We have wanted to visit Japan for years. Mike was there in 1979 and 1981 but Denise has only been there through literature, cinema and food so this really is the trip of a lifetime – a true SKI holiday.
As great admirers of the writing of Haruki Murakami our primary mission is to discover as many of the locations featured in his novels as we can. We also intend to enjoy ourselves and explore the culture and meet the people of Japan. We are keen to visit some of the more famous gardens and have several planned. We also want to see some of the collections of Ukiyo-e (fabulous woodblock prints for those who haven’t had the pleasure of finding them).
We are travelling in April and May 2013 and will keep you posted as our journey of discovery unfolds.
Oh and we have a company MR Production that helps people communicate through print, websites, video and television.
mikeandmurakami.com 
安全な旅
(Anzen’na tabi)
Thanks Les
Great to catch you just before we left and hope that all your works go well too.
My wife has not been but I was there in 1969 in Ylkuska, Sasebo, and Tokyo really enjoyed it there.
We had the most wonderful time as you can tell from the blog. Totally recommended as a destination for varied and fascinating travel.