Tokyo to Tokyo

Dense and delightful, there’s nowhere else like Japan’s kinetic capital - a city where ancient traditions blend seamlessly with a relentless pursuit for the future’s sharpest edge. See the city from above, as elevators rocket you up to towering viewing platforms, from which you can survey a vast urban ocean, interspersed with sky-scraping needles. Look out as far as the distant loom of Mount Fuji’s cone on clear days. Futuristic – second-accurate - transport seamlessly links Tokyo’s 14 districts, while the glow of flashing advertisement boards, clanks of arcade machines, and waves of humanity flowing along its streets, adds to the sense of mesmerising, dizzying and glorious sensory overload. One of Tokyo’s most iconic sights, don’t miss the flood of people scrambling to cross Shibuya’s famous intersection. Join the choreographed dance, as crowds of briefcase-carrying commuters are given the green light to cross at the same time – bathed in the light of massive neon advertisements. The culture is immensely rich and deep, with 7th-century, lantern-decorated temples, stunning palaces and tranquil scarlet shrines waiting below cloaks of incense and nestling between soaring skyscrapers. Restaurants serve up precisely prepared sushi, and wafer-thin seafood slivers, offering a unique taste of the country’s refined cuisine. Settle into traditional teahouses, to witness intricate ceremonies, or join the locals as they fill out karaoke bars to sing the night away. In the spring, cherry blossom paints a delicate pink sheen over the city’s innumerable parks and gardens.

Japan’s third-biggest city has thrown off its shackles and stepped out of the shadows to light up the sky with glaring neon signs and a larger than life outlook. Giant octopuses cling to buildings and bustling restaurants pack in the crowds in this great and garish place, which is Japan at its most friendly, extroverted and flavourful. So dive in headfirst to experience an all-out sensory assault of delicious food, shopping cathedrals and glittering temples. Dotombori Bridge bathes in the multicoloured, jewel-like lights of signage-plastered buildings, and the neon lights dance on the canal's waters below. Osaka is known as the nation's kitchen, and the Kuromon Ichiba Market has served as the city's spot to tuck in for almost 200 years. Full of street food stalls - try pufferfish, savoury Okonomiyaki pancakes, or ginger and onion flavoured octopus, among the endless feast of exotic flavours. Osaka Castle is another of the city’s landmarks, built in the 16th century by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. A modern museum now waits inside, where you can learn about the country's history, and why this castle is a symbol of Japanese unity. Be sure to take the elevator up to the observation deck for a panoramic view of Osaka's spread. A colourful park encloses the castle and blooms with an ocean of pale pink cherry blossom during the season - the elegant black tiers rising from the pink haze below is one of Osaka's most alluring visions. Kyoto’s peaceful cultural treasures and temples are also just a short jaunt away on Japan’s sleek trains, should you wish to explore further afield.

"A tapestry of kaleidoscopic colours, intense seafood flavours, and urban beach bliss, Busan rolls across a glorious natural setting on the Korean Peninsula's south-east. One of the largest and busiest ports in the world, 3.5 million people call South Korea's second city home, and the amiable locals help to lend the city its quirky, offbeat outlook. A spacious, playful and cosmopolitan place, Busan is a lively, liveable city, cradled by lush mountains and endless ocean scenery. Haedong Yonggung Temple nestles on a dramatic cliffside, just above the crumbling rocks and crashing waves of the East Sea. Dating back to 1376, the temple's multi-storey pagoda is adorned with lions - each representing a different emotion. Elsewhere, lanterns glitter in the night sky around Mount Geumjeongsan, freshly released from the beautiful Beomeosa Temple, which was established in AD 678. The hillside shantytown of Gamcheon Culture Village has completed an improbable transformation, blossoming from a sea of makeshift homes for Korean war refugees, into a colourful explosion of creativity and curiosity. Local artists have been let loose to create interactive installations, and the entire area is now an expansive canvas for expression. Lose yourself among vibrant alleyways of flamingo-pink, lemon-yellow and baby-blue painted facades in this unique area. Sample bibimbap, fiery-hot beef and rice, from street food vendors, before relaxing on one of South Korea's best beaches - Haeundae's banana bend of sand. Metallic skyscrapers offer an unusual backdrop to this pristine expanse of golden powder and are mirrored by elaborate sandcastles and sculptures during the annual sand festival - when spontaneous water fights and firework displays also take place. Gwangalli beach is another urban option, laying out spectacular views of the reaching Gwangan Bridge - the country's second largest bridge. At night, 16,000 bulbs bathe this engineering marvel in colour."

Sakaiminato is a small city almost totally surrounded by water: the Sea of Japan to the east the Sakai Channel to the north and Lake Nakaumi to the west. Across the lake the towns of Matsue and Yasugi offer interesting experiences. Matsue is known as the “Town of Water” next to scenic Lake Shinji and Lake Nakaumi. It has one of the very few wooden castles that still remain in Japan. Touring the castle and boat rides on the Horikawa River and the castle’s moat are popular. Yasugi has the Adachi Museum of Art a private museum that houses one of the finest collections of contemporary Japanese paintings but also has a 165 000 square metres garden –with plants and rocks collected by the museum’s founder. Six different gardens show different scenarios depending on the season. These gardens have been selected as “Japan’s best garden” for several years.

From fiery festivals to spectacular mountain scenery soaring temples to castles surrounded by cherry blossom blooms Aomori is one of Japan’s most enchanting destinations. While there are gorgeous pink tinted parks tiered castles and towering Buddha statues to explore the Aomori Prefecture’s capital is perhaps best known for the summer festival of fire that lights it up each year. Lavish illuminated floats fill the streets during Nebuta Matsuri festival as dancing locals wave flickering lanterns through the night sky - and drummers pound out pulsating rhythms. Nebuta Matsuri has a euphoric and energetic atmosphere which makes it stand out as an unmissable experience compared with some of Japan’s more restrained festivals. At other times of the year places like the stunning Hirosaki Castle bloom with rose-pink cherry blossom as spring’s sunshine clears away winter’s plentiful snowfall. Extraordinary prehistoric Jomon period history is waiting to be unearthed at the living archaeological site Sannai-Maruyama Ruins. Or the untouched wilderness of UNESCO World Heritage Site Shirakami Sanchi is within reach. This sprawling mass of beech trees covers a third of the Shirakami mountain range and the dense forestry once blanketed the majority of northern Japan’s land. Visit to scratch the surface of this untamed landscape’s beauty and see sprawling waterfalls cascading down mountainsides in a beautiful off-bounds landscape where black bears roam freely.

Gaze down over Hakodate, from the heights of its namesake peak - Mount Hakodate - to see the city stretching out spectacularly, with back-to-back twin bays splitting the ocean. Hakodate port was one of the first to open Japan up to the world, and to international trade in 1859 - a fact reflected in the architecture, with its influences from the West and beyond. The port area is a redbrick wash of warehouses turned shopping malls, all observed by the onion domes of the city's Russian Orthodox church. Elsewhere, the star-shaped Goryokaku fortress glows with natural colours and a beautiful haze of cherry blossom during the season. Goryokaku Tower, which rises up beside it, offers a sweeping bird's eye view of the green fortress and mountain backdrop. Buses trundle up the 335-metre incline to the top of Mount Hakodate, but the best way to reach the views is to jump on the ropeway, which swings high above downtown's buildings, over a carpet of pine trees. Head up to the mountain's heights as sunset approaches. With darkness sweeping in, and the lights flickering to life, the panorama is one of Japan's most spectacular. Soak it all in, and look out to the horizon, dotted with the shimmering lights of ships hauling in harvests of the city's renowned squid. The plankton-rich waters attract a delicious variety of feasting sea life to Hakodate's coast, which is then plated up in the city's numerous, skilled restaurants. For an eye-opening, whirring morning, see the freshest produce being doled out at Hakodate Morning Market – amid a cacophony of noise and activity.

Located in southwestern Hokkaido about 130km south of Sapporo Muroran runs along the coast and takes up most of the peninsula area. The southwest coast of the peninsula is formed of huge 100 m cliffs and faces Uchiura Bay while southeastern coast of the peninsula meets the Pacific Ocean. The large deep water port dates from 1872 made the city an industrial hub and the town’s nickname “the city of steel” gives you more or less a feel for what one can expect. Despite not being a tourist hotspot visitors can expect an authentic taste of Japan that is undiluted. Natural splendour abounds 5 km from the port will find you at the foot of Cape Chikyu. Hike the 147 metres to the observatory on to witness some stunning vistas across the arching Pacific Ocean or travel to the Jigoku-Dani Hot Springs. Known as “Hell Valley” because of the bubbling sulphuric waters the 24-acre natural park is also home to the famous Jacuzzi loving snow monkeys. Lake Toya said to be 110 000 years old is also a must for nature lovers with its lava domes and pyroclastic cones that make up the Nakajima islands at the centre of the Lake. So lovely is the lake that it is considered one of the 100 Most Beautiful Scenes of Japan. Unsurprisingly gastronomy is centred around fresh seafood with sushi and sashimi being high on the list of offerings. However meat eaters should not despair as the town offers some fantastic Teppanyaki options so make sure you visit hungry!

Set on the eastern coast in Japan’s Iwate prefecture, Miyako promises stunning scenery and Jorman history in equimeasure. The coastal city of around 50,000 inhabitants is around 600 km from Tokyo, but boasts one of the finest beaches in Japan, as well as a treasure trove of succulently fresh seafood restaurants. While travellers to Miyako might arrive expecting the usual amalgam of cultural attractions and high tech wizardry, they will leave with memories of one of the greatest garden cities they have ever experienced. During the Edo period (1603-1868) the town was considered as Japan’s main seaport. Today this is no longer the case, perhaps due to Miyako’s precarious placement and underwater seismic activity; four tsunamis have engulfed the city since 1700, with waves reaching almost 40 metres in some cases. Thus, local attractions tend to be of the natural kind, as historical buildings have been all but wiped out. Luckily, Mother Nature really does come into her own in Miyako. The city is bordered by the Sanriku Fukkō National Park, one of the National Parks of Japan. Sanriku Fukkō stretches for 180 km along the coast and homes a wonderful variety of flora and fauna, including groves of Japanese red pine, rhododendrons and Rosa rugosa. Numerous bird species, including the black-tailed gull and shearwater call the park home. What’s more, bird lovers will undoubted love that the nearby Hidejima Island and Sanganjima Island are the only breeding grounds in Japan for the band-rumped storm-petrel.

Feel your heart thumping at your first sight of Japan’s most heavenly vision - Mount Fuji’s cone emerging through the haze. With its summit dipped in pure white snow the iconic volcano’s cone is one of the most famous natural landmarks in the world - and a picturesque backdrop for Shimizu. Come ashore to this serene vision of beauty – and whether you head straight for the siren-call of the volcano’s slopes or the sanctuary of gorgeous heritage-rich shrines and tranquil tea plantations - spine-tingling views of Japan’s most tallest mountain are never far away. A perfectly symmetrical spectacle visible for miles around Mount Fuji is an adored national symbol of Japan. Travel closer to its slopes to soak in some of the country’s finest panoramas. Or take in the views with a dash of local culture at the Fujisan Hongu Sengen Shrine – an elegant shrine that stands in thrall to the salt and pepper volcano close by. The Shiraito Waterfall World Heritage Site flows just beneath the volcano – visit to see the gloriously wide curtain of water gushing through the thick vegetation. Visit Kunozan Toshogu Shrine for another perspective or to soak up the tranquil site before swinging above on a scenic ropeway. Located on the adjacent Mount Kuno – privileged views of the mountain and Suruga Bay will unroll before you. Nihondaira Plateau is another option where you can soak in panoramic views of the bay and Mount Fuji dominating behind.

Dense and delightful, there’s nowhere else like Japan’s kinetic capital - a city where ancient traditions blend seamlessly with a relentless pursuit for the future’s sharpest edge. See the city from above, as elevators rocket you up to towering viewing platforms, from which you can survey a vast urban ocean, interspersed with sky-scraping needles. Look out as far as the distant loom of Mount Fuji’s cone on clear days. Futuristic – second-accurate - transport seamlessly links Tokyo’s 14 districts, while the glow of flashing advertisement boards, clanks of arcade machines, and waves of humanity flowing along its streets, adds to the sense of mesmerising, dizzying and glorious sensory overload. One of Tokyo’s most iconic sights, don’t miss the flood of people scrambling to cross Shibuya’s famous intersection. Join the choreographed dance, as crowds of briefcase-carrying commuters are given the green light to cross at the same time – bathed in the light of massive neon advertisements. The culture is immensely rich and deep, with 7th-century, lantern-decorated temples, stunning palaces and tranquil scarlet shrines waiting below cloaks of incense and nestling between soaring skyscrapers. Restaurants serve up precisely prepared sushi, and wafer-thin seafood slivers, offering a unique taste of the country’s refined cuisine. Settle into traditional teahouses, to witness intricate ceremonies, or join the locals as they fill out karaoke bars to sing the night away. In the spring, cherry blossom paints a delicate pink sheen over the city’s innumerable parks and gardens.