Poetry Tour), witnessed the beauty of the Taj Mahal, and stayed in Ash’s parents’ home in Khambhat. While there, Rita and Vijay hosted a gathering for relatives who were unable to attend Lauren and Ash’s wedding in Toronto. Throughout the trip, they treated us as honoured guests, and their warmth and generosity made our time in India a true once-in-a-lifetime experience.
So that’s a high-level overview of our trip to India and Japan. Below are links to the more detailed posts covering each part of the journey and related posts: (more coming soon!)
Japan 2020
India and Japan - 2025
India and Japan 2025
I hope you enjoy the reading. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to reach me at thethirdperiod.ca@gmail.com.
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