Tokyo, Dec 17: The sheer level of energy is the most striking aspect of Japan. It is a place where the urgent rhythms of consumer culture collide with the quieter moments that linger from older traditions. It's hectic madness leavened by the Zennest of calms.
Somewhere between the elegant formality of Japanese manners and the candid, sometimes boisterous exchanges that take place over a few drinks, between the sanitised shopping malls and the unexpected rural festivals, everyone finds their own vision of Japan. The nation's list of attributes reads like a handbook of paradox, but at its heart, Japan is a warm, friendly and very easy destination to travel to. What are you waiting for?
If traditional culture is your thing, you can spend weeks in cities like Kyoto and Nara, gorging yourself on temples, shrines, kabuki, nô, tea ceremonies and museums packed with treasures from Japan's rich artistic heritage. If modern culture and technology is more your bag, you’ll find Japan's cities an absolute wonderland - an easy peek into the future of the human race, complete with frenzied pop soundtrack.
Spring (March to May), with its clear skies and cherry blossoms, is probably the most celebrated Japanese season, but it's a holiday period for the Japanese and many of the more popular travel destinations tend to be flooded with domestic tourists. Autumn (September to November) is a great time to travel: the temperatures are pleasant, and the autumn colours in the countryside are fantastic.
Tokyo
What makes Tokyo fascinating is the tension between mammoth scale and meticulous detail. Sightseeing in its streets can be a neon assault that leaves you elated and breathless or an encounter with the exquisite art of understatement. Jump aboard the subway and see how one city is really many.
Daisetsuzan National Park
Japan's largest national park (2309 sq km/1432 sq mi) is in central Hokkaido, the northernmost and second largest of Japan's islands. The park, which consists of several mountain groups, volcanoes, lakes and forests, is spectacular hiking and skiing territory.
Kyoto
Kyoto, with its hundreds of temples and gardens, was the imperial capital between 794 and 1868, and remains the cultural centre of Japan. Its raked pebble gardens, sensuously contoured temple roofs and latter-day geishas fulfill the Japanese fantasy of every Western cliché hunter.
Seagaia Ocean Dome
The Seagaia Ocean Dome is mind-boggling: it's a 140m (460ft) white-sand beach complete with a splash of ocean under a permanently blue 'sky,' all in a completely controlled 'natural' environment. It's the apotheosis of the Japanese obsession with germ-free fun and amusement parks.
This all becomes even stranger when you realise that the complex is just a stone's throw from bona fide surf and sandy beaches along Kyushu's Miyazaki-ken coastline. Seagaia is accessible by bus from balmy Miyazaki, a reasonably large city on the south-east coast of Kyushu. The Ocean Dome closes during the winter months.
Noto-Hanto Peninsula
For an enjoyable combination of rugged seascapes, traditional rural life and a light diet of cultural sights, this peninsula is highly recommended. The wild, unsheltered western side of the peninsula is of most interest, as it is less developed than the indented eastern coastline.
Bureau Report
