Recently, in California, I was sitting next to an elderly woman on a bus. We exchanged a few words, and then I asked if she had always lived there. She said yes, but that she had traveled all over the world. She began counting the places and the list seemed endless. Among them was Japan. She paused when she was through, smiled, and then said, "I saw Mount Fuji." Nothing more, but no more was necessary. It was a statement needing no elaboration. Then she stood up. It was her stop. The woman sitting across the aisle also got up and took her hand. Then I realized that she was blind. And I thought how wonderful it is she has all these memories from her sighted days, and how fortunate that what she sees most often is Mount Fuji. It is sublime, and viewing it on clear days against blue skies -- and especially in the winter with a covering of snow -- it is a memory for a lifetime.

It is easy to overlook how meaningful each moment can be, and how important it is to fill them with memorable experiences. Now we are in the midst of Golden Week. With so many Japanese traveling overseas, it is a good time to explore your own region, wherever it is. You are sure to find celebrations and you may even find some memories of your own that will last a lifetime.

Here in Tokyo, it is a time for flower viewing. The cherry blossoms are only the beginning. Next come the peonies, the azaleas, the wisteria. If it is a good year, they will all be at their best during this holiday period. But where can you get information about the places to see them? Here in Tokyo, go to the Tourist Information Center, downstairs in the splendid Forum building near Tokyo Station, Marunouchi side, phone (03) 3201-3331, hours 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and until noon on Saturday. It is closed on national holidays. There is a second office in Kyoto, (075) 371-5649, same hours. If you live somewhere else, you can call Japan Travel Phone, 0088-22-4800, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily including weekends and national holidays, even on New Years Day, for regional information. You can also look for the "i!" signs usually found around stations and major sightseeing places. There are more than 60 of these offices throughout Japan where you can ask for information about your area. All of these make up a help network for both foreign visitors and residents and are all a part of the Japan National Tourist Office, which also provides information on sightseeing throughout Japan at www.jnto.go.jp.

Those of us in Tokyo are already aware of the azaleas, filling the city with vibrant colors so in contrast to the pale cherry blossoms. They are everywhere, but one of the most recommended gardens for viewing is at Nezu Shrine, near Nezu station on the Chiyoda Line. Ask anyone for Nezu Jinja and you will be pointed on your way. There are special performances from time to time (drums, portable shrines, tea ceremony) but the flowers are the show. Remember to go there in the fall for the chrysanthemums, which include chrysanthemum dolls depicting historic scenes.

If you do nothing else, see the wisteria at Kameido Shrine near Kameido Station on the JR Sobu line. You have seen them in woodblock prints, with picturesque bridges forming pathways across the water, and above, dense clouds of wisteria, lavender, white, pink, masking the sky. I saw them first in 1958. Elsewhere war damage had disappeared but here there were no bridges and only burned stumps where the vines had been. It was many years later when I went again, and somehow they were back in woodblock print form. It is not difficult to find. A trail of artificial wisteria will lead you there, you and thousands of others who come annually for this visual feast.

Peonies are more chancy. It depends on the weather. This year they are blooming early so consider them a preview for the others. Go now, to Nishi-Arai Taishi, a temple on the Hibiya line. Get off at Nishi Arai station and transfer to a train that will take you there in only a few minutes. There is no word adequate for the beauty of Oriental peonies, the incredible shades of pink to rose, the purity of peony white. No wonder the Chinese artists, and those who learned from them, selected the peony as their favorite.

Then there is Mount Fuji.