Who: Janice Kennedy of Colorado Springs and her nephew, Sean Landis, of Harrisonburg, Va.
Where: In front of Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavilion) in Kyoto. Built in 1397 as a residence for a retired shogun, this magnificent structure is covered in gold leaf.
Best meal: Noodle shops featuring ramen, soba or udon dishes are inexpensive and delicious and can be found everywhere – on main streets, down side streets, in subway stations. One of our favorite meals was a dish called okonomiyaki, which was a pancake-like omelet made with eggs, flour, cabbage and pork.
Best time to go: Traveling off season (January-February) is not only less expensive, it allows you to enjoy the spectacular temples and shrines with virtually no crowds.
Best deal: Lodging can be expensive, particularly in Western-style hotels, so think about staying in traditional Japanese inns (ryokan). You’ll sleep on futons that have been laid out on tatami mats – it’s a great Japanese experience at affordable prices.
Best travel tip: The Japanese people really know about mass transit. There is no reason to rent a car in Japan. The subways, trains and buses go virtually everywhere. Understanding the transit system is a bit of challenge if you don’t have a travel companion who speaks Japanese, so you should do some studying on the various routes before you get there.
