Much of what is evocative about Japan is the old: Shintō shrines, the tea ceremony in an ornamental garden, a poem brush-painted on a scroll. Yet the excitement of Japan comes from its obsession with modernisation and twists on things new. New Japan’s brightest facet is clearly Tokyo. The architectural landscape includes soaring skyscrapers like the Shinjuku NS Building and the microcosm that is the Roppongi Hills urban development. Shop for tech goodies at ?daiba’s Aqua City or Ginza’s Sony Building, and the hottest haute couture along Omote-sandō or Ginza strips. At all hours, hip kids are out and about in Harajuku and Shibuya, where you can hear the latest J-pop at HMV or Tower Records. Just across Tokyo Bay, Yokohama bustles away – check out Minato Mirai 21 for more urban futurism. Get high on Cosmo Clock Ferris Wheel, the world’s tallest, or edify at the Yokohama Museum of Art, where contemporary art awaits. Move on to the port city of Osaka, which harbours more of New Japan. If you missed Tokyo’s Akihabara (Electric Town), shop at Den Den Town. The dramatic architecture of the Umeda Sky Building warrants a whirl up its glass elevator. Youth culture moves Amerika-Mura; and you can end your Osaka evening in flashy Dōtombori. Let the bullet train whisk you from futuristic Tokyo to Kyoto’s most exquisite temples. Join a sake-filled cherry blossom party or the drum beat of a local matsuri. Pick your own way through sophisticated mega-cities packed with world-class museums. Then meet the wild snow monkeys of Chūbu. How could one country offer so much? This bestselling guidebook explains it all. GET MORE FOR YOUR YEN – insider’s budget tips and smart accommodation options mean you can do what you want, whatever your budget KNOW THE ROUTE – packed with over 150 maps, more than any other guide to Japan FEAST LIKE AN EMPEROR – our Food & Drink chapter and mouth-watering restaurant listings dish up the best sushi and sashimi on the archipelago ESCAPE THE CROWDS – comprehensive coverage of Mt Fuji, Okinawa and the Southwest Islands, Kyūshū and Hokkaidō, written by the experts POINT IT OUT – Japanese script throughout means you’ll always find what you want