Okinawa:

• Japan’s southernmost islands are a slow-paced tropical paradise with palm-fringed, white sand beaches. Consider an alternative starting point to Tokyo and fly into Naha or one of the lesser-known international gateways such as Ishigaki. Get over jetlag and unwind in the more remote islands such as Yaeyama Islands for pristine stretches of sun-bleached sand, spectacular sunsets and small town vibes combined with Ryukyu culture. Miyako Islands are great for relaxation and snorkelling. The main Okinawa Island strikes a balance between the smaller city of Naha, with its Japanese culture, food and markets; and access to beautiful beaches.

• Sample Itinerary
• Testimonials
• Gallery

Kyushu:

• Hire a car to explore the countryside of this southern region. Stunning landscapes unveil themselves as you drive through. Sparkling channels flow through steep gorges and dense forest flanks shimmering lakes. Take a rowing boat on the emerald waters of Takachiko gorge – row between towering volcanic cliffs, draped in greenery interspersed with tumbling waterfalls.

Kurashiki:

• Our favourite spot in all Japan is the picture-perfect Kurashiki. This is often overlooked as most tourists speed straight through Okayama Prefecture on the bullet train from Osaka to Hiroshima. Break this trend and stop here to experience the Japan of your imagination, where gondolas drift along canals draped in willows and diminutive artistic workshops line cobblestoned streets.

• Sample Itinerary
• Testimonials
• Gallery

Japanese Alps:

• Easily accessible from Tokyo by Shinkansen, this is the place to see quaint, traditional Japanese villages at their most picturesque. Follow the cobblestoned sections of the Nakasendo Postal Path through bamboo groves and woodland, and meander through the charming wooden villages of Magome, Tsumago and Narai. Streams and watermills adorn the sides of the lanes. In the summer, swifts flit through the cobbled streets and nest in the wooden rafters.
• The thatched villages of Shiragawa-Go are beautiful but expect crowds. Focus instead on the tiny, unknown yet very pretty villages on the way to the better known Gokayama. Experience life in a traditional thatched home as the charming owners of the Iwase-Ke Gassho house serve you tea, tell you the history of the family home they still live in, from samurai to silkworms. They will teach you how to play traditional instruments, show you how the entire wooden house is built without a single nail, and let you clamber about the 5 floors on the steep, cedar wood ladders.

Dewa Senzan:

• The village of Touge has been welcoming pilgrims for hundreds of years. Stay in one of the beautiful ‘shubuko’ pilgrim inns, full of character and history, and serving the meals of locally foraged fruit and vegetables that constitute the traditional pilgrim meal. Walk in the footsteps of centuries of Yamabushi pilgrims, and cross paths with modern white-clad ascetic pilgrims, as you ascend the 2,446 steps through Mount Haguro’s forest. Pass ancient cedar trees, shrines to forest deities, and a national treasure of a 5-storey wooden pagoda, to reach the large shrine complex at the top. Quench your thirst and rest your legs at the couple of very welcome tea houses along the way. convenience store, and the colourful local designs on the drain covers that reflect the essence of the town.

• Sample Itinerary
• Testimonials
• Gallery

Akita:

• Go back to the time of the samurais as a family from the warrior caste shows you round their mansion in the leafy village of Kakunodate. Dip your toes into the calm, clear river of the Dakigaeri Valley, overlooked by the span of a vermillion suspension bridge; circle the perimeter of the blue waters of Lake Tazawa, and stop off at Tsurunoyu Onsen to bathe in the thermal, milky, mineral-rich waters of one of Japan’s oldest and most picturesque hot springs.

Hokkaido

• Sample the freshest of crab, oyster and the local speciality, roe, at Sapporo’s fish market; soar over dense forest on the Asahidake Ropeway cable car and hike to the sulphuric vents billowing steam from the depths of the volcanic mountain. The flower fields of Hokkaido get a lot of press, but note that anyone familiar with Britain’s or some of Europe’s patchwork of farmers’ fields, lavender farms and wildflowers could find this attraction underwhelming and overly commercial.

• Sample Itinerary
• Testimonials
• Gallery

Western Izu Pensinsula

• Drive the spectacular, winding coastal road of the Izu Peninsula’s undiscovered Western coastline. Stop off at utterly idyllic fishing villages and beach hop along the coves and caves of the Futo Coast, hiking the interconnecting coastal paths with its daring viewpoints. Walk the Kawazu Seven Waterfall trail for the most beautiful, gushing cascades to rival any screen saver, winding through mossy woodland and plunging into cool blue pools over pentagonal volcanic columns. Dip into onsen rockpools and adventure into spring water caves at Oh-Daru, the most spectacular of the waterfalls.