Japan is one of the most exciting destinations of our time - not only because of its vibrant cities and millennia-old culture, but also because of a food culture that is as refined as it is uncompromising.
High precision, breathtaking aesthetics and excellent ingredients - course after course after course, the kaiseki meal at "Hyotei" (three Michelin stars) in Kyoto reflects the strengths and art of Japanese cuisine. But this outstanding menu is by no means an exception: beyond this fine-dining oasis, you can also discover an abundance of delicacies in Japan; no wonder the country's cuisine has been declared an intangible UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In Tokyo, where the journey begins for many, it starts with a culinary frenzy: whether you want to enjoy freshly caught fish and seafood, tempura, tonkatsu and tepanyaki, whether you can get one of the coveted seats for a steaming bowl of spicy tantanmen ramen at "Nakiryu" or whether you want to experience sushi to perfection in the three-star restaurant "Harutaka". No other city in the world has been awarded as many Michelin stars as Tokyo.
Japan is more open than ever to foreign travelers and oscillates in a highly exciting, unique and intoxicatingly beautiful way between high-tech-infatuated modernity and a strong sense of tradition. A monarchy with an emperor, to which cherry blossom obsession and temple culture belong just as much as high-tech fascination, flashy pop culture and nightlife in the glow of endless neon lights. Once you have been intoxicated by Tokyo, the world's largest megacity, in the contrasting districts, from chic Ginza to trendy Shibuya, the journey continues westwards - on the Shinkansen, the world's most punctual express train.
An hour's train ride away, Mount Fuji appears outside the windows - when it hasn't just disappeared behind a wall of fog. The "FUFU Kawaguchiko" hotel also offers a view of the iconic mountain, while this luxurious ryokan near Lake Kawaguchi offers a combination of tradition and modern design, while soaking in a private onsen. After all, these hot baths, which can be found all over the country, are as much a part of Japan as politeness, calm and consideration in public life.
If you head further west, the highlights come in quick succession: the many temples in the traditional, old imperial city of Kyoto, the palace of Nara and the nightlife and exuberant cuisine in the vibrant metropolis of Osaka. In Kobe, on the other hand, you can enjoy the region's famous, melt-in-the-mouth beef in numerous top-class restaurants. And Hiroshima is a city that has risen like a phoenix from the ashes after the nuclear catastrophe and offers other typical regional specialties: oysters and okonomiyaki, the Japanese omelettes that are layered in front of your eyes.
However, all these impressions should only be an incentive to delve even deeper into this fascinating country - from the wilder nature in Hokkaido in the north to the white sandy beaches on the islands of Okinawa in the southwest.
