Japan's traditional culture conjures up images of Samurai, Geisha or beautiful temples and gardens. It's modern culture such as anime, manga, cosplay or Jpop are equally engaging.
Japan is a land of natural beauty which can be found even in the middle of downtown Tokyo if you know where to look. The country's thousands of shines and temples are places of quiet serenity.
Japan is a modern country with the second largest economy in the world. It's cities are massive. The greater Tokyo area has a population of over 30 million. There is no shortage of interesting bars and restaurants to explore with at least 80,000 restaurants in Tokyo alone. Japanese food is amongst the most elegant, sophisticated and tasty cuisines in the world.
Sushi is the usually the first Japanese food to come to mind. However, there are literally hundreds of kinds of Japanese food. Every region is famous for some particular food. For example, Nikko is famous for Yuba (tofu skin) and Osaka is famous for many foods such as Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes) and Takoyaki (octopus balls). It would take a long time to sample every kind of food Japan has to offer.
Many people imagine that Japan is a tiny over populated island. However, Japan is reasonably large and has more land area than Germany. While Kanto (Tokyo, Yokohama, Saitama and Chiba) and Kansai (which includes Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto) are densely populated the vast majority of the land area is countryside.
Japan comprises over 3,000 islands from cold Hokkaido in the north to tropical Okinawa in the south. The terrain varies greatly from tropical beaches to snow capped mountains. You can go surfing in the morning and snowboarding in the afternoon.
Japan has a lot to offer. Somewhere between the intriguing formality of Japanese customs and the unbridled merriment of Japanese nightlife, everyone finds their own experience of Japan.
