WE FLEW to Japan for a two-week holiday.

Japan has always been isolated from the rest of the world, yet they retain their deeply-rooted traditions and secrets to the present day.

This country is original and unique.

We stayed in an apartment close to Shinjuku station, the busiest train station in the world.

Tokyo is a city of contrasts.

Relatively quiet during the day, then bright and full of life at night.

We explored all the city by train as it is cheap and convenient.

Tokyo subway looks like a big web, easy to get lost, but the local people are very friendly and helpful.

Easy to understand self-service and English signs everywhere to assist foreign explorers.

In Tokyo we visited Miraikan - the museum of innovation and saw many forms of robots including conference androids etc.

This makes you realise how truly advanced Japan is.

Other things to see and do include Tokyo Skytree, shopping at Ginza district, and Akihabara (Electric City) for anime fans and technology.

But to see underground Tokyo you can take various ghost tours where you will see the not so pretty side of this city.
It is educational and very interesting from stories of ancient Samurai to more modern themes.

We travelled to Kyoto via shinkansen (high speed train).

Kyoto was a step back from the sleepless city of Tokyo and was rich in tradition.

We spent a nice weekend in a national hotel Ryokan, close to Yasaka shrine and Gion - one of the most well-known geisha districts in Japan.

It's a very beautiful and romantic city with many shrines and temples.

Many tourists walk in the national clothes, but with a keen eye you can see the true geisha walking the streets.

Kyoto is not a big city, easy to navigate but the locals have limited English and can test the average traveller.

For something more extreme you can visit one of Japan's most popular theme parks Fuji-Q Highland, which is two hours away from Tokyo and holds various Guinness World Records for the attractions there.

To do and see:

• Robot restaurant in Tokyo, Shinzuku. We didn't expect that it can be so cool!
• UOBEI - probably the best sushi train in Tokyo, Shibuya district.
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building has the two panoramic observation decks on floor 45, they are free of charge to the public and contain gift shops and cafes.
• Walking in Kyoto in the traditional clothes and book a room at the national hotel Ryokan, it will be unforgettable and very romantic experience.