New Blue List

Discover Japan: the land of contradictions


Spend the evening in an Izakaya
Take a seat at a sunken table and order an ice-cold glass of beer. One hot towel later and you can peruse a menu depicting an array of beautifully photographed food from sashimi to fried chicken, daikon salad to boiled soya beans. You can eat and drink til the small hours; but just don't forget to take off you toilet shoes.

Hang out at the Park Hyatt
At sunset, stunning views of Tokyo await you on the 52nd floor of this highly refined hotel. Relive "Lost in Translation" and sip a Suntory whisky at the bar, Bill Murray style, or sit back and enjoy some high class jazz with a pricey cocktail.

See Nikko and die
Or so the saying goes. Experience the true glory of ancient Japan that dwells in mountain cedar forests, two hours from Tokyo. Ornate carvings, clouds of incense, red lacquer floors and rows of granite lanterns feature in this stunning complex of shrines and temples.

Shibuya madness
From Shibuya's famous Hachiko exit you will be greeted by a dazzling display of blinking, neon clad skyscrapers, monstrous television screens blaring out MTV and throngs of people. Observe the frenzy of the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world and Tokyo's vibrant youth culture.

Glorious kimonos and Mt. Fuji
Take a train to Kawaguchiko and on a clear day you will see Fuji San in all its splendour. From there, a bus will transport you around the lake to the Itchiku Kubota museum which houses a breathtaking collection of handpainted and stitched kimonos: possibly the most beautiful display of textile art on the planet.

Karaoke in Kabukicho
Plunge into the glare and racket of Shinjuku's soapland and rent a room for three hours of karaoke. The fee includes unlimited drinks which you can order via a telephone in your booth. Experience the bizarre antidote to the Japanese work ethic in the city that never sleeps.

Volcanic hot springs and black eggs
They say that if you eat a black egg boiled in one of Hakone's volcanic hot springs, it will add seven years to your life. Take in the steaming, alien landscape below by cable car, but beware the smell of sulphur in the air. Complete the day with a boat trip across the serene Lake Ashinoko.

Pachinko
A loophole in Japan's gambling laws allow people to win money playing pachinko. Step into a pachinko parlour and you will first be deafened by jangling music and the sound of millions of ball bearings clattering through machines. In cigarette smoke and bright light, players sit by trays of silver balls which they later exchange for cash.

Meet Buddha
A day trip to the town of Kamakura offers a feast of temples and shrines and the famous bronze statue of Buddha which was almost swept away by a tidal wave. In summer, visit 'Little Thailand' for Japanese surfers, Brazilian martial arts, beach bars, noodle huts and fire dancing on the seashore.

Watch TV
You can get a real sense of a culture by what you can see on TV. Japanese television boasts the most ridiculous gameshows, garish adverts, sit-coms made all the more funny by the unfamiliar sounding language, a lot of baseball and of course sumo wrestling - which is guaranteed to get a giggle.