Our team at Inside Japan Tours

When Samantha sat down to watch her very first episode of Pokémon, she had no idea it would spark an interest that would see her leaving her home in Adelaide to start a new life in Japan.

Pokémon was just the start and she was soon getting her teeth into a plethora of anime titles, including Initial D, One Piece and Hunter x Hunter. At university, she travelled beyond the screen to study Japanese in Kanagawa. This exchange didn't quite cut it though, and she returned to spend six years teaching at a school on a mountain in Kobe. Although it was her job to teach English conversation classes and cultural exchange activities, every day was a school day for her too, as she learnt all about traditional and modern Japanese culture from her students.

Impressive illuminations are popular across Japan but the annual Kobe Luminarie is one of the most spectacular and became one of Samantha's calendar highlights. That and sakura flavoured goodies. How to make a flower flavoured dessert? Just ask Japan. Cakes, chocolate, iced coffees... You name it. In spring the sweet taste of the cherry blossom (sakura) is immortalised in just about everything.

As a huge Harry Potter fan, Samantha was well placed to channel her inner Hermione at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in the neighbouring city of Osaka; a place where fans find themselves standing in front of Hogwarts and weaving through Hogsmeade Village just outside one of Japan's most buzzing cities.

Next best thing to Harry Potter? Being a potter! Samantha followed a passion for illustration and pottery to Prague where she learnt to throw clay with the experts - if you need a vase, she's your go-to girl. Unsurprisingly then, the 'art island' of Naoshima, with outdoor installations including Yayoi Kusama's famous spotted pumpkin, was her favourite place of all in Japan.