Japan

The Amami archipelago (奄美諸島) comprises Kagoshima prefecture's southernmost islands and boasts excellent beaches and subtropical forests. The main gateway and transport hub, Amami-Ōshima, has seen a surge in popularity in recent years, due to new airline routes, improved ferry connections and tourism infrastructure. The latter includes a handful of fresh, appealing accommodation offerings for the discerning traveller.

Even though it's just a 30-minute train ride south of central Tokyo, Yokohama (横浜) has an appealing flavour and history all its own. Locals are likely to cite the uncrowded, walkable streets or neighbourhood atmosphere as the main draw, but for visitors it's the breezy bay front, creative arts scene, multiple microbreweries, jazz clubs and great international dining.

Ebisu and Meguro are gateways to largely residential (some artsy, some upscale, some both) districts, where Tokyo takes on a more human scale. There are some excellent art museums in Ebisu and Meguro and trend-setting boutiques in Daikanyama and Naka-Meguro. Ebisu in particular has a dynamic dining and bar scene – worth checking out even if you pass on the sights.

Legendary for its nightlife, Roppongi also offers the chic Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Midtown complexes where you'll find several excellent art museums. To the south you can't miss Tokyo Tower, nearby which are a couple of venerable temples. A short walk northeast is Akasaka; the proximity of Japan's parliament in Nagatachō has long given Akasaka's watering holes an upmarket cachet; you'll also find a major Shintō shrine here, as well as an imperial palace and several gardens.

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.

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 svenska SAS som öppnar en ny direktlinje till Haneda International Airport i Tokyo från Kastrup, Köpenhamn. Det är en den andra nya direktlinjen från Skandinavien på kort tid som lanserats till den populära metropolen.

Collectively known as the Southwest Islands, the Nansei-shotō (南西諸島) comprises several chains of semitropical, coral-fringed isles far removed from the concerns of mainland life, where the slow pace and unique cultural heritage of the former Ryūkyū kingdom endures, offering a vibrant contrast to Japan's focus on modernity and technology.

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.

It's easy to beeline it to Miyajima for a glance at the floating torii gate, or to Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park to witness how locals have transformed an infamous tragedy into a firm call for peace.