Japan Holidays

You can book your Japan holiday online by simply choosing from our huge range of flights and hotels to create your own unique arrangement. By booking with Unwind Worldwide you can be asssured that our Japan holidays represent excellent value for money. We pride ourselves in sourcing the cheapest offers on the best flights and hotels.

Booking a holiday to Japan online is simple, safe and secure. However, should you have any questions, our Reservations Team are always are on hand to help you book your ideal holiday to Japan. You can contact our team via LiveHelp or by telephoning 0203 282 7684.

Japan Travel Guide

The "Land of the Rising Sun" is a country where the past meets the future. Japanese culture stretches back millennia, yet has also adopted (and created) the latest modern fashions and trends.

Japan is a study in contrasts and contradictions. Many Japanese corporations dominate their industries, yet if you read the financial news it seems like Japan is practically bankrupt. Cities are as modern and high tech as anywhere else, but tumbledown wooden shacks can still be spotted next to glass fronted designer condominiums. On an average subway ride, you might see childishly cute character toys and incredibly violent pornography – sometimes enjoyed by the same passenger, at the same time! Japan has beautiful temples and gardens which are often surrounded by garish signs and ugly buildings. In the middle of a modern skyscraper you might discover a sliding wooden door which leads to a traditional chamber with tatami mats, calligraphy, and tea ceremony. These juxtapositions mean you may often be surprised and rarely bored by your travels in Japan.

Although Japan has often been seen in the West as a land combining tradition and modernity, and juxtapositions definitely exist, part of this idea is obsolete, and is a product of Japan being the first major Asian power to modernize as well as Western patronization and heavy promotion by the travel industry. With time passing, however, it is becoming more apparent that many other Asian states have not only preserved more historical areas but have usurped Japan's position as cutting–edge. Continued demolition of Japan's scant historic landmarks goes on apace, as with the famed Kabuki–za Theater demolition, and much of Japan's urban fabric is unsightly, as any random perusal of Google Maps' "Street View" option can show. Still, with the proper planning, and with expectations held in check, a trip to Japan can be incredibly enjoyable and definitely worth the trip.

One of Japan's unique charms is its dynamic blend of old and new. In a holiday to Japan you can experience ancient temples, gardens and cultural traditions at the same time as enjoying some of the world's most futuristic and technologically advanced cities. Tokyo, along with New York, Paris and London, is now one of the world's leading cities when it comes to trends in food, fashion and pop culture.

To Do

Japan is famous for its gardens, known for its unique aesthestics both in landscape gardens and Zen rock/sand gardens. The nation has designated an official "Top Three Gardens", based on their beauty, size, authenticity (gardens that have not been drastically altered), and historical significance. Those gardens are Kairakuen in Mito, Kenrokuen in Kanazawa, and Korakuen in Okayama. The largest garden, and the favorite of many travelers, is actually Ritsurin Park in Takamatsu.

Rock and sand gardens can typically be found in temples, specifically those of Zen Buddhism. The most famous of these is Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto, but such temples can be found throughout Japan. Moss gardens are also popular in Japan and Koke–dera, also in Kyoto, has one of the nation's best. Reservations are required in order to visit just so that they can ensure the moss is always flourishing and not trampled.

The three must–visit places for World War II buffs are Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the capital of Okinawa, Naha. Okinawa is where some of the most brutal battles occurred between Japan and the United States, and the area is crawling with remnants from its dark past. The Peace Park, Prefectural Peace Museum, Himeyuri Peace Museum, and the Peace Memorial Hall are some of the best places to learn more, see artifacts, and hear accounts of the battles that took place here.

You can try first hand some of Japans cultural experiences. Experience a traditional tea ceremony, watch traditional performing arts ortry out martial arts such as sumo wrestling

Japan is famous for its bustling modern cities – but it's also home to some of the world's most stunning areas of natural beauty. The thrill of seeing Mt. Fuji for the first time, its perfect, cone–shaped symmetry rising majestically against a blue sky, is a travel memory you are sure never to forget. Mountains beckon with hiking trails in summer and top–rated skiing in winter, while the islands of Okinawa offer stunning diving and snorkelling. For those who want to kick back and relax, Japan's hot–spring spas have been soothing aches and pains for more than 1,000 years.

Shopping

Shopping in Japan is great for electronic bargains and truly original items like kimonos for dogs, robots and youth–inducing collagen marshmallows. From luxury to the bizzare, you can find something to suit all tastes in Japan and often at much lower–than–UK costs. Take a ride on the high–speed bullet train, cruise Tokyo Bay in the futuristic Himiko boat, shop at Japan's youth culture capital of Harajuku or visit one of Japan's many manga or anime attractions.

Nightlife

Come dusk Tokyo and Osaka blossoms into a profusion of giant neon lights and paper lanterns, and its streets fill with overworked locals out to have a good time. Entertainment districts are as crowded at 3am as they are at 10pm, and many places stay open until the first subways start running after 5am. Whether it's jazz, reggae, gay bars, dance clubs, rustic or chic bars Tokyo and Osaka have them all.