Around Tokyo
Tokyo is hemmed into its coastal location on the Kanto plain by a ring of mountains and volcanoes, featuring temples, parks and a couple of bustling towns and cities. It doesn't take long to get out of the capital - two hours at most - and it's well worth doing, though if time is short take care to prioritize.

Central Honshu
Located roughly midway along the Japanese archipelago, the seven prefectures of CENTRAL HONSHU, known as Chubu, offer a wide choice of terrain and travel possibilities. Dominating the region are the magnificent Japan Alps, rising up in Nagano-ken and Gifu-ken, and providing spectacular mountain scenery...

Hokkaido
Many Japanese see HOKKAIDO as an idyllic, unspoiled frontier - the perfect place to escape from industrialized Japan and get back in touch with nature. Although this vision is rose-tinted, there is something remote and wild about the country's northernmost main island. In spite of the fact that in many places you'll find...

Kansai
In a country so devoid of flat land, the great rice-growing plains of KANSAI, the district around Osaka and Kyoto, are imbued with an almost mystical significance. This was where the first proto-nation took root, in the historic region known as...

Kyushu
Lying off the south end of Honshu, Japan's third largest island, KYUSHU, is surrounded by a spray of smaller islands which trail off in a long arc across the East China Sea. It's a relaxed, uncomplicated place, with its own distinctive character and enough variety to make it a feasible holiday destination on its own.

Northern Honshu
When the famous poet Matsuo Basho set out on his travels along the "narrow road to the deep north" in 1689, he commented, somewhat despondently, "I might as well be going to the ends of the earth." Even today...

Okinawa
The prefecture of Okinawa comprises more than one hundred islands, stretching over 700km of ocean from Kyushu southwest to Yonaguni-jima, almost within sight of Taiwan. Collectively known as the Ryukyu Shoto, this chain of subtropical islands, with their lush vegetation, paradise beaches and superb coral reefs...

Shikoku
It has beautiful scenery, a laid-back atmosphere, friendly people and several notable sights, yet SHIKOKU, Japan's fourth main island, is usually at the bottom of most visitors' itineraries - if it appears at all. This is a shame, since this tranquil island, which nestles in the crook between Honshu and Kyushu, offers...

Tokyo
On the edge of the Orient, TOKYO - the last great conurbation before the yawning chasm of the Pacific Ocean - is one of the world's most perplexing cities. On the one hand, gaudily hung about with eyeball-searing neon and messy overhead cables, plagued by seemingly incessant noise, often clogged with...

Western Honshu
Also known as Chugoku , meaning "middle country", Western Honshu used to be at the centre of the Japanese nation, lying between the country's earliest settlements in Kyushu and the imperial city of Kyoto. The region is split geographically into two distinct areas, with the southern San-yo coast being...