This was my first trip to Japan. Very productive work wise, but also some great food. Its tough as a vegetarian but we had one meal with my colleagues where they made tofu in front of our eyes. They also served avocado tofu, which I am surprised has not caught up in the Bay Area yet!
Apart from work, I spent one day in Hakone and a half day in Kamakura. I was both floored by all the temples, but also by how helpful and respectful the people were. The small bamboo forest in one of the small Kamakura temples with tea ceremony was awesome. Hakone needs a special mention on its own. We did the famous boat ride and went over Owakudani which is surreal with the volcanic ashes coming out of it. But the best part was Yunessun park where there there are natural and artificial onsens. There is a wine, coffee, sake and green tea onsen which were all pretty unique!
In the evenings, I walked all across town - Shibuya, Akihabara and Shinjuku and also saw saw some of the local sights in Tokyo.
