The four main islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku make up Japan, with Tokyo being situated on the southern side of the largest island, Honshu.

Japan's history is chequered, from the days when Emporer Jimmu reigned as far back as the 6th century, through the unification between 1660-1868, when the Shogun's retained supreme power, and during the dark period immediately following the attacks at the end of WW11.  Since the 1950's, Japan has seen exceptional economic growth and has become one of the world's leading economies.

No country in the world offers quite so much contrast as Japan.  For cutting-edge technology, take a ride on the bullet train or shop in the ultra-modern electronic shopping areas in Tokyo, wonder at the skyscrapers and enjoy the trendy nightlife.  For those preferring to experience the traditional culture, there are plenty of temples, shrines, relaxing hot springs, serene gardens, rice fields and ancient thatch-roof villages to keep you busy. 

Each season bringing its own charm, starting with the bloom of the cherry trees in the south during March and spreading up to the north by May, followed by a rainy start to the summer, but then heat and humidity throughout July and August.  The cooler autumn brings stunning changes of colour to the leaves, and although the southernmost regions enjoy relatively mild winters, the north offers a range of winter sports.

Tokyo is the biggest city in Japan, and the place most visitors to the country will visit.  However, Kyoto is a 'must see' for any visitor, with beautiful gardens, and over 2,000 shrines and temples.  Hiroshima is well known as the first atomic-bomb target, while the view of Mount Fuji from the Hakone National Park also make these two destinations high up the list of attractions.

As Tokyo will probably be a stopover en-route to Australia, we would recommend you use the combination of British Airways to Tokyo, connecting with Qantas to Australia.

The following are the flight schedules from the UK to Tokyo : 

As Japan is in the northern hemisphere, it plays the same sports as we do at the same time. Consequently, in the majority of situations, the best time to tour is during your own season. Occasionally, it is possible to tour outside the season but it is not easy. For example, rugby pitches are taken over by baseball, as Japan is one of the few countries outside North America that plays the game.

We have had several tours in Japan playing a variety of sports including lacrosse, another North American game.

A visit to Japan is normally a stopover on the way to an antipodean destination.