Japan Travel Guide

Five days gives a genuinely solid first look, though Tokyo is really 23 different districts stitched together, so it can easily absorb more time. Add a day trip to Lake Kawaguchiko if Mount Fuji views are a priority.

Not every viewpoint around the lake is worth the walk. Chureito Pagoda is the standout, a five hundred year old pagoda with Fuji behind it, alongside spots like Oishi Park, the Kachi Kachi ropeway and even a Lawson convenience store car park with a surprisingly good angle.

It has a reputation as a hard city for vegetarians, but that isn't true anymore. There's genuinely good vegetarian food across the city, from honey mustard gyoza to ramen, across a five day trip's worth of eating.

Among 20 highlights: fighting a sumo wrestler, go-karting through the streets, Shibuya Sky's rooftop views, a whiskey bar the size of a living room, and a day trip out to Lake Kawaguchiko, alongside the more expected Shibuya Crossing and Senso-ji Temple stops.

If motorsport is a genuine interest, yes. One trip here flew in a week early with no ticket and no plan, then drove a tiny kei car across the country to reach the race, during cherry blossom season.

The Japanese yen. Costs vary hugely by what you're after, retro game shops and arcades are affordable, while areas like Ginza carry some of the most expensive real estate on the planet, so budgets stretch a long way if you avoid those pockets.