• Ryokan (traditional Japanese country inn) stay is an experience that includes an onsen (hot spring) along with tatami rooms, and the delicately prepared seasonal dishes of Kaiseki cuisine. These dishes were feasts for the eyes and palates. Each dish is prepared for freshness, taste, and beauty of presentation. The dishes were brought out slowly for us to savor and to enjoy leisurely in our yukatas. Kaiseki is named after "warm stones" Zen priests used to warm their bellies and this cuisine style started in Zen temples and these dishes are usually served before the Tea Ceremony.
• Hakone, a hot springs area 2 hours from Tokyo, is atop of a group of old collapsed volcanos and has beautiful Lake Ashi in the center.