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The sun sets over Yuigahama<br />
beach, near Kamakura<br />
THE FIRST-TIMER’S ADVENTURE<br />
You’re finally going to the Land of the Rising Sun. But where<br />
to start? Right here, with our essential two-week, step-bystep<br />
guide to the must-sees<br />
Days 1-2<br />
TOKYO, FOR CAPITAL FUN<br />
You’ve arrived! At your Tokyo airport,<br />
start by picking up the Japan Rail Pass<br />
you booked in advance via jrailpass.com.<br />
You’ll need it: the next two weeks will<br />
involve a lot of train journeys. For now,<br />
you have two days to explore Japan’s<br />
mesmerising, frenetic capital.<br />
Day 3<br />
NIKKO, FOR SCENERY AND SHRINES<br />
Sensory overload? Time to head away<br />
from the capital on a day-trip. Aim for<br />
Nikko, tucked in mountains to the north,<br />
where forests envelop the opulent<br />
Toshogu Shrine, the last resting place<br />
of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the 17th-century<br />
Shogun. Along with nearby Futarasan<br />
Shrine and the Rinno-ji Buddhist temple,<br />
it is a UNESCO <strong>World</strong> Heritage Site<br />
and is well worth the fiddly journey (30<br />
minutes by the Shinkansen bullet and<br />
local trains, then a 30-minute walk) for<br />
its 42 structures, wrought by 15,000<br />
artisans and adorned with gold leaf and<br />
carvings (spot the ‘Hear no evil, speak<br />
no evil, see no evil’ monkeys at the<br />
stable). Keep your energy levels up with<br />
a trout pressed-sushi ekiben (boxed<br />
lunch) from Tobu Nikko station or try<br />
the local speciality yuba (soy milk skin)<br />
from Nikko Yubamaki ZEN, between the<br />
station and the shrine.<br />
Day 4<br />
KAMAKURA, FOR SEASIDE AND<br />
HISTORY (OR MORE TOKYO)<br />
Desperate for one more day in Tokyo?<br />
Now’s your chance. Otherwise, hop<br />
on the Yokosuka main-line train from<br />
Tokyo station, bound for historic<br />
Kamakura (about one hour). This<br />
walkable seaside town, easily seen in<br />
a day, was once the political heart of<br />
medieval Japan and is studded with<br />
shrines, temples and a vast, 13-metrehigh<br />
Great Buddha, its bronze exterior<br />
now green after eight centuries of<br />
typhoons and tsunamis. Wander down<br />
to Yuigahama Beach — a favourite with<br />
surfers — and stock up on bird-shaped<br />
Hato Sable cookies by the station,<br />
before returning to Tokyo.<br />
Days 5-6<br />
HAKONE, FOR HOT SPRINGS<br />
Hakone, a popular mountain spa retreat,<br />
can be done as a day-trip from Tokyo<br />
(trains go regularly from Shinjuku<br />
28 worldtravellermagazine.com
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