Japan
Ski to Scuba
Name of Speaker: David Lee
Company Name: Into Japan Specialist Tours
Japan is well known for a variety of iconic images - the bullet train speeding in front of Mount Fuji, Geisha in the old streets of Kyoto, dazzling neon lighting up the bustling Tokyo metropolis. But Japan’s mountainous archipelago stretches over nearly twenty-four degrees of latitude, from the boreal zone of Hokkaido in the north to the subtropics of the Okinawan Islands in the south. With some of the best powder snow in the world and hot spring apres-ski, winter sports are really taking off. In the southern islands the climate is similar to Thailand for 10 months of the year, with the beaches and water sports to match. Then there is the suprisingly varied and always high quality cuisine, the festivals when the normally ordered Japanese go crazy, the serene Japanese Inns with outdoor baths overlooking mountain ceremony, and the spectacular temples.
Japan is a booming tourist destination and most people are going for the first time but once you've seen the cherry blossom, you'll want to see the autumn colours. Have the trip of a lifetime and then go again!
The talk will also include the practical side of travelling to Japan, how to get there, preparation etc and a Q&A session.
David Lee is the managing director and owner of Into Japan Specialist Tours. He has lived in Japan for about 8 years in total, having learnt Japanese whilst living in Kyoto. His company has been organising travel between the UK and Japan for 14 years.