Tokyo. Entertaining city!

Traffic in and out of Shinjuku, one of Tokyo's huge shopping districts

An adrenaline-pumping bullet-train ride to a place of deep calm.

The sheer level of energy is the most striking aspect of Japan's capital city. Tokyo is a place where the urgent rhythms of consumer culture collide with the quieter moments that linger from older traditions. It's hectic madness leavened by the most Zenic of calms.

Lovely big pieces of raw fish: salmon sushi in Tokyo restaurant



Sumo wrestlers and gyoji (referee) at Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Arena


Teenagers and big teenagers, shopping in Harajuku


Japanese drummers thrashing about in Tokyo


Neon Canyon: Yasukuni-dori (Yasukuni street), Shinjuku


One big electricity bill, Shinjuku district

While it's true the exciting vibe has a somewhat depressing flip side - shoebox housing estates and office blocks traversed by overhead expressways crowded with traffic - Tokyo remains a glittering example of the 'miracle' of post-WWII Japan.

Great Buddha of Kamakura: built 1252, almost washed away by tidal wave, 1495


What the future will be like: sleeping accommodation in capsule hotel, Shinjuku


Vending machine capital of the world

Sapporo, Japan's brewing mecca

Big Neon in Susukino entertainment district

Wash down Sapporo's pleasures with a slug of its famous beer.

On the same beer-soaked latitude as Munich and Milwaukee, Sapporo lays undisputed claim to the title of Japan's brewing mecca. Beer-makers Sapporo, Asahi, Kirin and a host of local microbreweries have all set up shop here, helping to make this energetic city even more spirited and rambunctious.

View of snow-covered city from summit of Mount Moiwa-yama

Koala ice carving at Sapporo Yuki Matsuri (Snow Festival)

Locals about to go karoke singing in Susukino entertainment district

Neatly tied crabs for sale at Ni-jo Ichiba Seafood and Vegetable Market

Vendor proudly showing octopus at Ni-jo Ichiba Seafood and Vegetable Market

The kick of Sapporo, though, comes from much more than its most famous export. This friendly, cosmopolitan city welcomes visitors with a flourishing restaurant scene, as well as myriad outdoorsy opportunities in the rugged Hokkaidō landscape outside of town.

Load up on beer and enjoy 'Ghengis Khan' mutton barbecue, at Sapporo Brewery

Street car linking Central Business District to Susukino entertainment district

Osaka, combine historical and cultural attractions

Night view of Osaka Castle, built 1620-29, by Tokugawa shogunate

Have a fried-octopus ball in high-wired Osaka.

Famous for its down-to-earth citizens and hearty cuisine, Osaka combines historical and cultural attractions with all the delights of a Japanese urban phenomenon. At night Osaka is live-wired with flashing neon, beckoning with promises of tako-yaki (fried octopus ball), good times and lots of beer.

Ko-gyaru : young Japanese girls who dress 'Californian style'

City of many signs and many bicycles

Girls and perky mannequin in Dotonbori restaurant and entertainment district

Often maligned by visitors as 'ugly' and still best viewed under the neon light of night, Osaka is currently undergoing a facelift to woo daytime visitors to its concrete and pachinko city grid. Waterfront developments are restoring Osaka's image as a port town and creating new attractions for tourists.

Favourite Osakan delicacy: takoyaki , or fried octopus balls

Men playing igo (also known as 'Go') in cafe in Shin-Sekai district

Chef singing karaoke version of 'Memories' in izakaya (Japanese pub)

Nagoya, a bit like Tokyo.

Rikishi performing foot stamping ritual before Sumo wrestling match

A bit like Tokyo with a dash of Osaka.

Nagoya, Japan's fourth-largest city, isn't a traditional tourist destination, but it has a number of worthwhile sights, some good restaurants and places to shop. In spirit, this major industrial centre, the capital of Aichi-ken, feels like a scaled-down, less breakneck-paced Tokyo.

Cherry blossoms stretched out in front of Nagoya-jo Castle museum and gallery

The English-language signs dotted throughout the city make it easy to get around. Some of the most interesting restaurants, shops and nightspots can be found in the Sakae entertainment district. Nagoya is also a convenient hub for day trips in central Honshū.

Japanese restaurant with replica dishes, or 'plastic food' in display cabinet

Man at Atsuta-jingu Shrine Festival, a ceremony with theatre, sports and fireworks

Adult, happy, and kids, not, on rocket-car ride at Nagoya Zoo

Jugs, vases bells and kettles for sale at Osu Kannon-ji Temple Market

Apprentice Sumo wrestlers in training session at So-ji Temple, Motoyama

Shoppers and umbrellas at Kakuozan Market

Kyoto, Classic japanese...

Kinkaku-ji, or Golden Temple, mirrored in rippling waters of Kyo-ko Pond

Kyoto will satisfy a Fuji-sized appetite for the classic Japanese aesthetic.

Kyoto, with its hundreds of temples and gardens, was the imperial capital between 794 and 1868, and remains the cultural centre of Japan. Its raked pebble gardens, sensuously contoured temple roofs and mysterious Shintō shrines fulfill the Japanese fantasy of every Western cliché hunter.

With an astonishing 1600 Buddhist temples, 400 Shintō shrines, a trio of palaces, and dozens of gardens and museums, Kyoto is Japan's cultural treasure house. Seventeen of Kyoto's ancient structures and gardens have been declared UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Night view of Japanese garden with wooden bridges and carp ponds

Positioning the goods in Kyoto's 400-year-old Nishiki market


Delicately portioned kaiseki food, served in Kyoto's more expensive restaurants


Amused schoolgirls and rickshaw driver, near Yasaka-jinja (Yasaka shrine)


Some of hundreds of stone statues in gardens of Adashino Nembutsu-ji Temple


Maiko , who will study five years before becoming geisha


Bamboo: used for building, musical instruments, sports equipment, and as food


Sumo wrestlers throwing salt, with referee, or gyoji in centre


Snowfall over leisure boat on Hozu River, Arashiyama

Fokouka, No stress!

Buddhism in bloom: the rock garden of a Rinzaishu temple, Fukuoka

Wrap your hands around a steaming bowl of rāmen before partying the night away.

The biggest city in Kyūshū, cosmopolitan Fukuoka is renowned for its nightlife and culinary scene. One dish in particular reigns supreme - rāmen - noodles in a distinctive, whitish broth made from pork bones: slurping sounds emanate from the 400-plus rāmen shops and numerous yatai (food stalls).

Rush hour at Fukuoka's bustling JR Hakata railway station

Neon Nippon: the enormous Canal City shopping mall-cum-entertainment complex.

Fukuoka-ites are reputedly hard drinkers and outstandingly friendly. The city is full of clubs and bars, and it's often possible to drink for free much of the night in exchange for on-the-spot English practice. Oddly, Friday nights can be kind of dead, as many people work six days a week.

Slurp your way to ramen noodle nirvana in Fukuoka



Who needs Barbie when you can buy a Japanese doll in traditional dress?

Marvellous Japan!

Picturesque snow-capped Mt Fuji

Hyperbolic, kitty-cute, switched-on, serene.

Whether you end up taking photos of a reproduction Eiffel Tower, surfing an indoor wave, musing in a Zen temple, shacking up in a love hotel or kipping down in a capsule, you'll do best to come with an open mind and be prepared to be surprised.

Vending machines, with anything from food to underwear, at a roadside rest stop

Kuri mushi yoan, a Japanese steamed chestnut sweet

Somewhere between the elegant formality of Japanese manners and the candid, sometimes boisterous exchanges that take place over a few drinks, between the sanitized shopping malls and the unexpected rural festivals, everyone finds their own vision of Japan.

Tea time at a Japanese guesthouse in Kisami on the Izu peninsula

Keep to the left on the city's 220kms of freeway flyovers

The impressive Daibutsu (Great Buddha) at Kamakura

Traditional torii with inscriptions at Fushimi Inari shrine

Street food stalls serve a bustling late-night crowd

Horiyoshi III, the master tattooist, performs the art of tebori (hand tattoing)