Walking through the Ningyocho district was fascinating, giving an insight into the history of the area dating back to the Edo period. Here the streets are crowded with myriad food stores that are determinedly keeping centuries old traditions alive and relevant in such a modern city. We happened upon a rice cracker shop where a gentleman was placing charcoal into a machine in preparation to hand craft rice crackers. The store itself sold an endless array of crackers; I bought two bags, not to eat but to take home as a souvenir of an increasingly disappearing craft. We ended up zig zagging back and forth across Amezake Yokocho, ducking into a sushi shop that have been making sushi since 1877, before turning a corner and navigating our way to Gyokueido Sweets, where the owner explained that his family have been making sweets since 1576, first in Kyoto and more recently from this shop in Tokyo. As her chatted about generations of his family, his wife served a steady stream of customers, placing their choice of sweets into boxes before intricately wrapping them in paper (it looked effortless to her). The owner laid out a plate of lovely little pastel pink Sakura mochi for us to sample, explaining that these were made in the Kyoto (Kansai) style – the steamed rice has more texture in it than the more smooth Tokyo (Kanto) style. They were absolutely delicious, especially given the cherry tree leaves they are wrapped in are soaked in salt, producing an irresistible sweet/salty combination. I could have eaten them all day!

I loved the area around YanakaGinza(Shopping Street), watching an endless flood of people go in search of food and fun. As we wandered the streets in the vicinity we happened upon a scrubbing brush shop, Kamenoko Tawashi Yanaka, a delightful space where this 109-year-old company sell traditional tawashi (which apparently are great at removing tea stains from cups), designer scrubbers and even T-shirts and cute little tote bags emblazoned with its logo. We also stopped in at a traditional geta store, the walls lined with designs in wood and raffia, and a paper shop to browse the endless sheets of bright designs (some still produced by wood block). I bought three sheets in various shades of blue, and watched as the girl behind the counter rolled them up and wrapped them in another piece of gorgeously designed paper. Nezu-jinja Shrine: Nezu-jinja Shrine was a lovely oasis in the middle of the busy neighbourhood. Walking through its giant tori at the entrance, we immediately found ourselves surrounded by lush gardens, with streams filled with carp and even a turtle sunning itself on a rock. The shrine itself is stunning; it is fascinating to watch locals stand patiently in line to pay their respects, shopping bags in hand, before happily going back to their day to day routine once done – it is another lovely glimpse into an ancient Japanese tradition played out against the backdrop of the unrelentingly modern city that encircles it. Whenever I find myself at a shrine I always love to take time to look at the ema, little wooden tablets on which worshippers and visitors write their prayers and wishes. I know it sounds like it might be a slight invasion of privacy, but I am always heartened to see what people ask for: it is almost never money or fame or fast cars but rather the health and happiness of their loved ones or the betterment of society (world peace is always in there somewhere), or in the case of students, that they pass a certain exam.

A perfect way to really understand the sheer size of the city is by taking the lift up to the viewing platform of Tokyo Tower.

Given the Shinagawa Prince Hotel’s proximity to the train station across the road, getting to Haneda Airport was an easy process. Once there check in took no time, and after clearing security we had the chance to take a look around the airport. While it was a little too early to browse the shops – there were lots to choose from – we did have time to grab a breakfast bento. We were onboard and taking off right on time for the short flight from Tokyo to Akita, watching from the window as Tokyo receded into the distance and the snow on the mountains below became thicker the further north we headed. We landed into Akita airport to a temperature of minus six degrees. Our bags were delivered from the plane quickly and we met up with our guides and set off through the snow, which we were told was not very deep this year. It looked pretty deep to me.

Before getting kitted out to take to the Tazawako Skiing Area we headed to Lake Tazawa to make the most of the crisp air and stunning sunshine. Driving along the side of the lake we were told the tale of the beautiful young woman who transform into a dragon and now lives at the bottom of the lake; we were also told that it is the deepest lake in Japan. We eventually stopped at the most picturesque part of the shore, where a tiny Shinto shrine sits on the edge of the water laden with a blanket of snow, while across the lake the snow-capped mountains were perfectly reflected on its mirror-like surface. The silence here was otherworldly – it was so peaceful and quiet, allowing for the stunning view to be appreciated without the slightest distraction.

Tazawako Skiing Area had a laid back, casual and uncrowded feel, populated mostly by Japanese (many of the local skiers simply drove up in their cars and changed into their boots in the car park). It is small by comparison to many resorts but this added to the experience: it felt like we were part of the local community (although there were quite a few Australians there too) and it also made tasks like getting fitted for our boots and skis a quick and easy process. In not time we were suited up and heading out to the slopes, which include runs for beginners and pros (the resort was about the host the Mogul World Cup). Unlike other resorts, the runs were relatively uncrowded, with no waiting time on the ski lift and lots of room to move coming down the slopes. I hadn’t been on skis in years and was too scared to do the run from the top (I was transported down the hill on a snow mobile), so my instructor gave me a refresher course, which was great fun. One of the highlights of our time here was lunch, with all manner of steaming noodles served up fresh and hot. I loved the fact that there wasn’t a hamburger or French fry on the menu; it really enhanced the overall experience.

This ryokan is absolutely gorgeous, a true slice of old Japan. I first stayed in a Ryokan when I was 16 and have been fascinated by these traditional inns ever since. I cannot understand why more visitors to Japan don’t opt to stay at places like this. The property is wonderfully cosy and well appointed – we were told that we had some of the best rooms available, and I can definitely see why: the tatami rooms were delightful. After taking the water, most of the guests opted to dress for dinner in the yukata provided to each guest in their room. Dinner itself was a seemingly endless array of dishes, each one exquisitely executed and totally delicious. One of my favourite discoveries was the Akita specialty kiritanpo, a moulded and grilled rice stick that is added to hot pots and stews – I couldn’t get enough of it!

The town of Kakunodate was fascinating, a former samurai stronghold where now only a few traditional houses survive. We were shown around one such house by the owner, who was the twelfth generation of his family to reside there. The house features heirlooms of the family’s past, from maps and furniture to stunning traditional samurai warrior armor.

We walked from Ishiguro House to a nearby museum, the streets lined with cherry trees, their vast cascading branches devoid of leaves in the current winter chill; it is easy to imagine how amazing they will look in the spring during cherry blossom season, which is a hugely popular attraction in the area.

While we were in Kakunodate we got a sneak peek at the Hiburi Fire Festival – it involves lighting a woven cylinder of hay attached to what I consider to be a very short rope and then swinging it around and around above your head until it breaks up and burns itself out. While we witnessed this demonstration during the day, the festival itself takes place at night when the lit torches create stunning circles of fire. While I opted out of swinging a rapidly burning projectile over my head (I didn’t think the cotton jacket and headscarf I was given to wear were really going to offer much protection should I go up in flames too), the whole ritual is believed to chase away bad fortune at the start of the Lunar New Year.

It took us a few hours to get to the Oga Peninsula by train 9including the baby Shinkansen) to experience the Namahage Sedo Festival; the festival is celebrated during the Lunar New Year and involves young single men dressing up in woven hay cloaks and beastly carved masks and going from house to house scaring children into behaving during the coming year by telling them that they will know if they are bad and come back for them. The ritual involves a lot of stamping of feet and banging on walls, with the head ogre carrying a book that supposedly lists the children’s misdemeanors throughout the previous year. The ogres are eventually placated by the offer of food and sake, and a promise from the often hysterical children that they will do as they are told throughout the year. They then stamp their feet again to ward off bad luck and leave with a wheel of sticky rice, ready to make the children at the next house they visit cry hysterically.

The Namahage Museum and Oga Shinzan Folklore Museum tell the story of the festival and feature a collection of vintage masks, all set up to terrifying effect in a large gallery. We also watched a craftsman carving masks by hand, before being ushered into a recreation of a traditional house to watch a performance of how a visit from the Namahage plays out, complete with (pretend) terrified children. After that we head up the hill to watch it all over again, including the traditional blessing by a Shinto priest (which is also accompanied by sake). The Namahage, holding lit torches march through the crowd in full ogre swagger; tradition has it that if you find a piece of straw from one of their capes left behind it will bring good luck for the coming year. The parade was followed by yet another dramatisation of the whole ritual and then a drum performance. The evening was totally amazing and totally unique to Akita.