Japan

Yoking past and future, Tokyo dazzles with its traditional culture and passion for everything new, from contrasting architecture to a dynamic arts scene to phenomenal dining throughout.

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.

If Kyoto was the city of the courtly nobility and Tokyo the city of the samurai, then Osaka (大阪) was the city of the merchant class. Osakans take pride in shedding the conservatism found elsewhere in Japan, and this spirited city – Japan's third-largest – is a place where people are a bit brasher, and interactions are peppered with playful jabs.

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.

Kyūshū (九州), Japan's southern- and westernmost main island, is arguably its warmest and most beautiful, with active volcanic peaks, rocky, lush and near-tropical coastlines, and great onsen (hot springs) virtually everywhere. History and legend were made here: Jōmon ruins, Shintō's sun goddess, wealthy trading ports, cloistered foreigners, samurai rebels and one of the earth's greatest wartime tragedies all loom large.

The birthplace of revered ascetic and founder of the Shingon Buddhist sect Kōbō Daishi (774–835), Shikoku (四国) is synonymous with natural beauty and the pursuit of spiritual perfection. It's home to the 88 Sacred Temples of Shikoku, Japan's most famous pilgrimage.

Travellers to the northern tip of Honshū often speed through the peculiar-shaped prefecture of Aomori Prefecture (青森県; Aomori-ken) en route to the island of Hokkaidō. However, for geographic extremity – and remarkably few tourists – you needn’t go so far. Disembark the bullet train before it reaches the sea, rent a car and explore the axe-shaped Shimokita Peninsula, the sacred volcanoes around Osore-zan, and the snowy Hakkōda highlands. It’s seriously wild stuff. In summer the beaches around the deep blue caldera lake of Towada-ko make for a peaceful interlude. Hirosaki, the former capital, is a stylish little city with a hip downtown area and a rather fine park.

In central Tokyo it’s easy to forget that the city started as a seaside town. Not so on Odaiba, a collection of artificial islands on Tokyo Bay. It's a family-oriented entertainment district, with interactive museums, shopping malls, arcades and even an onsen theme park. On adjacent island Toyosu is the city's new wholesale market (which replaced Tsukiji in 2018). 

Det är över 30 år sedan Arlanda hade en direktförbindelse till Tokyo. Men till sommaren 2020 startar Japans största 5-Star flygbolag All Nippon Airways en direktlinje mellan Stockholm och Tokyo.

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.