As the season changes from spring to early summer, celebrate glorious sites in Japan that are now clothed in natural vivid colors,savour a wonderful collection of seasonal tasty foods and get steeped in hot springs - - all elegantly expressed in a travel diary of 17 letters of poem.

Inspiration begins on a 35 minute trip from Kyoto by Kintetsu express train traveling the old Yamato-ji(ji route) that heads for Nara, the spiritual home of the Japanese.

Nara was once an ancient capital called Heijokyo and here you'll find many cultural properties that are registered in UNESCO, such as one of the biggest wooden structures in world, Todai-ji Daibutsu-Den. Nara's great Buddha standing about 15 meters tall is an image of the Vairocana Buddha and is the principal image of Todai-ji.

After a prayer visit Nara park with its deers considered as messengers of god. The gentle creatures are always on hand to greet visitors especially those with deer crackers made of rice, bran and flour for feeding them. And if you bow to the deer, they bow too. For an unusual keepsake look for deer antlers that are shed in spring and don't mistake deer droppings for the antler stubs. You can also view Nara town clearly from Wakakusa-yama but save your visit to Nara-machi where there are still many old streets with shops from the 1800s and tiny old houses that still keep alive traditions such as the substitute monkey who absorbs bad luck. It has also been worshiped as a merciful god. One is the sugar shop selling products,such as Wasanbon (Sugar cake) and tasty amber malt syrup! As Nara produces 70% of the mosquito nets in Japan, you'll Mosquito curtain makers like Yoshida Kaya which has been in business since 1921 and which has diversified in using the fabric for tablecloths and strong tea towels. Kanetsumitsu is the next destination and makse sure you are hungry for "bento (lunch box)". The restaurant sited in an old merchant's house has a  speciality menu that you should order from and consists of many tasty local foods such as ancient cheese that used to be eaten in Asuka Era. The next destination is Yamato Koriyama and is based on the site of Koriyama castle retaining the image of a castle town. This is also the place for Killifish or goldfish, a traditional business in Yamato Koriyama which produce 50% of the domestic consumption. When goldfish were popular in Edo, they were brought back to Koriyama where fish farms began to appear. Today there are about 50 fish farms in Koriyama, and everything goldfish can be found, from goods of goldfish design to a national goldfish scooping competition! To enjoy a hot spring with glorious views and tasty food, head for ancient Yamato-ji. Stay at an inn located in the middle of holy Mt.Shigi called Kakimotoya. The modern inn with Japanese style rooms that come with their own open-air hot spring bath with mountain or forest views. Dinner is served in the room with a menu that includes red snapper sashimi, stew of freshly-picked bamboo shoot and tasty Wagyu beef steak with seasonal vegetable that some guests stay over at the inn just to enjoy eating the melting, juicy cut. Early next morning,visit a temple on Mt. Shigi devoted to the tiger, believed to be a lucky animal to bring happiness. Visitors can also have the rare experience of becoming a monk or a nun for a short while and includes rites such as the 108 bows,reciting of a sutra or hand-copying sutras. The next destination is two and a half hours away from Tokyo. It is Aizu Wakamatsu in Fukushima, which is associated with Byakkotai, who highlighted the history of the end of the Edo Period.

A middle size castle town once stood in the middle of the town which you can tour with a day ticket on a classic bus. The convenient trip around town will reveal endless White-walled storehouses and touches of gold-lacquer in traditional Aizu way amidst colored maple leaves. Stop off for a visit ofthe symbol of the town, Tsuruga castle and take in views of Mt. Iimori. Take the tour bus next to an all-seasons ancient herb garden that grows 400 varieties of medicinal herbs. There's also a Shinji pond shaped to resemble the kanji character for heart. Return to the station and continue the train journey to Ouuchijyuku which is on the way from Aizu to Nikko. After 40 minutes ride on the local line running through the gorge you reach a station that is the gateway to Oouchijyuku. Poems decorate the station and thatched-roof buildings dot the landscape that are not marred by utility poles.

Apart from a landscape that's preserved, you'll find local specialties thriving, such as Shingoro - made by roughly crushing cooked rice that's spread with miso called Jyunen - sweet miso made of sesami - before it is charcoal roasted. Next feast on good buckwheat noodles at Misawaya. Traditional hand-cut soba was introduced from Nagano by a lord of Aizu grew up in Takato in Nagano, and in his honour soba served with grated radish is called Takato soba. But you can find other varieties such as soba soup and cold water soba. Head went back to Aizu Wakamatsu and the famous Higashiyama hot spring. Nearby is Mukaitaki, established in 1876 and one of the best long established inns of the area well-revered by many writers and artists. Don't be surprised to find a stage in the main hall and an interesting ceiling made of straight-grained paulownia made in a style often used for temples. The view is surrounded by greenery and has rooms adorned by poetry written by its famous guests.

Dinner is served in the room with Aizu speciality dishes continuously served. Next morning, take a train on the Banetsu line  to Kitakata, famous for its tasteful storehouses. Look out for Rakuten art studio which is a studio where you can make your original seal under the guidance of the master who is famous for studying the origin of Kanji characters. When it's lunch time, take your pick in this town known for noodles. There are about 120 ramen shops in the town including one serving traditional Chinese noodles. Or try the local Kitakata ramen which features clear soy-sauce soup made of dried fish broth and thick, flat curly noodles. To finish the journey, head to the town at the foot of Mt. Bandai where you might still find snow. Take in a glorious view of Goshiki (five-colour) pond, named after the color of the surface of the pond which changes moment by moment in the sunlight.

Another trip to make takes about 1.5 hours from Shinjuku,Tokyo by the super express train Azusa. Get off at Kofu station in Yamanashi prefecture and bask in beautiful scenery with views of Mt. Fuji from Koshu-ji. Take a bus from the station and headed for scenic spots which are aplenty as Kofu is a region richly endowed with nature.

Shosenkyo Gorge is a national park which was once chosen as the best scenic spot among the best 100 gorges in Japan. Colorful flowers like wild azalea dot the landscape which is great for hiking. A short walk takes you to Senga waterfall falling a height of 30 meters. Also in the park, is Kanazakura shrine established about 1500 years ago. There will be cherry blossoms and if you see blooms from the sacred tree called Ukon (golden yellow) cherry,the promise is you will be blessed to never be short of money in your life.