chanting ‘in with good fortune, out with the devils’. Hanami (Blossom Viewing) usually runs from March to April; the romantic Tanabata Matsuri (Star Festival) is on July 7; and O Bon (Festival of the Dead), when lanterns are floated on rivers, lakes or the sea to signify the return of the departed to the underworld, takes place from July 13-16 and mid-August.

Kyoto’s Gion Matsuri (July 17) is perhaps the most renowned of all Japanese festivals. The climax is a parade of massive man-dragged floats decked out in incredible finery, harking back to a 9th-century request to the gods to end a plague sweeping the city. In the cute and kooky department, Niramekko Obisha (January 20; Chiba) combines a staring contest with consumption of sake – the one with the straightest face wins. The Yah-Yah Matsuri (first Sunday to the following Saturday of February; Owase) is an argument contest: competitors scream Samurai chants and try to look fearsome. Afterwards, they take off all their clothes and jump in the ocean. White Day (March 14) is a bizarre follow up to Valentine’s Day where men are supposed to reciprocate to their valentine with a gift of chocolate or marshmallow. For those into music, the Fuji Rock Festival is held over three days in late July at the Naeba Ski Resort in northwest Japan. This festival boasts an awesome lineup of local and international bands playing against a mountain backdrop.

Japan: Sights
Japan is such a kaleidoscopic jumble of ritual and history, neo-this and mega-that, full-colour countercultures, verdant islands and urban wastelands, past scars and future dreams, gardens, shrines and glittering cities that the only trouble will be fitting it all in.

Daisetsuzan National Park
Phone tel: (0166) 924 378 (info) Transport bus: to the park interior from Asahikawa, Furano, Biei, Kamikawa, Kitami & Obihiro Keyword mountain, national park, lake Sometimes spelled ‘Taisetsuzan’, this is Japan’s largest national park, consisting of several mountain groups, volcanoes, hot springs, lakes and forests. It also includes Asahi-dake, at 2290m (7557ft) Hokkaidō’s highest peak. The park is spectacular hiking and skiing territory, but bear in mind that a few days are needed to get away from tourist areas.

If you have limited time, Asahidake Onsen is a good spot for a quick look at the park. Tokachidake Onsen is more remote and may be good for those wanting to escape the crowds (a key consideration in summer and early autumn). There are a couple of hikes on the more well-trodden trails here, but there are also many more routes leading to more remote regions if you have several days, or even a week, to spare.

Hiking and other information with some English-language text is available at tourist information offices in the larger towns and destinations.

Iriomote-jima
Address Okinawa region Transport boat: from Ishigaki-jima Keyword island Dense jungle blankets much of Iriomote-jima, an island that could well qualify as Japan’s last frontier. Trekking through the interior, you may find leeches, which in Japan is probably good enough to merit the ‘wilderness’ tag. The island’s major attractions are beaches, rivers and waterfalls, and the rarely seen Iriomote yamaneko (wildcat).

Much easier to find are the curious sakishimasuo trees, with their twisting, ribbon-like root buttresses. You’ll find them all over the island, but particularly along the coast north of Ōhara.

Iriomote-jima has several small towns and a perimeter road that runs about halfway around the coast. No roads run into the interior, which is virtually untouched.