Japan – Now, more than ever before

Thursday 2 February

Michael Jay is in a unique position to explain the classical warrior culture of Japan being the only non-Japanese person to hold a samurai rank since William Adams who, in 1600, became an adviser to Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu.

As a British Airways pilot and Group Commander in the Soma Horse Association, Michael was featured in a prestigious BBC ‘The World About Us’ programme about Soma Noma Oi, a three day celebration of skill in samurai horsemanship, and is a senior swordsman of Japan’s premier and most ancient classical combat school, the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu.

Company name (as it should appear on all publicity materials) : Into Japan Specialist Tours 

Summary of talk: No other country in the world can offer so many unique experiences. You will be introduced to a number of these, in the main locations of Kyoto, Tokyo, Hakone and Hiroshima.

We will also explain what issues there are for tourists 1 year after the tsunami, and also how they can help as a visitor and also a volunteer.

Most people will identify with iconic images such as Geisha, Mt Fuji, sumo wrestling and the bullet train but may be surprised that Japan has some of the best skiing and diving in the world. You will also hear about some more unusual locations, off the main tourist routes and a very popular route that we follow in our Luxury Japan Tour.

Michael Jay will be dressed in a traditional Samurai uniform and will explain some of the special sights and experiences related to the era of the Samurai including those featured in our ‘Footsteps of the Samurai’ Tour. He may be able to bring one of his swords but this is not always possible as they are 400 and 600 years old and very valuable.

I will explain the Japan Rail Pass, the wonder of the trains and travelling on the shinkansen (bullet train).  The huge variety of Japanese food will be introduced - Japan is now recognised as the top culinary destination in the world with the latest Michelin guides awarding more stars to Tokyo than Paris and London combined, and Kyoto receiving more 3 star accolades than New York. Finally I will talk about some of the highlights for independent travellers such as staying in a ryokan or hiring a car to explore more remote areas. 

David Lee originally studied Japanese in Kyoto and has lived in Japan for a total of 8 years. His company has been arranging travel and educational programmes between the UK and Japan for more than 17 years. Since the earthquake he started a charity to support the victims. He is directly involved in volunteer programmes and Into Japan continues to support this work and make contributions towards it.

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