Japan

Formerly known as Shinshū and often referred to as the 'Roof of Japan', Nagano Prefecture (長野県) is a wonderful place to visit for its regal mountains, rich cultural history, fine architecture and cuisine.

Stadsdelen Koenji i västra Tokyo har varit tillhåll för kreativa bohemer i flera decennier. Först på senare år har om­världen börjat upptäcka denna opretentiösa pärla.

Central Honshū (本州中部; Honshū Chūbu) is Japan's heartland, stretching out between the sprawling metropolises of Greater Tokyo and Kansai. The awesome Japan Alps rise sharply near the border of Gifu and Nagano Prefectures before rolling north to the dramatic Sea of Japan coast.

Otaru (小樽) was the financial center of Hokkaidō – a bustling center of trade with Russia and China – in the early 20th century. The city's elite invested some of those riches in the construction of grand, Western-style buildings of stone and brick – the style of the time – many of which line the town's central canal. This atmosphere makes Otaru very popular with domestic visitors.

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.

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.

Shibuya, the heart of Tokyo's youth culture, hits you over the head with its sheer presence: the continuous flow of people, the glowing video screens and the tangible buzz. All of this is summed up by its top attraction, Shibuya Crossing. It's a neighbourhood that is currently undergoing a massive transformation, evidenced by new developments like Shibuya Stream. A short train ride away, Shimo-Kitazawa offers an alternative vision of Tokyo: what it might look like if hippies – not bureaucrats – ran the city.

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!

To most people, Hiroshima (広島) means just one thing. The city's name will forever evoke images of 6 August 1945, when Hiroshima became the target of the world's first atomic-bomb attack. Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park is a constant reminder of that day, and it attracts visitors from all over the world with its moving message of peace. And the leafy city, with its wide boulevards and laid-back friendliness, is far from a depressing place. Present-day Hiroshima is home to an ever-thriving cosmopolitan community, and it's worth spending a couple of nights here to experience the city at its vibrant best.

If all you're interested in on your Kyoto trip is dining on great cuisine, knocking back sake and craft beer at bars, boutique shopping and staying in some of the finest ryokan, you may just never leave Downtown Kyoto (which is, naturally, smack bang in the middle of the city). And you wouldn't need to sacrifice culture or sightseeing, with heavyweight attractions such as Nijō-jō, the famed Nishiki Market and a smattering of small temples, shrines and museums.