The Southern Islands & the Silk Road to Hong Kong

Few cities anywhere absorb this much contrast this comfortably, centuries-old shrines sit blocks from neon-lit crossings, and a Michelin-starred meal is as easy to find as a standing-room ramen counter. Meiji Shrine's forested grounds, planted from donated trees a century ago, shelter a genuine variety of birdlife within sight of Shibuya's skyscrapers, while Tsukiji Outer Market still trades on the same seafood obsession that built the city's reputation. A round of golf at a classic Kanto course and an evening in Ginza or Shinjuku round out a capital that never quite runs out of new things to show you.

Few views of Mount Fuji rival the one from Miho no Matsubara, a UNESCO-listed pine grove sweeping along the shore here that has been painted and photographed for centuries as the classic frame for the mountain beyond. Shimizu's port lands more tuna than almost anywhere else in Japan, and a proper sushi lunch here is close to essential. A round of golf with Fuji on the horizon and a soak in one of the region's onsen round out one of Japan's most scenically blessed ports.

Dotonbori's canal-side neon and giant mechanical crab signs set the tone for a city that treats eating out as a genuine pastime, kuidaore, or eating until you drop, is practically the local motto. Osaka Castle's gleaming keep anchors a park thick with cherry trees each spring, while a nascent wine scene has emerged in the surrounding Kansai hills. Herons and cormorants work the Yodo River's banks, and a nightlife scene as loud and warm as the food rounds out Japan's unofficial culinary capital.

Dotonbori's canal-side neon and giant mechanical crab signs set the tone for a city that treats eating out as a genuine pastime, kuidaore, or eating until you drop, is practically the local motto. Osaka Castle's gleaming keep anchors a park thick with cherry trees each spring, while a nascent wine scene has emerged in the surrounding Kansai hills. Herons and cormorants work the Yodo River's banks, and a nightlife scene as loud and warm as the food rounds out Japan's unofficial culinary capital.

Ritsurin Garden, laid out over more than a century for the local feudal lords, is widely considered one of Japan's finest, its ponds and pine-covered hills designed to reveal a new view at every turn. Takamatsu claims the title of Japan's udon capital, and a proper sanuki udon lunch, chewy noodles in a simple, clear broth, is close to compulsory. Naoshima, the contemporary art island a short ferry ride away, has turned an old industrial backwater into one of the art world's more unlikely pilgrimage sites. A quietly excellent gateway to Shikoku.

Fugu, the potentially lethal pufferfish prepared only by licensed chefs, is close to a civic obsession in this strait-side city, credited with popularizing the delicacy across Japan. The Kanmon Straits just offshore were the site of the decisive 1185 naval battle that ended the Genpei War, a history still commemorated in local festivals. A relaxed onsen culture and a strong seafood dining scene round out a city defined by the narrow, fast-moving water at its front door.

A volcanic island UNESCO has recognized three times over, for its lava tubes, its crater cone and its overall natural heritage, Jeju rises to Hallasan, South Korea's tallest peak, at its center. The haenyeo, free-diving women who have harvested the seafloor here by breath alone for centuries, are themselves recognized by UNESCO as a living cultural tradition. Championship golf courses take advantage of the island's volcanic terrain and mild climate, while black-sand beaches and citrus groves round out Korea's most popular island escape.

One of the only Japanese ports open to the outside world during the country's two centuries of self-imposed isolation, Nagasaki absorbed Dutch, Portuguese and Chinese influence long before the rest of Japan did, still visible in Glover Garden's colonial mansions and the historic Chinatown quarter. The Peace Park tells the city's 1945 history with the same unflinching honesty as Hiroshima's, a profoundly important stop regardless of nationality. Champon noodles, a genuine fusion dish born of that same cosmopolitan history, and a strong onsen tradition round out one of Japan's most historically layered cities.

The largest of the Goto Islands hides one of Japan's most poignant hidden histories, Christian communities driven underground by centuries of persecution built secret churches and shrines across these islands, several now recognized by UNESCO. Fukue Castle's moat once opened directly onto the sea, an unusual design for a Japanese fortress. Quiet, uncrowded beaches and clear water round out an island still well-off Japan's main tourist circuit.

Ancient cedar trees, some more than a thousand years old and one estimated at over seven thousand, stand deep in this UNESCO World Heritage rainforest, the same moss-draped landscape that inspired Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke. Waterfalls tumble through forest so wet it rains, locals joke, thirty-five days a month, while onsen dot the coastline for a soak after the hike. One of the most primeval landscapes anywhere in Japan.

A UNESCO World Heritage subtropical rainforest covers much of this Ryukyu island, home to the Amami rabbit, a primitive, dark-furred species found nowhere else on earth and often called a living fossil. Traditional Oshima tsumugi silk, dyed in mud using a centuries-old technique, is still handwoven here and prized as one of Japan's finest textiles. Mangrove kayaking and some of the clearest coral reef in the Ryukyus round out an island that feels closer to Okinawa's wild heart than to mainland Japan.

Shuri Castle, seat of the independent Ryukyu Kingdom for four centuries before Japan absorbed it, reflects a distinct culture, cuisine and even language found nowhere else in the country. Okinawa's population includes some of the highest concentrations of centenarians on earth, a longevity researchers have studied for decades and one that shows up in the local diet of bitter melon, purple sweet potato and slow-cooked pork. Coral reefs ring the main island for some of Japan's best snorkeling, while herons and egrets work the coastal wetlands. Japan, but genuinely, distinctly its own place.

Manta rays glide through cleaning stations off this Yaeyama Islands hub in numbers rare anywhere else in Japan, drawing serious divers from around the world for a close encounter most only see on film. Kabira Bay's black-pearl farms and impossibly clear, multi-hued water are protected from swimming to preserve the ecozystem, best seen instead from a glass-bottom boat. Egrets and herons crowd the island's mangrove river mouths, while a beach-forward, laid-back pace sets the whole island apart from mainland Japan. Japan's tropics, genuinely.

Glide into Victoria Harbour as the skyline ignites, SeaDream III overnights here, so the Symphony of Lights becomes your private nightcap from the deck. Ride the century-old Star Ferry at dusk, hunt Michelin-starred dim sum in Central, then take the funicular up Victoria Peak for the whole city laid out at your feet. A dawn sampan through Aberdeen's floating village and a fitting with a bespoke tailor round out a port that rewards those who stay long past sundown.

Glide into Victoria Harbour as the skyline ignites, SeaDream III overnights here, so the Symphony of Lights becomes your private nightcap from the deck. Ride the century-old Star Ferry at dusk, hunt Michelin-starred dim sum in Central, then take the funicular up Victoria Peak for the whole city laid out at your feet. A dawn sampan through Aberdeen's floating village and a fitting with a bespoke tailor round out a port that rewards those who stay long past sundown.