What I Experienced in Uzbekistan

I went to Uzbekistan during Golden Week in 2025.

Uzbekistan is the first Central Asian country.

Uzbekistan has the following major tourist destinations. This time, I visited the capital, Tashkent, and　the fourth largest city, Samarkand.

As someone with an interest in crafts, I originally wanted to visit the Fergana Basin (about 300 km east of the capital, Tashkent) and Khiva (about 1,000 km west), which has a strong Silk Road influence, but I had to give up on these plans this time due to transportation issues and my itinerary.

◉ My encounter with Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is my first visit to Central Asia. Looking at the map, I was surprised to see that Central Asia is quite close to Japan. Looking at air tickets, there is a direct flight from neighboring South Korea to the capital, Tashkent.

In fact, I have had many encounters with Uzbekistan before.

What made the biggest impression on me was when a colleague of mine went there for a trip. From that time on, I got the impression that it was a popular country among women, and at the same time, that it was a safe country that women could enjoy. Her photos showed beautiful Islamic mausoleums, and I could see that it was a world different from what I had imagined.

Another thing is that when I saw a scene in the romance TV show “Ainori ASIAN JOURNEY” where someone was invited to a local wedding, I thought to myself, “The people of this country are so generous,” and now I think about it, it was a country I had been exposed to without even realizing it.

A round-trip flight cost about 160,000 yen, and the fact that no visa is required for tourism also encouraged me to go at this time.

◉ Tashkent [The face of a modern city]

Most Japanese travelers will land at the airport in the capital, Tashkent. The appeal is that there are direct flights from South Korea, and the flight takes less than 10 hours.

Tashkent was a much more developed city than I had imagined. You can get anywhere in the city by subway, and there is also an extensive bus network.

This city is not that large, but it is lined with sophisticated tourist facilities and stores. For example, there is “Magic City Park” reminiscent of a certain theme park, “Besh Qozon” a pilaf specialty restaurant, “Eski Juva Bozori” a huge market, and “Navruz Park” an amusement park. You can feel the economic power of a country blessed with natural resources and its investment in tourism.

However, there aren’t many historical sights, so it seemed to function more as a gateway rather than a tourist center.

◉ Samarkand [beautiful city]

Samarkand is a city where you can feel the splendor of the Timurid Empire. Particularly famous is the Maydoni Registon, where three mausoleums stand side by side. There were moments when the overwhelming beauty and scale of the place took my breath away.

In addition to its historical heritage, the city is also surprisingly rich in greenery and has beautiful streetscapes.

And what stayed in my mind more than anything was the warmth of the people. The taxi drivers were proactive and would talk to me, telling me the way even though they didn’t speak English, and the shopkeepers were friendly and smiley. Rather than the hospitality of a tourist spot, I was happy to experience the warmth of everyday life.

About 90 km south of Samarkand is the World Heritage Site “Historic Centre of Shakhrisyabz.” However, many of the ruins here have been destroyed, and only a limited amount remain.

Although I only visited two cities this time, Tashkent and Samarkand, I was still able to fully experience the charm of Uzbekistan.

Next time, I would like to experience the deeper side of Uzbekistan, such as the craft city of Fergana and the historical and atmospheric city of Khiva.