You might think Japan’s Golden Triangle has it all. Taking in Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Kyoto and Osaka, this whistle-stop tour introduces travellers to the highlights of this extraordinary country. But, as locals will tell you, there’s so much more to Japan than these most famous sights. After all, the Land of the Rising Sun is made up of over 14,000 islands… and the Golden Triangle only covers one of them.

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Japan’s most southerly islands offer some of the country’s best diving opportunities. Take to the waters around the coast of Ishigaki Island and you’re in with a good chance of swimming past huge manta rays and fascinating cuttlefish. Alternatively, dive off Kuroshima Island and you could spend the afternoon spotting cute green turtles. If you’re not one with the water, don’t fret: this subtropical archipelago has gorgeous sandy beaches, subtropical jungles and mangrove swamps, too.

This gourmet city is a must-visit for foodies. Fukuoka is packed with yatai (food stands) which serve up tantalizing street eats well into the evening (when the stalls’ glowing lanterns beckon late-night workers and revellers). The city’s speciality is the delicious and oh-so-creamy tonkotsu ramen, but the mentaiko (pollock roe or cod roe) will also have you coming back for more. It’s not all about the food though. The largest city on Japan’s Kyushu Island is littered with attractions – check out the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum and the dazzling Fukuoka Tower.

Active volcanoes, frozen lakes, bubbling onsen: Akan National Park offers a taste of the country’s wilder side. Although travel around this remote park, located on Hokkaido Island, can often be limited, it’s a treat to visit in the winter months. As the crystal clear lakes freeze over, pockets of water remain ice-free, attracting flocks of whooper swans. These elegant birds nestle in the icey lakes for the season and as you’d expect, they’re a hit with nature photographers.

Europe’s Camino de Santiago isn’t the only pilgrimage route with UNESCO World Heritage status. The ancient Kumano Kodo trail network weaves through the quiet forests of Japan’s Kii Peninsula, passing photo-worthy waterfalls and welcoming ryokan (guesthouses) along the way. It’s long been considered a route to spiritual rebirth and culminates at the three Kumano Sanzan grand shrines. The picturesque Kumano Nachi Taisha shrine, backdropped by the rushing Nachi Falls, is the most iconic viewpoint.

Nikko is criminally overlooked by visitors. This peaceful little city hosts some of Japan’s most dazzling temples (don’t miss the Tosho-gu Shrine or the Taiyu-in Shrine) and arguably the country’s most photogenic bridge, the red Shinkyo Bridge. The city’s surrounding landscapes are equally stunning. Nearby Nikko National Park is surrounded by verdant mountains and studded with beautiful waterfalls and serene lakes. It’s best visited during the autumn, when the fiery orange foliage is at its most spectacular.

Think of Sapporo and you’ll probably think of the eponymous local beer, but Hokkaido’s biggest city has a lot more to offer than a good drink. (Though the Sapporo Beer Garden and Museum is a must-visit). Eye-catching sculptures dot the leafy Sapporo Art Park while restaurants down Ramen Alley serve up some of the city’s best eats. In February, Sapporo’s annual Snow Festival (Yuki Matsuri) promises fun for all the family.

This fairy-tale island feels like a world away from mainland Japan. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Yakushima is most famous for its lush, moss-covered rainforests, made up of twisting, thousand-year-old Cedar trees. These verdant groves – which are also home to local macaques and roaming Yaku deer – were the inspiration for Studio Ghibli’s popular film Princess Mononoke. Yakushima’s coastline is equally entrancing. Miles of unspoilt beaches offer a safe haven for loggerhead and green turtles to nest in the summer; they’re also a great place for hikers to unwind after a long rainforest trek.

Before 1992, people didn’t really venture to Naoshima – a depopulated, industrial outpost of Japan’s rustbelt. It wasn’t until business man Soichiro Fukutake and architect Tadao Ando turned part of the island into an art site that people really started to pay attention. Now, this unassuming isle is a hotspot of creativity. Hop on the ferry with Japan’s avant-garde crowd and you’ll soon find yourself wandering around ground-breaking art galleries and scenic sculpture gardens. Modern restaurants and boutique hotels make this a tempting place to stay overnight, too.

To catch Hirosaki in all its glory, visit during the spring when the city’s central park is coated with pink cherry blossoms. It’s one of Japan’s most impressive floral displays, partly due to the park’s stunning backdrop: the picture-perfect Hirosaki Castle. This castle’s original five-story keep was destroyed by lightning in 1627 and later rebuilt, to just three-stories, in 1810. It’s surrounded by three moats, several towers and a number of historic samurai houses. Quite the backdrop to a sea of cherry blossoms.

A trip to Hiroshima offers an integral insight into Japan’s past. It was here that the world’s first atomic bomb dropped, killing thousands (and later hundreds of thousands) of local citizens. The site where the bomb landed is now the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, a poignant monument to the innumerable victims. While the park is an unmissable site, it’s not all Hiroshima has to offer. This modern city features a beautiful castle, the rebuilt Hiroshima Castle, as well as a bustling shopping scene. It’s also the jumping off point for travel to Miyajima Island, a beautiful island famous for its giant torii (shrine gate).

3 ideas for a two-week trip to Japan

Whether you're after a shot of culture, fancy sampling the best cuisine or just want to see as many highlights as possible, discover three different itineraries to help you plan a two-week trip to Japan...

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