Japan is known as the Land of the Rising Sun, due to the characters in its name meaning sun-origin. It gracefully and sometimes shockingly combines the traditional and modern in many places. The huge metropolis of Tokyo is one example of this. It is a very modern city (partly due to the rezoning effects of fire-bombings during World War II) with its skyscrapers and cutting edge electronic district of Akibahara. On the other hand, there is the peaceful and regal Imperial Palace and the occasional kimono clad women. From Tokyo you can take the very high speed Shinkansen bullet train to the city of Kyoto. Kyoto is a former capital of Japan and has an outstanding collection of ancient temples and palaces. More temples can be found at the temple complex of Nikko which is stunning and peaceful. It is the mausoleum complex of Shogun Tokugawa, and has on display the original hear, speak, and see no evil monkeys.
For a very different - and thankfully unique - type of atmosphere, go to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where there are reminders of the terrible destruction of atomic warfare. Museums and monuments document and remember something the Japanese hold in shame. The devastating atrocity caused by the Atomic Bombs dropped there in August of 1945 brought Japan to its knees and ended a war in which the entire civilized world went completely mad. Maybe all world leaders should make a pilgrimage to these two cities.
Nature lovers can visit the scenic Japanese Alps, which has good winter resorts (such as the Olympic town of Nagano) and interesting traditional towns such as Takayama. You can also hike up the very photogenic (from a distance) Mount Fuji. If timed right, you can watch the sunset from the top. Japan is a very mountainous country, which seriously reduces the amount of residential and agricultural land. This has resulted in Japan’s population being quite concentrated in some areas, as well as highly reliant on food imports.
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