This time next week I will be in Japan! I first decided I wanted to go to Japan about a year ago. I was flying to Broome and happened to read an article about cherry blossom season in the in-flight magazine. I just knew I wanted to see the sakura in bloom for myself. That's all it takes with me.

For a while, I almost didn't end up going. I've travelled on my own on a couple of occasions now and don't have an issue with it but I really wanted to go with someone else to Japan. I suppose I felt slightly intimidated about being in a country where I will so obviously be a foreigner. But prospective travel buddies fell through and other holiday destinations just didn't feel right. At the end of the day, I would rather travel alone than not at all.

I booked my flights at the beginning of March and now the countdown is on! I have just booked four nights at a ryokan in Tokyo and now my thoughts are dancing ahead to a week from now, when I will actually be there. This is the part I love. Reading and researching and looking at photos and visualising myself amongst it all. Japan, for me, has this mystical atmosphere to it, as the culture is so different to what I am used to.

I want to visit Takayama, which is the only place in Japan with the cherry blossoms open while I am there; Mount Fuji, Hiroshima; Kyoto and Nara as well as exploring Tokyo. Plus I want to take part in cultural activities on offer at some of the ryokans such as tea ceremonies and calligraphy lessons. On my last night I'm going to stay at the Park Hyatt Hotel where the movie Lost in Translation was filmed. I think I'll need to have a drop of Suntory whiskey a la Bill Murray- for a relaxing time, of course! I'm so excited by it all!

If you have any recommendations for memorable experiences in Japan, please let me know