PULL-OUT MAP. Experience the best of Japan. Discover. Japan

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1 PULL-OUT MAP Discover Japan Experience the best of Japan

2 Discover Japan Experience the best of Japan This edition written and researched by Chris Rowthorn, Laura Crawford, Trent Holden, Craig McLachlan, Rebecca Milner, Kate Morgan, Benedict Walker, Wendy Yanagihara

3 Central Honshū Kansai & Western Honshū # p253 # p193 # p143 Kyoto # p51 Tokyo Tokyo Highlights...54 Meiji-jingū Shibuya Tsukiji Fish Market Nikkō Kamakura Central Honshū Highlights Kanazawa Tateyama-Kurobe Alpen Route Takayama Kamikōchi Tsumago & Magome Kyoto Highlights Arashiyama Nanzen-ji Kiyomizu-dera Kinkaku-ji Fushimi Inari-taisha

4 Contents Plan Your Trip Discover Japan Kansai & Western Honshū Highlights Nara-kōen Kinosaki Onsen Hiroshima Benesse Art Site Naoshima Miyajima This is Japan...6 Japan Map...8 Japan s Top 25 Highlights...10 Japan s Top Itineraries...32 Japan Month by Month What s New Get Inspired...47 Need to Know Tokyo 51 Highlights Best Strolling Yanaka Walking Tour...58 Itineraries...59 Tokyo Around Tokyo Mt Fuji Area Nikkō Minakami & Takaragawa Onsen Hakone Kamakura Central Honshū 143 Highlights Best Itineraries Hida District Takayama Northern Japan Alps Kamikōchi Shin-Hotaka Onsen Nagano Prefecture Shiga Kōgen Nozawa Onsen Hakuba Matsumoto

5 Contents Discover Japan Kiso Valley Nakasendō Ishikawa Prefecture Kanazawa Noto Peninsula Kaga Onsen Kyoto 193 Highlights Best Southern Higashiyama Walking Tour Itineraries Kyoto Takao Manshu-in Naoshima Hiroshima Miyajima The Best of the Rest 317 Niseko Daisetsuzan National Park Asahidake Onsen Iya Valley Ōboke & Koboke Chiiori Nagasaki Southwest Islands Yakushima Okinawa-hontō Kerama Islands Kansai & Western Honshū 253 Highlights Best Itineraries Osaka Nara Kōya-san Kinosaki Kōbe Himeji

6 In Focus Survival Guide Japan Today History The People of Japan Food & Drink Arts & Architecture Onsen Ryokan Family Travel Directory Accommodation Customs Regulations..374 Electricity Embassies & Consulates Gay & Lesbian Travellers Health Insurance Internet Access Climate Left Luggage Maps Money Opening Hours Public Holidays Solo Travellers Telephone Time Toilets Tourist Information Travellers with Disabilities Visas Women Travellers Transport Getting There & Away Getting Around Language Behind the Scenes Index How to Use This Book Our Writers...408

7 This Is Japan Japan is a world apart a wonderful little planet floating off the coast of China. It is a kind of cultural Galápagos, a place where a unique civilisation has been allowed to grow and unfold on its own, unmolested by invading powers. Japan s ancient culture is a bounty of riches. From the retina-burning splendour of a Kyoto geisha dance to the spare beauty of a Zen rock garden, Japan has the power to enthral even the most jaded traveller. Japan is a place to leave your comfort zone without suffering any real discomfort. Whether it s staying in a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn), soaking in a bubbling onsen (hot spring) or gazing at the apparition of a geisha, Japan offers regular doses of Wow! against a backdrop of ultramodern comfort. Savouring the delights of Japanese cuisine is half the reason to come to Japan. Indeed, many travellers come to Japan solely to sample the delights of Japanese food on its home turf. Eat just one meal in a top-flight Tokyo sushi restaurant and you ll see why: the Japanese attention to detail, genius for presentation and insistence on the finest ingredients result in food that can change your perception of what is possible in the culinary arena. The wonders of Japan s natural world are a well-kept secret. The hiking in the Japan Alps and Hokkaidō is world class, and with an extensive hut system you can do multiday hikes with just a day pack. Down south, the coral reefs of Okinawa will have you wondering if you ve somehow been transported to Thailand. And you never have to travel far in Japan to get out in nature: in cities like Kyoto, a few minutes of travel will get you into forested mountains. Japan has the power to enthral even the most jaded traveller Geisha in Kyoto (p192) WIBOWO RUSLI / GETTY IMAGES 6

JAPAN CHRIS ROWTHORN ANDREW BENDER, MATTHEW D FIRESTONE, TIMOTHY N HORNYAK, BENEDICT WALKER, PAUL WARHAM, WENDY YANAGIHARA

discover JAPAN CHRIS ROWTHORN ANDREW BENDER, MATTHEW D FIRESTONE, TIMOTHY N HORNYAK, BENEDICT WALKER, PAUL WARHAM, WENDY YANAGIHARA 2 NORTHERN HONSH & HOKKAID± p205 CENTRAL HONSH p163 TOKYO AREA p51 WESTERN