Japan

Stretching out above Tokyo is the fabled Tōhoku (東北; Northeast) – starring Miyagi, Yamagata, Iwate, Fukushima, Akita and Aomori Prefectures – where ice monsters and river imps inhabit the imagination (but hopefully not the onsen). Hugging the west coast is Niigata Prefecture, a skiing and hiking wonderland that also includes the rugged and remote island of Sado-ga-shima.

I ett försök att förbättra ryktet gällande offentliga toaletter, som annars anses smutsiga, mörka och otrygga, har man påbörjat ett projekt för att renovera toaletterna. De nya toaletterna har fått folk att höja på ögonbrynen!

Upptäck landets nya teampark och möt skogsanden Totoro, spela arkadspel och ta en lugn cykeltur med hela familjen. Japan har nått för alla!

Kyoto is old Japan writ large: atmospheric temples, sublime gardens, traditional teahouses and geisha scurrying to secret liaisons.

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.

Shinjuku is a whole city within the city; developed in the latter half of the 20th century, it's become widely synonymous with Tokyo itself. The breadth and scale are simply awesome – over three million people a day pass through the train station. To the west of the station is Nishi-Shinjuku, a planned district of soaring skyscrapers; to the east, the city's largest entertainment district, a glitter with colored LED lights. North of Shinjuku is another major hub, Ikebukuro, that similarly feels as if it contains a whole world within.

As the location of the Benesse Art Site, the island of Naoshima (直島) has become one of the region's biggest tourist attractions, offering a unique opportunity to see some of Japan's best contemporary art in gorgeous natural settings. Museums and numerous outdoor sculptures are situated around the coast, including Yellow Pumpkin by Yayoi Kusama, which has become a symbol of Naoshima.

I Japan är de duktiga på att blanda modern teknik med historia. Detta märks inte minst på det nya tåget "Kyotrain Garaku".

Ueno is the cultural heart of Tokyo. Its central park, Ueno-kōen, has the city's highest concentration of museums, including the Tokyo National Museum. The neighboring areas of Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi are collectively known as Yanesen. It's a charming part of Tokyo that feels like time stopped several decades ago. Nearby is the campus of the prestigious Tokyo University. Transporting you even further back in time is the beguilingly beautiful Edo-era garden Rikugi-en, the highlight of Komagome.

Kumamoto (熊本) is deeply proud of its greatest landmark, Kumamoto-jō, the castle around which the city radiates. Even though the castle suffered significant damage in the April 2016 earthquake, it remains a focal point of the city. There's a lively and tempting collection of restaurants, bars and shops in the busy arcades east of the castle.