Japan

The climbing trails open for barely two months in midsummer and are closed the rest of the year. You do not need to climb it: the northern shore of Lake Kawaguchi gives the classic reflection, and the Tokyo–Osaka bullet train passes it on the right-hand side. Summer cloud hides it often, so late autumn to spring gives the better odds.

On each green light people pour in from every direction and walk straight through one another. The second floor of the Starbucks across the road is the long-standing vantage point, and the rooftop deck at Shibuya Scramble Square shows the crossing against the whole city. It is fullest on weekday evenings and on weekend nights.

JR Inari station sits at the entrance, two stops from Kyoto station. The full loop around the mountain takes two to three hours, but the crowds thin out after the first thirty minutes, so a little more climbing buys a lot more quiet. For photographs of the gates alone, go at first light.

At high tide it appears to float; at low tide you walk out to the pillars. Decide which you want to see, check the tide table, and book the ferry around it. It is about an hour from central Hiroshima by tram and boat, and is usually paired with the Atomic Bomb Dome in one day.

A canal-side street of stacked neon where an Osaka evening usually begins. Stand-up counters for takoyaki and okonomiyaki run the length of it, and the covered Shinsaibashi arcade next door keeps you dry when it rains. The bridge facing the sign fills with photographers every night.

Steep thatched roofs shaped like hands pressed together — a response to some of the heaviest snowfall in the country. The winter illumination nights are the famous ones and the hardest to book. Highway buses run from Nagoya and Kanazawa, and the hillside viewpoint over the whole village is the shot everyone comes for.

Timber that has stood for more than thirteen centuries. It is a bus ride beyond the deer park in central Nara, and it rewards patience rather than spectacle — you go to stand in front of very old wood, not to be dazzled. An easy day trip from Kyoto.

It escaped both war and earthquake, so it survives close to its original form and sets the standard for Japanese castles. The white plaster walls give it its nickname, and it stands straight ahead as you walk out of Himeji station. Close enough to Osaka and Kyoto by bullet train for half a day.

Seventeen World Heritage sites in one city — more than anyone sees in a day. Pick two or three that differ in character: the gold-leafed Kinkaku-ji, the wooden stage of Kiyomizu-dera, the raked gravel of Ryoan-ji. They are scattered north and east of the centre, so a day bus pass pays for itself.

The skeleton of a building left standing beneath the 1945 hypocentre, preserved as it was found. It comes with the Peace Memorial Park and museum beside it, and the museum is heavy going — leave more time than you think. Reached by tram from Hiroshima station, usually combined with Miyajima.

A shrine covered end to end in carving and gold leaf, which surprises anyone expecting restrained Japanese architecture. Two hours from Tokyo by train, so it works as a day trip, and the Irohazaka switchback road beside it is famous in autumn. It sits in the mountains and runs colder than the city.

Moss-covered forest and cedars thousands of years old, on one of the wettest islands in Japan. The signature walk to the Jomon cedar is close to ten hours return and starts before dawn; the Shiratani Unsuikyo trail gives you the same forest in three or four. Waterproof boots and a rain shell are not optional here.

Old streets (Asakusa) and new ones (Shibuya, Shinjuku) sit in the same city and feel like different cities. For a first visit, three days inside the Yamanote loop is a comfortable plan. The subway is run by more than one company, so a transfer between operators costs a separate fare.

Kyoto is temples and gardens; Osaka is eating and night streets. They are half an hour apart by train, so many people base themselves in one and commute, with Nara and Kobe inside the same radius. Kansai airport serves both directly.

Cooler than the main island even in midsummer, and famous in winter for snow that falls light and often. Sapporo works as a base for Otaru, Biei and Furano, but distances are long and the bus and train timetable decides your day. Allow extra travel time in winter.

A ferry from Busan or a short flight from Seoul, which makes it the usual pick for a short trip. The airport is two subway stops from the centre, so you land and start, and food stalls open along the river at night. Beppu and Yufuin hot springs and Nagasaki are all reachable by train.

Neither the climate nor the culture matches the mainland — the old Ryukyu kingdom left its own traces, and winters stay above freezing. Getting around the island is far easier by car than by bus, so arrange an international driving permit before you go. It lies on the typhoon track, so late summer plans can move.

Largely spared from bombing, so the samurai district and teahouse streets survive intact. Kenroku-en, counted among the three great gardens of Japan, and the contemporary art museum are a walk apart, and it is under three hours from Tokyo by bullet train. Buses to Shirakawa-go leave from here.

It starts in Kyushu, passes Tokyo and Kyoto, and takes more than a month to reach Hokkaido. Full bloom in any one city lasts about a week, so a few days either way and you miss it — and this is the most expensive time to fly and sleep. Forecasts are published each year; check two weeks out and adjust.

June is wet and July and August are humid enough to make midday walking hard. In exchange, the big fireworks displays and summer festivals fall in this window, so indoors by day and out in the evening works well. Hokkaido has almost no rainy season, which is why people go north.

The reverse of the blossom: it begins in the north and comes down. Kyoto holds its colour into early December and draws the year’s heaviest crowds, with famous temples opening at night. Clear, cool weather makes it the best walking month of the year.

Light, abundant snow draws skiers from around the world, and this is the season an outdoor bath in the snow makes most sense. Tokyo and Osaka rarely see snow, but indoor heating is milder than Korean visitors expect, so dress in layers. Shops and restaurants close for several days over the new year.

The whole country travels at once: reserved bullet train seats and hotel rooms go months ahead. Prices roughly double and queues at the famous sites get long. If your dates are flexible, avoiding these two windows alone makes the trip much easier.

One card covers most subways and buses across the country and pays at convenience stores. Both iPhone and Android can add one directly to the phone with no plastic, so setting it up before you land saves a queue. If the balance runs short the gate will not let you out — remember the fare adjustment machines.

Between cities the bullet train usually beats flying door to door. Unless you are crossing the whole country, a regional pass for Kansai or Kyushu often beats the nationwide one, so add up the one-way fares for your actual route first. Reserve seats ahead where you can.

Chains in the cities take cards, but small restaurants, older shops and temple and shrine entrance fees can still be cash only. Convenience store ATMs dispense yen against foreign cards, so there is no need to change a large sum in advance. Coins pile up fast; a coin purse earns its keep.

Police is 110 here, not the number you may be used to; 119 covers both fire and ambulance. There is a separate multilingual helpline for visitors that is worth saving before you travel. Earthquake alerts arrive automatically on your phone and are loud — follow the instructions rather than the alarm.

Public Wi-Fi is thinner than in Korea, and you will lean on maps and train timetables constantly. If your phone takes an eSIM, loading one before departure is the simplest route; for a group, one pocket Wi-Fi unit shared out is cheaper.

Shops displaying the tax-free sign will sell above a threshold without consumption tax. You need your actual passport, so carry it on shopping days, and sealed goods such as food and cosmetics must stay sealed until you leave the country. The scheme is being revised, so follow the shop’s instructions.

Washing before you enter will be familiar, but you bathe without a swimsuit and the small towel stays out of the bath. Some places still turn away guests with tattoos, so check for a private bath or a tattoo-friendly sign beforehand rather than finding out at the door.