In March 2020 mum visited us in Japan. It was her first trip to Japan, and I wanted to make it one to remember! Mum’s visit was part of our spring break plans in 2020; a couple of weeks jam-packed with mini-breaks and enjoyable hikes.

We had six days together with mum and I wanted to show her as many of the unusual and unexpected places Tokyo has to offer (that I know of…). One of the great things about living here is that we can offer that advice to those who want to avoid the tourist places, that in March (pre-Covid lockdowns) were all very busy.

We enjoyed spending time together relaxing in Kichijoji, drinking at some of the beer taverns and spending time walking around the park. Mum enjoyed seeing a space in the city as green and full of nature as Kichijoji park (it is centred around a large lake, full of Koi Carp and Turtles). We also sought more nature hiking up Mount Takao – I’ll admit this pushed mum to her fitness peak! Still, after the hike, it was lovely to enjoy the views and for mum to feel the pride of hiking up one of the famous mountains near Tokyo.

We spent some days taking on the dizzying heights of Tokyo with views from a few of the tallest buildings (it is fair to say mum did not enjoy this…her fear of heights really kicked in and she spent most of the time edging around the wall). Still, she did appreciate the vastness of Tokyo which goes on until you reach the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other. We also took a mandatory trip to see Mount Fuji and had the most glorious weather, with Fuji-san revealing herself in all her glory. It was a beautiful day and emotional at times, as mum couldn’t quite get over the idea that she was sat in front of this iconic wonder.

After mum left, Dan and I spent the rest of spring break enjoying more mountains in Saitama. We were able to relax and unwind in nature, enjoying some lovely hikes, on which we were almost entirely alone. It was a great way to spend spring break and had I known what was to come in the following months, I would have written about it at the time! I am not sure I have captured the fun we had on spring break 2020 in this piece, still, I have tried.

Thanks, #mum for a spring break to remember.