Japan

Varje år korar Vagabond "årets bästa resmål". Och nummer ett är – Tokyo – världens bästa stad. Här listar vi allt du behöver veta om staden, resan och så får du givetvis massor av tips.

Flattened during WWII, the prefectural capital of Naha (那覇) is now a thriving urban center that looks like most other tidy, small-to-medium Japanese cities, except for the frequent splashes of leafy green, rows of palm trees, or glimpses of azure waters from between the modern high-rises, which make up Naha's rapidly expanding skyline.

The array of cultural attractions in Kanazawa (金沢) make the city the drawcard of the Hokuriku region and a rival to Kyoto as the historical jewel of mainland Japan. Best known for Kenroku-en, a castle garden dating from the 17th century, it also boasts beautifully preserved samurai and geisha districts, attractive temples, a wealth of museums and a wonderful market (and far fewer tourists than Kyoto – for now). A two- or three-day stay is recommended to take it all in.

Området Koenji i stadsdelskommunen Suginami-ku i västra Tokyo, har tagit över stafettpinnen från Shimokitazawa som den japanska huvudstadens coolaste oas för musik, konst, mat och fest – men med en lång historia av undergroundkultur, och bevarad doldischarm.

Ginza is Tokyo's most polished neighborhood, a luxury fashion centre resplendent with department stores, art galleries and exclusive restaurants; the city's principal kabuki theatre, Kabukiza, is here, too. Tokyo's main fish market may no longer be based at nearby Tsukiji, but this area remains packed with shops providing all you need to eat and make a great meal. Also here, next to Tokyo Bay, is one of the city's most beautiful traditional gardens.

At the far southwestern end of the Southwest Islands are the gorgeous Yaeyama Islands (八重山諸島; Yaeyama-shotō), which include the main islands of Ishigaki-jima and Iriomote-jima as well as a spread of 17 isles. Located near the Tropic of Cancer, they are renowned for their lovely beaches, superb diving and lush landscapes.

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.

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.

The small island of Miyajima (宮島) is a Unesco World Heritage Site and one of Japan's most visited tourist spots. Its star attraction is the oft-photographed vermilion torii (shrine gate) of Itsukushima-jinja, which seems to float on the waves at high tide. The gate is undergoing repairs from June 2019, expected to last 2–3 years; during this time the shrine will remain open but the gate will not be visible.

I Japan finns snö som fått världens skidåkare att vallfärda till landet. Kombinera skidsemestern med kultur, mat och varma onsen.