It had been five years since our last trip to Japan so Katie and I packed our bags and boarded a plan, this time with my 4 year old son in tow! I'm so nostalgic for our childhood in Japan - evening festivals to celebrate the fireflies, picnics with rice balls and calpico, and riding the bullet train. We timed the trip for cherry blossom season, and even though it was crowded, it renewed my appreciation for flowering trees. They are so beautiful, and it's as if the whole country takes a two week holiday to indulge in the soft pink petals blooming everywhere.

The highlight of our trip was an overnight to the island of Naoshima. Epically sized installations by Tadao Ando, James Turrell, Yayoi Kusama and Walter de Maria dot the laid-back landscape like some kind of art treasure hunt. It's about a three hour trip from Kyoto and a seven hour trip from Tokyo but I can't recommend it enough.