Japan

UPDATE: SINCE I WROTE THIS ARTICLE, TSUKIJI FISH MARKET CLOSED IN 2018. THE WHOLESALE FISH MARKET CAN NOW BE FOUND AT TOYOSU. READ MORE HERE.

Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is one of the busiest cities in the world. All neon lights and skyscrapers. But hop on a bullet train and within a couple of hours you could be relaxing at an onsen (hot spring) in a green tea bath, in the middle of a forest, with nothing for company but the sound of birdsong…

As well as a trip to the onsen, a few other must-do things to do in Japan

Visit Tsukiji, the wholesale fish market where tuna auctions are held.

Go dancing at The Room in Shibuya (a favourite haunt of London DJ Gilles Peterson).

Take a trip to the former ancient Japanese capital of Kyoto, where Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines are surrounded by beautifully raked gardens. You may catch a glimpse of a discreet maiko (an apprentice geiko learning to entertain visitors by performing songs, dancing, and playing traditional Japanese instruments) rushing between teahouses.

The food can be outstanding. I tasted sushi that only shared its name with anything I’d eaten in London. But just thinking about it has made me decide to have a big bowl of ramen at nearby Tonkotsu, in Hackney, where they make the noodles on-site.

For published features and articles, see here.