My husband took me to Japan and Hong Kong about five years ago, immediately after Golden Week. So everything in Japan was still beautiful and in bloom, but not crowded at all. We were there about 10 days, and then Hong Kong for four.
My mother had lived in Japan for many years, and it was great to see the things she had talked about, plus the shopping was amazing! Am I the only Tokyu Hands fan here?! I'm guessing not. And Takeshimaya? Has there ever been a better department store anywhere? It made me nostalgic for old Hudson's, Stix, Baer & Fuller, Best & Co, and all those great department stores that are no more.
I'd been dying to go to HK for years, as it seems absolutely everyone I knew had been there, and they all came back saying "coco-nut...Hong Kong is YOUR town." and it's funny, I always thought Manhattan was my town, but HK is simply gorgeous, and I loved it.