Japan is made up of thousands of islands, millions of stories. It is a country where life is lived both as fast as a bullet train and as mindfully as ikebana, the meditative art of flower arranging. It begins with Tokyo, where skyscrapers soar over Shinto shrines, businessmen slurp ramen from vending machines and sushi is a near-sacred art. Each neighborhood is a comic strip of its own: discover the quirky culture of candy-colored Harajuku, the izakaya pubs of old-school Asakusa and the intimate sake bars and cobbled lanes of Kagurazaka.

Cities beckon across the compass: Osaka promises street-food stalls and fizzing nightlife, while Kyoto is an old, imperial dream, the cradle of geisha culture. Subtropical Naha sways with palm trees; travel here from snowy, stylish Sapporo, and Japan’s breadth of climates becomes exhilaratingly clear. Mountains run through the country like the spine of a dragon: little wonder the valleys echo with ancient folk tales. Lose yourself in these spiritual landscapes; in the shadow Mount Fuji, Japan’s snow-topped mascot, or Nikko National Park’s riot of autumn color. And then there is the Nakasendo Way, a long-distance hike through lush, green forests, linking immaculately preserved Edo-era towns. There are 700 islands in the Seto Inland Sea alone, including arty Naoshima, marked by its iconic Yayoi Kusama pumpkin. Adrift to the south-west is the Okinawa archipelago, one of the world’s Blue Zones. But the Japanese themselves, often deeply reverent of tradition, are the highlight of any trip. Meet the latest generations of silk farmers in Kanazawa or sip matcha with a tea master in a private ceremony, before spending the night in a traditional ryokan inn, for a calming immersion into Japanese life – nemaki robe and all..