For a cost of $2,928 for both of us (not each), we booked our UTO Vacation which included a week in China and a week in Japan. Departing from Los Angeles on Monday, October 21, we arrived into Shanghai the following day. We met our UTO Chinese tour guide, Christina at the airport and she immediately made us feel welcome and safe in a foreign country. During our first day in Shanghai, we toured The Bund, the People's Square and Nanjing Road before traveling to Suzhou. where we toured a silk factory, traveled down The Venice of the East and toured the Classical Gardens - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We took a motorized gondola ride on the Grand Canal which is the longest man-made waterway in the world. We finished our day in Suzhou with a visit to Lanli Garden which dates back to the 11th century during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Our accommodations at the Royal Tulip Hotel were exceptional - as were all of our accommodations throughout China.

We traveled to Wuxi (pronounced woo she) where we toured the Lingshan Grand Buddha which is the world''s largest bronze Buddha statue at a height of 289 feet. This site also included the Brahma Palace, the Five Mudra Mandala Nine Dragons Bathing Sakyamuni and Xiangfu Temple. With a population of over six million residents, Wuxi is considered a small city in China. For comparison, New York City is the largest city in the United States with a population of 8.5 million.

Leaving Wuxi, we traveled past Lake Tai before visiting a pearl factory before arriving in Hangzhou (pronounced hung joe). We visited the Six Harmonies Pagoda which was constructed in 970 by the Wuyue Kingdom. Marco Polo once called Hangzhou the most enchanting city in the world. We enjoyed a boat tour of West Lake and then visited the Dragon Well Tea Plantation which was extremely interesting. With a population of 10,300,000, it was amazing to see how clean the entire city was and how friendly the locals were.

Returning to Shanghai, we returned to The Bund where we enjoyed the most interesting night-time experience of the entire trip. We cruised the Huangpu River for over an hour while all of the building in downtown Shanghai lit up with a dazzling display of lights and music. We signed up for a day tour of Shanghai which was money well spent. We were thrilled to ride the Shanghai maglev train which connects the Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Longyang Road Station. It is the fastest commercial electric train in the world traveling at 268mph and was the quietest and smoothest train ride we had ever experienced. We were then given a few hours to shop at the Xinyang "knockoff" Market where I purchased a Rolex watch for $50usd. Our next stop was at the Jin Mao Tower where the elevator ride took 45 seconds to reach the 88th floor observation deck where we enjoyed panoramic views of the entire city. The Shanghai World Financial Center, which has 121 floors and is the 12th tallest structure in the world, was next door and the architecture was amazing. We finished our day with a dinner and shopping at Tianzifang where we finally mastered chop sticks.

We arrived in Osaka, Japan on Monday, October 28 and checked into our room at the Karaksa Spring Hotel Kansai Air Gate where we experienced the smallest hotel room we had ever stayed in. Our accommodations in China were 5-star, extremely spacious and always included a buffet breakfast fit for a king. The same could not be said of any of our accommodations in Japan. We learned the Japanese prefer to have opulent toilets and very small sleeping areas (think inside cabin on a cruise ship).

While I am confident much has changed since the early 50's when my Dad was stationed with the US Army in Osaka, one of the first visits we made was to Osaka Castle which was completed in 1597. During WWII, allied forces made every attempt to avoid historical sites so some semblance of Osaka Castle stood during my Dad's time here. We had plenty of free time to shop and eat in Shinsaibasi - the premier shopping area in Osaka. The Japanese take great pride in their country and it was evident by how clean every city was. The Japanese people are also much friendlier than their counterparts in China. The subway systems throughout Japan are unbelievable as complete malls, shopping centers, eateries and businesses are found underground.

We then traveled to Nara and visited the Nara Deer Park where over 1,500 deer roam freely and are considered to be messengers of the gods, a symbol of the city and a natural treasure. The park includes 3,000 lanterns which are sumbolic of the 3,000 Kasuga shrines spread throughout Japan. We then traveled to Kyoto where we visited the Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine and experienced a traditional Japanese tea ceremony with a 14th generation tea master. We then toured the Golden Pavilion and enjoyed a traditional Japanese lunch cooked right at our sunken table.

There are an estimated 86,000 temples and 95,000 shrines in Japan and one of the most magnificent temples we visited was the Kiyomizu Buddhist Temple. From there, we toured the 36,000 square foot Nijo-Jo Castle and then took the subway to tour the Kyoto Imperial Place which was the former ruling palace of the Emperor of Japan. The palace, like many of the oldest and most important buildings in Japan, was destroyed by fire and rebuilt many times over the course of its history. It had been destroyed and rebuilt eight times, six of them during the 250-year long peace of the Edo period (12 century). The version standing today was built in 1855.

Leaving Kyoto, we traveled near Yokohama where we visited Mount Fuji which is the highest volcano in Japan at 12,389 ft. and the 7th highest peak of an island in the world. Approximately 300,000 people climb Mount Fuji every year and the most popular period for people to hike is from July to August, while huts and other facilities are operating and the weather is warmest. Most Japanese climb the mountain at night in order to be in a position at or near the summit when the sun rises (arrival of light). Descending Mount Fuji, we entered the town of Yamanakako near Lake Kawaguchiko where we enjoyed a boat ride and took in the breadth taking views of Mount Fuji. We also enjoyed the Mount Fuji Panoramic Ropeway which ascends 1,300 feet from the eastern short of Kale Kawaguichiko to an observation deck near the peak of Mount Tenjo. After a day of touring, we arrived at the APA Hotel & Resort in Yokohama which was the newest of all of our hotels in Japan but with the smallest room. After touring the harbor in the morning, we drove to Tokyo.

Our first stop in Tokyo was at the Shibuya Crossing which is rumored to be the busiest intersection in the world with over 3,000 people crossing at a time. We then toured the Meiji Shrine which is located in a forest that covers an areas of 170 acres. Approximately 120,000 trees of 365 different species were donated by people from all parts of Japan when the shrine was established in 1921. Saki barrels wrapped in straw are donated annually by local brew masters to commemorate the Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken. France donated barrels of burgundy to the shrine and people write wishes and prayers on wooden planks. We then visited the Senso-ji Buddhist temple which is the oldest temple in Tokyo. On the front of the gate, the statues of the Shinto gods Fjin and Raijin are displayed. Fjin, the god of wind, is located on the east side of the gate, while Raijin, the god of thunder, is located on the west side. Visitors tough the Thunder Gate for good luck. Our last day in Tokyo was spent enjoying the 45th floor observation level of the Metropolitan Government Building and the Shinhjuke Washington Hotel.

Travel is the best education! We spent 3-weeks in China in 2016 and were delighted to return where we found continued expansion in every city we visited. With COVID-19, I'm not sure how many will book a trip to China or Japan but these are two beautiful countries at have rich histories and unbelievable destinations to explore. We felt extremely safe wherever we traveled and enjoyed the shopping and dining experiences - trying to figure out the language and currency. We traveled October 21 - November 4 and the weather was perfect in both China and Japan (I wore shorts and a light jacket most every day). UTOvacation was the best value of any vacation we have taken in years. The organization of its guides, the friendliness of its staff and the attention to detail are all reasons we will consider booking again.

MyUTOtrips #5 Alan, Schumacher