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Japan

Storybook bridge on the trail.

Stunning Japanese hike is like stepping into an (animated) movie

This is a forest preserved in time, a world where dragonflies flit, minuscule flowers bloom and giant tree roots hide the would-be tiny houses of forest creatures.

  • Penny Watson
The sun is out but the snow is deep.

Swallowed by white, this is a different sort of hike

In Japan, but not for skiing, it’s amazing what comes into focus when you’re entirely swallowed by white.

  • Steve Madgwick
In Japan, the price on the menu is the price you pay.

The place where tourist scams and rip-offs don’t exist

To travel in the rest of the world is to be on your guard, wondering if you’re paying too much or being taken advantage of. That doesn’t happen here.

  • Ben Groundwater
The Future I Saw predicts a tsunami will hit Japan in July this year.

Asian tourist numbers to Japan are plummeting. A comic book is to blame

Holiday bookings to Japan from key Asian markets have plunged as a dire prediction made in a graphic novel goes viral on social media.

Simple ingredients create something amazing.

‘We cherish everything’: How the Japanese make perfect drinks

This is a country in which every art form and indeed every practice in life is taken seriously, with patience and skill applied to their perfection.

  • Ben Groundwater
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Woman in a kimono walking in the Higashi Chaya district of Kanazawa, Japan.

Japan’s next big thing is already popular, but many miss its highlights

On a self-guided tour through “little Kyoto”, I’m experiencing things that most tourists miss.

  • Kylie McLaughlin
Many package itineraries start in Tokyo before exploring other parts of the country.

How to do Japan better than the rest, according to an expert

Our expert reveals her ultimate two-week itinerary around the Land of the Rising Sun.

  • Danielle Demetriou
McDonald’s in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district, where there are plenty of other places to eat.

I don’t care if I’m elitist – some tourists are too tasteless to travel

If you come to Japan and find yourself at McDonald’s, you need to take a long, hard look at your reflection in that greasy wrapper.

  • Paul Marshall
Fruits of the sea ... at work in traditional outfits.

The ancient Japanese tradition that’s unknown to most tourists

The ancient tradition of women free diving for shellfish can still be seen in Japan’s unspoilt Shima Peninsula.

  • Sue Wallace
Street food being prepared at one of the many seafood stalls in the outer market of Tsukiji Fish Market.

Tokyo’s famous market closed in 2018. Except it’s still going strong

When the Tsukiji fish market closed, the outer market was expected to die – yet here we are today, shoulder to shoulder, queuing for grilled wagyu.

  • Ben Groundwater