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FIND OUT MOREJapan for foodies
Eco-conscious Andrew Watson does not usually like his food with air miles, but he makes an exception for Japanese food, which, he insists, is best sampled in Japan. With Tokyo boasting more Michelin stars than any other city (yes, including Paris), and Osaka catching up fast, you'd better jump on the shortest, greenest flight out there, he suggests.
All images courtesy of Japan National Tourism Organization.
Tokyo
It started life as a small fishing village known as Edo and then became the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate government. Today, Japan's capital is a buzzing metropolis, with some 12 million residents occupying high-rise buildings where once samurai, merchants and craftsmen lived.
It's a fascinating city of modernity and tradition - flea markets co-exist with designer boutiques, peaceful shrines with frantic streets, sumo with baseball and kabuki with karaoke.
What to do:
Meet the emperor
Home of the imperial family, the Imperial Palace occupies the site where the magnificent Edo Castle, stronghold of the Tokugawa shogunate, once stood. Located in Chiyoda, near the massive Tokyo Station, the palace is open to the general public only twice a year (on Dec 23 and Jan 2), but its surrounding parks provide a green oasis for residents and visitors alike.
Discover Japanese culture
A short walk away from the Imperial Palace is Kitanomaru Park. Here you will find the National Museum of Modern Art, which boasts the world's largest collection of modern Japanese art.
Ueno Park, next to Ueno Station, is Tokyo's most important museum district. It hosts the National Museum of Western Art, the National Science Museum and the Shitamachi Museum, as well as Tokyo's oldest zoo. But the jewel in the district's crown is the Tokyo National Museum, which houses the world's largest collection of Japanese art - from antique kimonos and samurai gear to delicate pottery.
Another unmissable cultural attraction is the Edo-Tokyo Museum in Ryogoku, which uses visual displays to showcase the city's historical and cultural heritage. Exhibits include replicas of the Nihonbashi Bridge and an ancient kabuki theatre.
Get on top of the world
Tokyo's most famous landmark, the Tokyo Tower is modelled after the Eiffel Tower and functions chiefly as a support structure for television and radio antennas. At 332 metres, it is the tallest artificial structure in the whole of Japan. Inside the tower are souvenir shops, restaurants, offbeat museums and a small amusement park for children. Tokyo Tower also features two observation platforms offering grand views of the city.
Experience a traditional Japanese tea ceremony
Known as sado, this is an elaborate ritual influenced by Zen Buddhism. Powdered green tea is prepared by a skilled practitioner and served to a small group of guests, followed by sweets. Take your time with it - sado is about contemplation as much as refreshment.
Awaken the tech geek in you
Tokyo is famous for its electronic goods and no trip to the city is complete without a stop at Akihabara, where hundreds of open-fronted shops sell a mind-boggling array of electronic products at competitive prices.
Indulge in retail therapy
A shopoholic's paradise, Ginza boasts high-end shops, boutiques, art galleries and department stores. After a hard-day's shopping, you can relax with a drink or a bite to eat at Ginza's many bars, restaurants and coffee shops that come alive in a flurry of neon lights as night falls.
Catch a kabuki show
Kabuki, which literally means song, dance and technique, is the highly stylised classical Japanese dance-drama that dates back to the 1600s. You can experience this unique art form at many places in Tokyo, but the impressive Kabuki-za Theatre in Ginza is the nation's main venue for kabuki.
Go fish watching at Tsukiji Market
This huge wholesale fish market, the largest in Japan, bursts into action before the crack of dawn, when boats begin to arrive with their precious hauls of tuna and other fish to be sold at auction to wholesalers. You can watch the action before sitting down for some sushi at one of the small market restaurants.
What to eat & where:
If you are looking for something fresh and tasty that won't bankrupt you, then eat around the famous Tsukiji Market. Sushi is always a good option here and so is donburi - a rice bowl dish consisting of fish, meat or vegetables simmered together and served over rice. If money is no object then go crazy at the many Michelin- starred restaurants in the city, including the Joel Robuchon Tokyo and Sushi Mizutani. There are plenty of good restaurants in between, especially in Ginza. Try the 120-year-old Tenkuni - a specialist tempura restaurant.
Where to stay:
Mandarin Oriental Tokyo (www.mandarinoriental.com/tokyo) in Nihonbashi is a fabulous five-star hotel housing two Michelin-starred restaurants. Another great option is the chic Park Hotel Tokyo (www.parkhoteltokyo.com) in Minato.
Osaka
Japan's third largest city has served as a port town, a castle town and a commercial centre for merchants in its 1,400-year history, and today it serves as the commercial and industrial centre for western Japan.
Edgier and friendlier than Tokyo, it draws visitors from far and wide with its well established reputation as the 'kitchen of Japan'. Here you can eat well on any budget; from street food to fine dining, Osaka is a gourmet's paradise.
What to do:
Take the castle
Osaka Castle is one of Japan's most imposing and historically significant castles, first built in the 1580s by a great general called Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Today people flock to the castle to take in the panoramic views from its magnificent five-storey keep.
Spot the whale shark at Osaka Aquarium
The Kaiyukan is one of the largest aquariums in the world. Located in the ward of Minato, near Osaka Bay, it is a complex of 15 water tanks, the largest of which is nine metres deep and holds 5,400 tonnes of water - enough to make its resident whale shark feel right at home.
Find peace at Shitennoji Temple
Founded in the late 6th century by Prince Shotoku, who is credited with introducing Buddhism to Japan, Shitennoji Temple was the first established state temple in Japan. Visitors flock here to pay their respects to Prince Shotoku and to visit the temple's newly restored landscape garden, complete with a teahouse.
Walk into a dream
Walk straight into a movie set at Universal Studios Japan - an amusement park that uses Hollywood blockbusters as its theme. There are theme rides and shows inspired by world famous movies to enjoy, cartoon characters to meet and re-created movie sets to explore.
Conquer your fear of heights
Take in unparalleled views of the city from the Floating Garden Observatory - a futuristic observatory suspended 167 metres above the ground between the two towers of the Umeda Sky Building. But be warned - getting there is not for the faint hearted. For the last part of your trip up the building you have to get on a glass-enclosed escalator that crosses over from one tower to the other over thin air.
What to eat & where:
Osaka is a city bursting with incredible places to eat. Dotonbori is home to many great restaurants, including Zubora-ya, which serves fugu - the potentially deadly blowfish. But it's not just in fine dining that Osaka excels - the city's culinary credentials are evident in its street food. Try the tako yaki, which is octopus doughnuts covered in a sticky sauce and sprinkled with flakes of dried tuna. Another delicious Osaka delicacy is okonomiyaki, which looks like a small, thick pizza but is made of batter, chopped cabbage, egg, onion and seafood or pork, topped with dried fish flakes and grated seaweed.
Where to stay:
Cross Hotel Osaka (www.crosshotel.com) is highly recommended and so is the uber-luxurious Imperial Hotel Osaka (www.imperialhotel.co.jp/e).
How to get there
Finnair (www.feel.finnair.com) offers the shortest routes to Asia from Manchester. For a range of other flights available from Manchester to Tokyo and Osaka visit www.manchesterairport.co.uk.