Set against the backdrop of Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, Hakone is a haven of natural beauty and cultural treasures, the clear mountain air and invigorating hot springs making it a revitalizing escape from Tokyo. Begin any journey with a tranquil cruise across Lake Ashi, surrounded by lush, forested mountains before ascending in an aerial tram for breathtaking vistas of snow-capped Mount Fuji, its iconic silhouette cut out of the sky.  

As Japan’s former imperial capital for more than a thousand years, a place of shrines, bamboo groves and treasures, Kyoto has long been an incubator and preserver of high-art forms, from calligraphy and ceramics to tea ceremonies and refined geisha entertainments. Get a taste of this beguiling city at its private teahouses, Buddhist temples and traditional gardens. Or, indeed, over dinner – though barely one-ninth the size of Tokyo, Kyoto has the highest Michelin-star quotient per capita of any city on earth. Nearby Nara offers a different pace, where free-roaming deer and the colossal bronze Buddha at Todai-ji Temple anchor travellers in a landscape that feels timeless.