Japan

Classic routes

• ⛩️Kyoto, Hakone & Tokyo9 days · Kyoto → Hakone → Tokyo
• 🏯Tokyo, Kyoto & Seoul11 days · Tokyo → Kyoto → Seoul

❄️ Hokkaido

The wild northern island: Sapporo's Snow Festival and ramen, Niseko's world-famous powder snow, the lavender and patchwork farmland of Furano and Biei in summer, and Hakodate's night view and star-shaped fort, where the shinkansen from Tokyo arrives. Snow from December to March; cool, dry summers without the rainy season.

• SapporoSnow Sculptures, Miso Ramen and the Gateway to Hokkaido2 days · best June – September, December – February (snow)
• NisekoDeep Powder Snow Under a Volcano4 days · best December – March (skiing); July – September
• Furano & BieiLavender Fields and Patchwork Hills2 days · best July – August (lavender); December – March (snow)
• HakodateNight View from Mount Hakodate and a Star-Shaped Fort2 days · best June – October, December – February (snow)

🏝️ Tohoku (the North)

Northern Honshu, far quieter than the south: Sendai and the pine islands of Matsushima Bay, 90 minutes from Tokyo by shinkansen, with mountain temples and hot springs inland.

• Sendai & MatsushimaPine Islands of Matsushima and the Date Lords' City2 days · best April – June, September – November

🗼 Tokyo & Kanto

The capital and its classic day trips and overnights: the Great Buddha at Kamakura, the shrines and lakes of Nikko, the hot springs and ropeways of Hakone, Mount Fuji from the lakes at Kawaguchiko, and the harbour city of Yokohama half an hour away. Every non-stop flight from India lands here, at Haneda or Narita.

• TokyoNeon, Shrines and the World's Best Food City4 days · best March – May, October – November
• KamakuraThe Great Buddha and Zen Temples by the Sea1 day · best April – June, October – November
• NikkoGilded Shrines in Cedar Forest and Mountain Lakes2 days · best May – June, October – November
• HakoneHot-Spring Inns, a Volcanic Valley and Views of Fuji2 days · best October – May
• Mount Fuji & KawaguchikoFuji Across the Lake, and the Summit in Summer2 days · best October – February (views); July – September (climbing)
• YokohamaHarbour City of Chinatown, Ramen and Bay Views1 day · best March – May, October – November

🏔️ Japan Alps & Hokuriku

Mountains and old towns between Tokyo and Kyoto: Kanazawa's garden and geisha district, Takayama's merchant lanes, the thatched farmhouses of Shirakawa-go, Matsumoto's black castle and the snow monkeys near Nagano. Heavy snow from December to March makes it beautiful and slows the mountain buses.

• KanazawaSamurai Streets, Geisha Houses and a Great Garden2 days · best April – May, October – November
• TakayamaOld Merchant Lanes and Morning Markets in the Alps2 days · best April – May, October – November
• Shirakawa-goThatched Farmhouses in a Snowbound Valley1 day · best May – June, October – November, January – February (snow)
• Nagano (Jigokudani Snow Monkeys)Snow Monkeys in a Hot Spring, and a 1,400-Year-Old Temple2 days · best December – March (monkeys in the snow); April – November
• MatsumotoThe Black Crow Castle Beneath the Japan Alps2 days · best April – November

⛩️ Kyoto, Osaka & Kansai

Old Japan's heartland, mostly within an hour or two by train: Kyoto's temples and geisha lanes, Osaka's street food, the Great Buddha and deer of Nara, Himeji's white castle, Kobe's harbour and beef, the temple lodgings of Koyasan, and, a long half-day south, the pilgrim trails of the Kumano Kodo. Kansai Airport (KIX) serves it from abroad.

• KyotoA Thousand Temples, Torii Tunnels and Geisha Lanes3 days · best March – May, October – November
• OsakaStreet Food, Neon Canals and a Castle2 days · best March – May, October – November
• NaraThe Great Buddha and a Park Full of Bowing Deer1 day · best March – May, October – November
• HimejiJapan's Finest Original Castle, the White Heron1 day · best March – May, October – November
• KoyasanA Night in a Mountain Temple Among Ancient Graves1 day · best April – November
• KobeKobe Beef, a Harbour, and Hot Springs over the Mountain2 days · best March – May, October – November
• Kumano Kodo (Hongu)Pilgrim Trails through Cedar Forest to the Grand Shrines3 days · best March – May, October – November

🕊️ Hiroshima, Okayama & the Inland Sea

West of Kansai on the Sanyo Shinkansen: Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park and the floating torii of Miyajima island, 1.5 hours from Osaka; Okayama's great garden and Kurashiki's canal quarter, 45 minutes from Osaka; and the art island of Naoshima in the Seto Inland Sea, a ferry from Uno near Okayama.

• Hiroshima & MiyajimaThe Peace Park, and the Floating Torii of Miyajima2 days · best March – May, October – November
• Okayama & KurashikiA Great Garden, a Black Castle and a Canal-Side Merchant Town2 days · best March – May, October – November
• NaoshimaThe Art Island of the Seto Inland Sea2 days · best March – May, September – November

♨️ Kyushu

The southern main island: Fukuoka's ramen stalls and easy airport, the steaming hot springs of Beppu and Yufuin, and Nagasaki's harbour, peace park and Dutch trading post, 1.5 hours from Fukuoka. Warmer than Honshu, and in the path of most typhoons from August to October.

• FukuokaHakata Ramen at the Riverside Food Stalls2 days · best March – May, October – November
• BeppuJapan's Hot-Spring Capital and Its Boiling "Hells"2 days · best October – May
• NagasakiPeace Park, Dejima and Battleship Island2 days · best March – May, October – November

🌺 Okinawa Islands

Japan's subtropical south, reached only by air: the Ryukyu castles and Kerama snorkelling of Naha, and Ishigaki's coral bays and island-hopping ferries. Warm all year; the rainy season comes in May and June, and typhoons from July to October.

• Naha (Okinawa)Ryukyu Castles, Coral Seas and Island Day Trips3 days · best October – December, March – May
• IshigakiManta Rays, Water-Buffalo Carts and Coral Islands3 days · best April – June, October – November