There are some holidays which, whilst maybe very lovely, could in fact be anywhere in the world. This cannot be said for Japan! The whole experience of being here, from the moment we set off the plane, has reminded me that we are in a different part of the world and have the opportunity to experience a different culture.

Travelling from A to B is a lot easier than I expected and even though the signs are always Japanese first, the majority of the time there is always an English translation. Then there is always the time when you spot a sign on the ski slopes and have no idea what it means and just have to hope for the best!

Now this may be too much information but one of the first things we experienced of the difference between sunny Queensland and Japan was the toilets! Fully equipped with heated toilet seats and a range of buttons (most of which we were all too nervous to try), even the public toilets at the train station are a world away from your standard Aussie bush toilet that the kids were used to from our travels! After a week of said high tech toilet experience, I have come to appreciate a heated toilet seat and thank the Japanese for this wonderful addition to the bathrooms in the snowfields.

Whilst on the topic of bathrooms, the Onsen is another ‘only in Japan’ experience for us. An Onsen is essentially a hot spring and clearly a popular pastime in Japanese culture. Apparently there are 25,000 hot springs across Japan and families will even plan their holidays and weekends around visiting one of the more than 3000 Onsen establishments across the country. Hakuba is home to several Onsen and we were fortunate enough to have one here at the hotel.

Not even fans of a hot bath at home, the boys declined the idea of the Onsen so it was left to K and I to work out the way to ‘Onsen’. Thankfully there isn’t much to it (you can even Google the do’s and don’ts) and the hotel even kindly supplies Kimono’s in your room (probably as much for the amusement of hotel staff to see the tourists wandering around the hotel without a clue how to wear said Kimono… myself included as it turns out I wrapped it the wrong way!)

I think it is safe to say that little miss K is now a professional’Onsen-er’ and thoroughly enjoyed her hot spring experiences.

We may not have been too adventurous with our meals, but we have learned that dinner bookings are essential and most things can be deep fried and put on a menu.

I feel like the Japanese may be one of the most polite nations on earth. I guess we haven’t really seen enough of Japan to validate this, but it feels like nothing is too much trouble and the Japanese people we have met are always smiling, polite and willing to help.

To top off our ‘only in Japan’ experience, this afternoon whilst walking back to our room, we spotted a couple of Snow Monkeys jumping around the outside of the hotel (on their way out find the outdoor Onsen no doubt!). Super cute memory to take away from our travels in Japan.