Japan rewards planning, but it rewards curiosity even more. The places people remember are rarely the ones at the top of a list.
In Tokyo, skip the famous crossing at rush hour and walk Yanaka instead, an old neighbourhood of temples, cats and cafés run by the same families for generations.
Arrive early, everywhere
In Kyoto, go to Fushimi Inari at dawn. By ten it is a crowd; at six it is just you, the gates and the crows.
The best of Kyoto happens before eight in the morning and after eight at night.
Spend at least one night in a ryokan. The cedar bath, the kaiseki dinner and the futon laid out while you eat are part of the journey, not a break from it.
And learn three phrases: thank you, excuse me, and this is delicious. You will use all of them every day.
Journeys inspired by this storyJapan, slowly12 days · from £3,890
Mei TanakaTravel designer, Asia
Plans journeys for Elsewhere and writes about the places that stay with them.
