Japan

It's both unfortunate and important that the name Nagasaki (長崎) is synonymous with the dropping of the second atomic bomb. This history undeniably overshadows everything else, yet if that's all you experience during your visit you'll be missing the point. As paradoxical as it may seem, Nagasaki is vibrant and charming, and it begs to be explored far beyond the bomb museums, monuments and memorials.

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

The glorious temples of Hiraizumi are among only a few physical reminders of the turbulent feudal past of Iwate Prefecture (岩手県; Iwate-ken), but there are nonetheless plenty of opportunities for exploration in Japan's second-largest prefecture. Sleepy valleys, a rugged coastline and high, lush mountains attract discerning hikers and those looking for a tree-change, but it’s perhaps the Tōno Valley, where countless folk tales are still born and told, where travellers will glimpse that all-too-rare Lost Japan.

Boasting some of Japan's most magnificent peaks and dramatic scenery, the northern Japan Alps (北アルプス) are truly spectacular, with stunning 3000m peaks accessible even to amateur hikers. Also known as the Hida Range (飛騨山脈), the mountains are protected within Chūbu-Sangaku National Park (中部山岳国立公園). Put very simply, the northern Alps are in the shape of a big 'Y'. The northwestern arm is based around the Tateyama peaks and accessed from Murodō on the Tateyama–Kurobe Alpine Route. The lovely resort village of Kamikōchi, at the base of the 'Y', is the access point for hiking in the south, while the northeastern arm of the 'Y' is accessed from Hakuba, home to various events at the 1998 Winter Olympics.

Hokkaidō (北海道) is the Japan of wide-open spaces, with 20% of the country's land area but only 5% of its population. There are large swathes of wilderness here, with primeval forests, tropical-blue caldera lakes, fields of alpine wildflowers and bubbling, in-the-rough hot springs. In the summer, all this (plus the cooler, drier weather) draws hikers, cyclists and strollers.

Tokyo's eastern neighborhoods, on the banks of the Sumida-gawa, have an old-Tokyo (shitamachi) feel, with venerable temples and shrines, lovely gardens, traditional restaurants and artisan shops. Zone in on Asakusa's atmospheric Buddhist temple complex Sensō-ji and the sumo hot spot of Ryōgoku, home to the ancient sport's Tokyo stadium and a top-class history museum.

Northwest Kyoto contains two of Kyoto’s most important temples: Kinkaku-ji, also known as the Golden Pavilion, and Ryōan-ji, home of Japan’s most famous Zen garden. Other noteworthy sights include the enclosed world of Myōshin-ji and the atmospheric Kitano Tenman-gū Shintō shrine. Further afield are the mountaintop temples of Takao.

Roadtrips är kanske inte det första man tänker på när man hör "Japan", särskilt inte eftersom det finns ett sådant välutvecklat tågnät här. Men för den som känner sig sugen kommer nu goda nyheter: Ett nytt expresskort ger utländska turister obegränsade resor genom landets, annars dyra, tullar.

Depending on the suffix used, Okinawa (沖縄) can refer to the prefecture (-ken, 県), its enclosing archipelago (-rettō, 列島), the main island (-hontō, 本島) or the eponymous city on the main island (-shi, 市); but when most visitors say they're 'going to Okinawa', they mean they're visiting the Southwest Islands.

Japan Airlines har meddelat att man kommer starta ett nytt lågprisbolag inför sommar-OS 2020. Flygbolaget, vars namn ännu inte avslöjats, kommer flyga mellan Tokyo och destinationer i Asien, Amerika och Europa.