The main reason I had for travelling to Japan was to climb Mt Fuji, but also to visit a Japanese friend I have been e-mailing for many years who lives and works in Tokyo.
I flew with KLM to Tokyo (Narita) via Amsterdam. On arrival at Narita I had time to validate the Japan Rail Pass I had bought in the UK, this gave me unlimited rail travel over 7 consecutive days in the country on any JR Train. This proved a very worthwhile purchase as it also included the Bullet Train (Shinkansen) and given that I was to visit as far as Hiroshima, it made my fares around half the full price.
From the airport into the city I took the "Airport Limousine Bus", tickets are available from the kiosk just beside the arrivals hall and the coach departs just outside. This was my first experience of Japanese efficiency, my luggage placed in an exact spot and I too in a similar position, when the departing coach leaves (at the exact time) the platform staff gave a respectful bow, and of course the driver is immaculately turned out and wore white gloves.

TOKYO
This took my to Tokyo City Air Terminal and from there it was only a couple of minutes walk to the hotel.
Being July it was very hot but it was only a short walk to local shops.
That evening I met up with my friend Keijiro and his family at their home and later enjoyed a meal at a local restaurant.
Next day Keijiro and his wife Yuko took me to various parts of the city and a few of the shrines and temples, we used the underground, which at first can be daunting.
The following day I was on my own, so I took the Grey Line City Bus Tour which covered places like, the Imperial Palace Gardens,the Meiji Shrine,Tokyo Tower and Ginza Shopping Centre, this let me see a lot of the places I could return to later.
I also made short visits to the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo Station and "Electric City" in Akihabara

KAWAGUCHIKO
The following day (Monday) I was off to Mt Fuji. The coach left from Shinjuku, again on time and we arrived in Kawaguchiko where I had booked accommodation, it was typical Japanese style with tatami mats on the floor and a Japanese bed roll, all very clean and comfortable.
Kawaguchiko is a popular starting place for Mt Fuji unless you are travelling from Tokyo, climbing and returning the same day, (not for me) there are wonderful views of the mountain and it is a very pleasant place to stop over.

Mt FUJI
Next day I was up early and caught the mountain bus to the fifth station, this is already at 2300m so is a good point to start off from. I was climbing on the Yoshida Trail, and like the others it is well marked. I picked up a small map from the 6th station and it showed the rest points and overnight stops. MY stopping place was the eighth station at "Fuji san Hotel".

The track at first is through trees, but it soon develops into zig zags on a ash roadway, some parts were on hardened lava with the subsequent stations the only real excitement. The best views were of the countryside which was quickly disappearing below me. Most of day one there were quite a lot of clouds, although it did restrict vision it but at least keep the temperature down.
My overnight at Fuji san Hotel 3,200m, was an experience not to be missed, I had booked in advance and arrived quite early, I had heard that the sleeping accommodation was like sardines and it was true, upstairs there were long lines of sleeping bags on two levels and come night it was full, I would say around 100 people in both dormitories. The evening meal was quite good, soup, curry and rice and a cake in the shape of Fuji, but the breakfast (which was issued at time of check-in) was more cold rice and a packet of what reminded me of these dog meat sachets, was awful. Never mind, the company was good with people from all over the world, and all there for the same purpose as me.
Next morning some of the stalwarts rose at 2.00am to summit for the sun rise, others at 4.00am to see the sun here at the station, while I stayed under the covers until much later and set off at around 7.00. The advantage being the track was much quieter.
Today the sun was out, it was cold but I had excellent vision from the top. Very lunar like and quite a lot of snow, so it was a quick photo session and back down to the bus bay and a return to a hot shower at Kawaguchiko.
Climbing Fuji was definitely spectacular and worth all the effort, would I do it again - not too sure.

KYOTO
Next stop was Kyoto by Bullet Train from Tokyo.
Here I had pre-booked a tour of the Imperial Palace, and also visited the Nishiki Food Market which is a Mecca for food lovers. Lots of eating places and plenty free samples too, the name means Colourful Market and it was that and more, I really didn't allow enough time there, also to Kiyomizu Temple and the Yasaka Shrine and later enjoyed the dancing fountains and the general atmosphere around the station. A very attractive city with good local transport and lots of shopping.

KOCHI
My next two nights were in Kochi, this is where Keijiro was born and one of these nights I spent at his family home in the countryside. Here we visited the Pacific Coast, Kochi Castle and the Sunday market.

HIROSHIMA
Next day, back on the Shinkansen to Hiroshima, and travelling at 186mph it didn't take long.
Again I had booked accommodation beside the rail station, so finding it was easy.
Here the main attraction for me was The Atomic Bomb Dome and the Peace Park, maybe not the most happy of places but certainly thought provoking and truly worth the journey. I also visited Miyajima, a small island less than an hour outside the city of Hiroshima. It is most famous for its giant torii gate, which at high tide seems to float on the water. My JR Pass covered the transport and it was a good afternoon trip.

TOKYO
Then it was back to Tokyo and prepare to travel home, but there was still one visit I had to make - a local bath house. They are traditional places where originally the locals bathed when heating a bath at home was banned due to fire risk in the wooden houses.
I am not going to go too deep into my visit, suffice to say you are required to enter undressed, have to wash of your life then relax in the very hot communal bathtubs - my opinion, superb and yes I would do that again.

Then it was back on the bus from T-CAT and back to Bonnie Scotland.

I was amazed at many things in Japan but something which really stood out was how welcoming and helpful the people were, quite often I would stop to check my train or bus connections and help was quickly offered, also the politeness and respect they have for each other. A wonderful trip and I can't wait to return to Japan sometime soon.