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We asked Marian Goldberg, who has traveled to Japan -- yes, 43 times, to tell us about some of her favorite memories of that island-nation. As one of this country’s foremost Japanese experts, she focuses on special travel aspects of Japan, from the popular to the unusual, and from serene to exciting. 

-- We learn about Shinto shrines, and the pleasures of visiting and staying in Buddhist retreats. There’s “forest bathing” which has nothing to do with water, and bathing in hot springs, which very much does.
-- We delight in the beauty of gardens and cherry blossoms, light-up festivals and strolls through bamboo forests, and ancient cedar forests on a sub-tropical island off Japan’s southern coast. And also traveling to the  shrines of the Shoguns.=
-- Marian tells of astounding views of Mt. Fuji from a skywalk outside of Tokyo, which also offers zip lines, huge swings and rock climbing.
-- We discuss tea ceremonies at a tea house with a geisha, in a town known for green tea. And we chat about one of the oldest pilgrimages in the world, passing by 88 temples set in valleys below towering mountains, and along the coast, where pilgrims can dress in traditional white robes, and walk up to two months to complete the route.
-- Snow monkeys look like old men as they bathe in hot springs. And hiking trails between Kyoto and Tokyo are classic and popular. Marian tells of skiing from a traditional village near Nagano, where mists surround you and the buildings are ancient. -- Marian takes us to a brewery with a 23rd generation brewer, and sake on tap.
-- And she ends with her favorite travel memory of all her many trips to Japan.
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Marian Goldberg was the Japan National Tourism Organization's Public Relations Manager for the Americas for 11 years and does personal Japan Travel Planning. She is a regular  presenter on Japan at the New York Times Travel Show.

She was the U.S. representative for Kyoto City and has been part of the team representing Tokyo in the U.S .Market. Prior to joining JNTO, she was a researcher and  producer at The Travel Channel. http://www.jaxfaxmagazine.com/contributing-writers/
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Podcast host Lea Lane has traveled to over 100 countries, written nine travel books, including Places I Remember, and contributed to dozens of guidebooks. She's @lealane on Twitter and  blogs at forbes.com 
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