The people are extremely polite and have been trained in queue etiquette. A lot of people approached us offering help when we stood confused and upset in many a train station.

The streets are very clean but there are no bins.

Cherry blossoms are beautiful.

The mountain regions are completely different to the cities.

Tokyo is not as manic as expected. It's just a big city with lots of polite people, and some dressed in cosplay outfits.

Food was troublesome. We grew so sick of burgers and pizzas (that aren't easy to find) that we actually ate in a Chinese restaurant one night because I like fried rice.

It's possible to get even more sick of temples than we did in China.

It rained for almost our entire trip and I didn't go one day without my sturdy jacket.

The scenic parks are tidier than China's, and the colours less vivid, but they're also more tranquil so I'm not sure which I prefer.

Japan has a lot of temples.

A lot of business people are asleep when you see them out of work. Trains, escalators, any chance really. Rush hour is bizarre with swarms of suited people weaving around the massive underground public transport network.

You must be ready to embrace public transport as you will spend most of your time on it.