A holiday in Japan offers a startling and eclectic mix of ancient and modern, nestling side by side in this proud and hospitable country. You can experience futuristic, Blade-Runner-style cities with raucous karaoke bars, minimalist hotels and seething traffic or Zen temples shrouded by misty mountains and ancient traditions. People visit Japan for a variety of reasons; business trips, holiday visits and snowboarding, as well as for the world-class cuisine and spiritual enlightenment. Whatever your reasons for visiting this diverse country, you are sure to come away with your expectation having been challenged and a new perspective on life.
Tokyo is the capital of Japan and the place most people immediately consider to visit. However, there are many other cities to experience, each with their own character and surprises. Kyoto is Japan’s ancient capital and a major cultural centre. It was the Emperor’s residence from 794 until 1868 and is now the seventh largest city in Japan, with a population in excess of 1.4 million. It is peppered with countless temples, shrines and other historical sites. Nikihi Market is a famous fresh food market street in the city, where you can sample and buy exotic fruit and vegetables.
Osaka is Japan’s third largest city, with a population of 2.5 million. This too was once Japan’s capital; until Japan’s Nara Period, the capital would be moved to mark the reign of each new Emperor. Originally known as Naniwa, Osaka was Japan’s first capital city. The city has a diverse range of sights and experiences to savour, from the famous Osaka Aquarium to the National Bunraku Theatre, where you can see traditional Japanese puppet plays.
Japan also offers an assorted variety of food, from neon-lit fast-food bars, small sushi restaurants to glamorous restaurants serving new and innovative, world-class dinners. Traditionally, as Japan is an island, the people have been great consumers of seafood, most famous in their sushi dishes. However, as Western influences have permeated Japanese culture, meat has become a more popular choice – sometimes in very un-Japanese styles; burger restaurants are a fast growing industry in the major cities.
Accommodation in Japan ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous. Travel companies like lastminute.com are good for the top end hotels, which are often installed with high-tech gadgets to make your stay as complicated or as simple as you like. Small boutique hotels offer a more modest and personal touch or you could take your life in your hands and stay in a capsule hotel. Capsule hotels are new innovation; for around £15 per night you can stay in a capsule that is slightly larger than a single bed. In there you will find a control panel that operates an alarm clock, the lights and a television. For the claustrophobic, there is also a panic button!
Wherever you travel it’s important to get the right travel insurance – whether you’re planning on dicing with death and eating puffer fish or climbing Mount Fuji. Sites such as AA offer a range of travel insurance policies including extended cover for dangerous sports, golfing or weddings.
