Japan

Japan is one of the world’s most rewarding travel destinations, full stop. The food alone justifies the flight, and that is before you have seen a single temple. Tokyo could swallow weeks: the dizzying energy of Shinjuku, the otaku rabbit warren of Akihabara, the quiet charm of Yanaka’s old shitamachi streets, and some of the best restaurants on earth at every price point imaginable. Kyoto rewards slower exploration, temples half-hidden in bamboo groves, geisha districts where little has visibly changed in centuries, and a reverence for craft and ritual that permeates even the most ordinary cup of tea.

Beyond the obvious, Japan rewards those who push further. The Japan Alps offer world-class skiing in winter and the historic post towns of the Nakasendo trail in warmer months. Hiroshima confronts and moves in ways few places on earth can match, before the sacred island of Miyajima provides a spot for reflection just a short ferry ride away. In the far north, Hokkaido delivers vast wilderness, exceptional powder snow, and a frontier spirit. And in the far south, the subtropical islands of Okinawa, with their distinct culture and coral reefs, feel like a country within a country.