If you are only spending 5 days in Japan and already have some of this time carved out for wasabi appreciation, I'd recommend that you not try to travel to Kyoto AND Miyajima AND Hiroshima AND Kamakura in your scarce few days. Especially if you are at all jet lagged you will not want to be on a tear. Kyoto is around 4 hrs from Tokyo by train, Miyajima is another couple of hours from Nagoya via Hiroshima (on the way to Kyoto) on another line, etc.- and Miya-jima is about as far from wabi-sabi as I can think of. If I were you I'd read some of the articles on www.thejapantimes.com website and try to make some connections with people in or around tokyo (lots of expats write for the JT, and they frequently have articals on local botanical things, etc.). Tokyo's a magnificent city and for all the urban development there is a deep and abiding love of all things green- the bonus of urban planning is that there are parks all over. Most were incorporated into the city as "earthquake evacuation zones" but the bonus is a huge amount of green space per capita. Also, get a big fat guidebook and spend some time reading all of the day trip suggestions from Tokyo, and follow up with the JNTO or local references to get the skinny on any events or activities that the book didn't have room to print. Easy day trips from Tokyo can be made to Kamakura (notable for it's hydrangea gardens, although it might be too early for them) and Shizuoka, which is near the base of Mt. Fuji and one of the greenest "subburbs" of Tokyo I've been to, easily reached by shinkansen. If you are flying into Narita and can change your departing flight to Kansai, then by all means go to Kyoto. If you go to Kyoto, take some walks up in Higashiyama, it's just beautiful, pituresque and wabi-sabi but accessible. I'm sure it's in the guidebooks though. If you have a guide who speaks some japanese you'll be totally fine, but don't let anxiety over a language barrier be a deterrent. Carry a phrasebook/dictionary, get a tokyo atlas (you will want this, there are few street names, everything depends on your map reading skills), do a little bit of cultural research ahead of time ("Culture Shock: Japan" is meant for expats but is a good introduction) and smile. Best of luck, enjoy your trip!

* The Ginza in Japan is a must-see if you like old-fashioned department stores. Definitely time-warp yourself to 1962 with a department-store restaurant lunch (but with tastier food). Picking a menu item will not be a problem because most restaurants in Japan have models of the food they serve in the front area. * If you are taking a train trip of more than 2 hours, get to the station early and pick up an "ekiden"--to-go packaged train lunch--from one of the stores in the station. You will be able to get a packaged lunch with local specialties (the equivalent of, say, clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl in San Francisco). Very tasty, not expensive. * Japanese temples are very interactive and fun for children. Pack some change so that you can make wishes. * People in Japan carry handkerchiefs and they come in very handy. The souvenir handkerchiefs at gift shops can be gorgeous--definitely put some money aside. You will need handkerchiefs while you're there, and they make great souvenirs for you and surprisingly great presents for people at home. I gave my mother a handkerchief I bought in Japan one Christmas and was surprised to hear BOTH my sisters draw in their breath and say--in stereo--"That is a BEAUTIFUL HANDKERCHIEF."

That is extremely generous if you, Irina! I'll PM you and I'll also send you my Pinterest folders link - if you see anything I have that you'd really like, we could work out swapping packages. Or I can pay you for yours. Funny that you say Yachiyo is a dropper. It is /very/ stick tight for me and never drops the flowers /ever/. They wilt and die on the bloom stalks and dry up there. I have to cut them off, they hold fast and don't pluck off. Again, I wonder if it's a humidity issue or yours and mine sported ways somewhere in the past and we have slightly differing strains. It's not the first time I have run into that issue. Interesting. Mind, I do get droppers sometimes in other things but it's still rare. I think gesneriads don't much care for air conditioning and dry homes which isn't an issue - we hardly ever run heat or air compared to most people. Even when we lived down in Georgia. Conversely we are used to high humidity - 70% isn't unusual. I do have to keep an eye out for mold and mildew and take some precautions. Still a few of my streptocarpus, if I move them around, will tend to drop flowers. Wow and DS Katja Tujua both for example are better not jostled for me.

I have been to Japan many times, the last fully as a tourist. Tokyo is easy to get around via the subway and trains. It used to be that even in Tokyo the signs would only be in kanji but now the transport sector usually includes signs written in Romanji (Ran characters). With the Olympic I would guess things will be even easier. Also you generally can ask the hotel for a card with return instructions for a taxi or get a map in two writings and circle the hotel. We’ve navigated China with a dual language map, but Japan is easier. Outside of Tokyo like in Kyoto you can find a local guide. I’d also recommend a stay in a ryokan with hot springs near Mt Fuji.