Japan

I Japan finns snö som fått världens skidåkare att vallfärda till landet. Kombinera skidsemestern med kultur, mat och varma onsen.

Himeji (姫路), in Hyōgo Prefecture west of Kōbe, is on the map for one particular reason: it's home to Japan's biggest and best-preserved feudal-era castle, Himeji-jō. It's an easy day trip or stopover and well worth a visit.

The small island of Miyajima (宮島) is a Unesco World Heritage Site and one of Japan's most visited tourist spots. Its star attraction is the oft-photographed vermilion torii (shrine gate) of Itsukushima-jinja, which seems to float on the waves at high tide. The gate is undergoing repairs from June 2019, expected to last 2–3 years; during this time the shrine will remain open but the gate will not be visible.

Det finns två pilgrimsleder i världen som är klassade som världsarv av Unesco. Den ena är superkändisen Camino De Santiago i Spanien, men har du hört talas om Kumano Kodo i Japan? Pilgrimsleden går genom Wakayama – en region som nyligen framröstats av Lonely Planets läsare till världens mest hållbara destination 2021.

The Izu Peninsula (伊豆半島, Izu-hantō), about 100km southwest of Tokyo in Shizuoka Prefecture, is where the famed Kurofune (Black Ships) of US Commodore Perry dropped anchor in 1854. Contemporary Izu has a cool surfer vibe, lush greenery, rugged coastlines and abundant onsen. Weekends and holidays see crowds descend on the east coast, particularly in summer. It's generally quieter on the west coast, which lacks a railway but has, weather permitting, Mt Fuji views over Suruga-wan (Suruga Bay).

Det är svenska SAS som öppnar en ny direktlinje till Haneda International Airport i Tokyo från Kastrup, Köpenhamn. Det är en den andra nya direktlinjen från Skandinavien på kort tid som lanserats till den populära metropolen.

The vibrant city of Matsumoto (松本) sits in a fertile valley, with the magnificent northern Japan Alps, in all their splendour, to the west. Formerly known as Fukashi, Nagano Prefecture's second-largest city has been here since the 8th century. In the 14th and 15th centuries it was the castle town of the Ogasawara clan and it continued to prosper through the Edo period to the present.

Japan's highest and most famous peak is the big draw of the Fuji Five Lakes (富士五湖) region, but even if you don't intend to climb Fuji-san, it's still worth coming here to enjoy the great outdoors around the volcano's northern foothills, and to admire the mountain photogenically reflected in the lakes. Culture buffs can also delve into the fascinating history of Mt Fuji worship at several sites.

Hur fungerar det att åka shinkansen, eller snabbtåg i Japan? Och vilket tågpass ska jag välja? Här kommer Vagabonds bästa tips för tågresor i Japan.

The Hokuriku (北陸) region stretches along the Sea of Japan coast, encompassing Fukui, Ishikawa and Toyama Prefectures. The opening of the Hokuriku shinkansen (bullet-train) line in 2015 greatly improved access to the region, and tourism is booming.