It really is worth the trip, and despite the influx of tourists for that exact purpose every Spring, the sheer abundance of the beautiful tree means that you will inevitably find an ideal viewing location for your personal tastes. It might be your desire to have musical accompaniment in the form of either traditional local folk music or a dude blasting dubstep from his custom fitted Mitsubishi. It might be that you want to see how pink flowers make the old "Jo" (castles) of the country look less intimidating. It might be that you want to eat the pinkness. There is in fact an entire art to optimise your blossom viewing experience, called 'hanami'. It might be a testament to the diversification of Japanese efficiency, or the beauty is just so overwhelming that debate emerged on how best to enjoy it.

I see it now - that's Mount Fuji, with the sun setting behind it, and a giant monster fern growing out of the side of the mountain.

Fireworks All Summer Long - Yeah. Being Sydneysiders, we know how awesome fireworks are. Japanese fireworks -"Hanabi" (flower fire) - attempt to bring the beauty of the cherry blossom trees in Spring to the sky in Summer for those who missed out on flower-watching (hanami) in the previous season.

The sinister origins of the fires is to pay homage to Godzilla. Legend has it that if the fires are not lit each year, the great beast shall return and eat all of the sushi in Japan.

Daimonji Gozan Bonfire Festival - Something that is generally prohibited in the Aussie bush is lighting huge fires. Kyoto in August sees the mountains light up to display flaming Kanji (again - literally not sardonically) so that everyone can learn at least one character while they view the spectacle. 75 fires measuring up to 160 metres across are lit up simultaneously, and superstition holds that if you let the fires reflect in your glass of sake or water, you will have good health.

In Australia we would usually be running from a bushfire when we see trees this colour.

If you were sold on Spring in Japan and/or got confused about the northern hemisphere's opposing seasonal calendar and ended up booking a holiday to Japan in September to November, don't fret.

While Spring has the pink cherry blossoms, Autumn is just as famous for its fiery flora. Just as Spring has 'hanami' flower-viewing picnics, Autumn also has 'momijigari' red-leaf hunt. There are plenty of seasonal hiking options all over Japan to soak up the latent chromatic warmth, or maybe even practise some zazen meditation in a Zen temple?

Tip: Camouflage yourself by wearing orange and red clothes to photo-bomb other tourists most effectively.

No trip to Japan is complete without a sunset picture of Mount Fuji. Whether you hike up a hill for a landscape shot or buy a postcard and send it to your aunt in Svalbard, it's your prerogative.

When you can't speak Japanese, and they can't speak English, sake is your Babel fish.

That crisp time of year when people huddle around a glass of hot sake and some Oden, telling stories about the time they went to Japan in Winter and had hot sake and Oden for the first time. The Eastern equivalent of mulled wine, with fewer spices and a higher alcohol content (heating it up doesn't evaporate the alcohol - which some people have probably learnt the hard way) is a popular winter drink.

Sooner or later, you're going to have to leave the comfort of your hotel, shopping mall or McDonald's (in Japanese pronounced Macadonaldo - the Italians taught them how to say it), and venture out into the cold to explore. Winter in Japan is pretty cold, but not as cold as Canada or Siberia, which is nice. It's cold enough for snow, which is all most people like in the cold anyway.

Some people wear only one ski if they can't afford two. They usually can be identified by their disproportionate leg muscles.