Japan, whether you end up taking photos of a neon-lit skyline, surfing an indoor wave, musing in a Zen temple, shacking up in a love hotel or kipping down in a traditional inn, you'll do best to come to Japan with an open mind and be prepared to be surprised. Somewhere between the elegant formality of Japanese manners and the candid, sometimes boisterous exchanges that take place over a few drinks, between the sanitised shopping malls and the unexpected rural festivals, everyone finds their own visions of Japan.

Best time to visit

March and April, or before 1853, when Japan started opening up to foreigners.

Essential experiences

Taking a relaxing dip in an onsen (hot bath) at Beppu or Asoyama; admiring the cherry blossoms in Tokyo's Ueno Park; drinking in the view of Tokyo from the top of Mt Fuji; pretending you're a Samurai warlord at Himeji-jo castle; having a Zen experience at Kinkakuji temple, Kyoto; finding out why war sucks at the Hiroshima or Nagasaki war museums; riding on a slide made entirely of ice at the Sapporo Snow Festival.

In a few words, Japan is

Raw fish, Samurai swords, hard-working salary men, bowing, Hiroshima and the A-Bomb, electronic gadgets, geisha girls, Mount Fuji, karaoke and manga comic books.

Did you know?

In Japan it's actually polite to slurp loudly when eating soup or noodles, shoes must be removed before entering any home, most home kitchens don't have ovens and Japan has over 1500 earthquakes a year.