What was you best moment in Japan?

Sorry if someone has already posted this but I couldnt see it and was interested to know what your best moment in Japan was/is.

I am regrettably no longer in Japan but out of the 10 billion moments I experienced while I was there in my short 6 month stay one that stands out the most was when I decided to go for a walk on a bright sunny day in a random direction (I lived in Nohgata near Fukuoka, so it was quite a remote area) and walked for about 8 hours, on my travels I went to a small art gallery, a very old remote graveyard of some sort and lots of rice fields, I followed beside a road so I wouldnt get lost but there was practically no buildings about at one point, just mountains and fields, I found a vending machine in the middle of nowhere (which I very much appreciated) and the best part of the trip was discovering this small shrine at the top of alot of steps. It was surrounded by trees and was so peaceful, I sat beside the shrine/temple for about 20 minutes in silence and I honestly felt more at peace than I ever have before.

It was strange that out of all the places I visited and all the exciting things I did that, that one seemingly uneventful day would be one of the most memorable. Hopefully if I return to Japan as an ALT that I will be placed in some remote town and can experience that feeling again :)

We just happened to walk into the Kyoto Imperial Palace gardens on our way back to the subway station from the Raku Museum,(having walked the other way getting TO the Raku) on the day we were leaving Japan (going from Kyoto to Narita for an evening flight, so leaving Kyoto around midday): my husband just said:" we have a half hour to spare, lets see what's in here": the profusion of superb cherry blossoms was almost tear-jerking..I gasped, and it was just the best half hour of the whole trip. One of the photos I took is now my desktop...

Sunrise on the Summit of Mt Fuji, July 20th 1969, the day man landed on the moon.

1st day in Japan. Walked from the hotel in a random direction and found Asakusa Kanon temple during a festival!!
Walking around Kyoto on my first night there listening to the National Anthem of Macross. I almost cried.... Horribly otaku i know ^^;

etc. etc. etc

It was amazing for me when I got off the plane and my friend was waiting for me ! I had not seen her in a year!!!!!

Also seeing Tokyo for the first time all lit up and busy was breath taking.

I have two:

First one was the day after we arrived, we took the shinkansen to Nagano to atend a gig. The thing is... we didn�Lt have tickets!! We had arranged something with a girl in Nagano across the internet... we were really charmed when she appeared with the tickets and showed us around the city and we had something to drink. Really made us feel like at home.

The second was just a random moment during the second half of my stay. We had rented an apartment in Tokyo, but my girlfriend left back to Spain so I would spend another 15 days alone... It was in the last days when I came back one afternoon to my place and the smell and look of the apartment was somehow familiar to me. I had become part of Tokyo without even realising and that made me feel really happy.

We had just arrived in Hakone and decided to take a walk. We found this fairly unpopulated path and to the left was a little area where in summer months I'm sure people paid a small fee just to soak their feet in the little pond. It was adorable with a sitting area. As we walked on towards the shrine up a small hill, it was so quiet and I don't think during the trip it had ever been so peaceful, so quiet and so beautiful.
Afterwards I tried the onsen for the first time. It was evening and a little chilly in the air. We had a lovely albeit dark view of the surrounding gardens. Teh water was so warm - melting my back ache away and after touring Tokyo for 3 days straight, it felt so wonderful!