ESSENTIAL JAPAN

Tokyo feels completely different in the morning. Begin among the temple gates and old streets of Asakusa, where incense drifts through Senso-ji, traditional shopfronts line Nakamise Street and the neighbourhood slowly comes to life around you. Stop for a little mochi and wander the riverside lanes.

By afternoon, it’s hard to believe you’re in the same city. Neon signs and glowing arcades surround you in Akihabara, before you step barefoot into the surreal world of teamLab Planets — walking through water, mirrored spaces, shifting light and rooms filled with floating flowers.

One day, two completely different Tokyos — and somehow, both belong here.

There are few sights that say Japan quite like Mt Fuji. On a clear day, we head towards Lake Kawaguchiko, where Fuji rises above the water and surrounding mountains — that unmistakable view you’ve probably imagined long before arriving in Japan.

But Fuji reveals itself on its own terms. If the mountain disappears behind the clouds, we won’t waste the day chasing a view that isn’t there. Instead, discover Kamakura — ancient temples, the Great Buddha and seaside streets where Tokyo suddenly feels a world away.

Or make the day entirely your own with Tokyo Disneyland — because for some of us, that’s part of the Japan dream too.

Leave Tokyo behind aboard the Shinkansen and arrive in Kyoto, where sloping lanes, wooden houses and hillside temples replace Tokyo’s neon — the Japan you’ve probably imagined long before coming here.

Wander through Higashiyama and look out across Kyoto from Kiyomizu-dera. As daylight fades, lanterns begin to glow through Gion, leading to something truly special — sitting together over matcha and traditional sweets as a Geisha / Maiko performance brings a centuries-old tradition to life right in front of you.

And because Kyoto still has a few surprises up its sleeve, there’s Michelin-starred ramen too.

Just when you think you’ve seen Kyoto, the city gives way to mountains. Escape into Ohara, where moss-covered gardens, quiet temple paths and the rural calm of Sanzen-in reveal a side of Kyoto many first-time travellers never see.

Later, return to the city through the towering bamboo of Arashiyama, slow down beside the Katsura River, then follow the flavours and bustle of Nishiki Market. From quiet mountain temples to bamboo forests and busy food streets, Kyoto keeps changing around you.

Begin beneath the seemingly endless vermilion gates of Fushimi Inari, following the shrine paths as they disappear into the wooded hills. Then slow down in Uji, wandering old tea streets before sitting together over matcha at a historic tea house beside the river.

By afternoon, Nara feels like another world again — deer wandering between ancient temples and forest paths, and the enormous bronze Buddha of Todai-ji waiting inside. From shrine paths and tea houses to deer beneath the trees, this is a day that could only really happen in Japan.

After Kyoto’s temples and quiet streets, Osaka turns the volume up. Retro signs and old-school neighbourhood energy greet you in Shinsekai, before the neon of Dotonbori takes over — giant signboards, packed streets and the smell of food everywhere.

Tonight, we do Osaka the way it should be done — by eating our way through it. Taste local favourites along the streets, wander beside the glowing canal and come together for our farewell dinner. After a week across Japan, this is the night to eat, laugh and raise a glass to the journey we’ve shared.

Today is yours. Go back for that dish you’ve been thinking about, pick up the things you promised yourself you’d buy later, wander somewhere new — or simply enjoy Osaka one last time. If you’re not quite ready for Japan to end, spend the day at Universal Studios Japan, or extend to Hiroshima & Miyajima for one more chapter.

And then, eventually, it’s time to head home. Not long ago, Tokyo was unfamiliar. Since then there have been temples and neon, matcha and ramen, bamboo forests, deer, new friends and all the little moments in between. We hope you leave having fallen for a little of the Japan we love.