It is often hard for visitors to wrap their minds around Japan. The country manages to meld the traditional with the hypermodern without missing a beat. Japan leapt from isolation to world influence in less than a century, and this chronological feat has left its mark.

Historic palaces nestle calmly amid the bustle of delirious, crowded Tokyo. Bullet trains can whisk you to and from serene rural areas where delicate cherry blossoms frame centuries-old shrines. Trends whip through Japan faster than practically anywhere else, and girls in sky-high platform shoes and bleach-blond hair attend festivals alongside kimono-clad women in geisha costumes. Our advice: go and immerse yourself in Japan, old and new.

Art/Architecture, Arts & Culture, Cultural Tours, History
Japan, Japan tourism