Japan

Rugby fever is hitting Japan this year from the middle of September to the beginning of November. If you don’t fancy supporting our boys in black from the telly, fly to Japan to witness the excitement. This year will see 20 rugby nations battle it out in 11 cities.

Japan’s Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates the beginning of spring and the arrival of beautiful Sakura – Japanese cherry blossom. It is also a time for eating and drinking, with locals descending on the neighbourhood’s prettiest parks to sit under the candy-coloured trees with a picnic. Popular festival activities include tea ceremonies and food hampers packed-out with onigiri rice balls, Yakiniku (grilled meats) and steaming miso soup.

Harajuku is the ultimate fashion and shopping district. Head to Takeshita Dori in particular, a narrow, pedestrian-only street packed with Tokyo's young fashionistas. Peruse the boutiques and cafes at your leisure and enjoy some fantastic people-watching. On Sunday's visit Harajuku Bridge, when the city's youth parade around in Disney style costumes - it's an incredibly unique sight!

Ooedo-Onsen-Monogatari is one natural hot spring, or onsen, which features 14 different baths with natural hot spring water sourced from 1,400 metres underground. The water is high in compounds such as calcium and magnesium, said to have a soft and soothing effect on the skin. For something a bit different, test the pure white waters of its Kinu-no-Yu bath, which has tiny bubbles and is said to stimulate the skin's surface with a massaging effect..

This structure is one of the city's greatest and most powerful symbols. It features awe-inspiring gates and turrets, as well as an impressive outer moat. Aside from its solid structural design, there are amazing decorative touches, such as the ornamental dolphins, tiles and tigers adorning the roof.

If you go to just one temple in Kyoto, Kinkaku-ji is not a bad option. It's the most well-known one of the area and is a truly impressive sight, complete with gold leaf detail and drenched in history. It was once the retirement villa of shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu before becoming a zen temple, along with a large pond to add to the atmosphere. It's incredibly popular, however, so it's best to visit here early or later in the day, avoiding holidays and peak tourist times.

The Nishiki Market is an essential destination for any foodie, offering more than a hundred shops and restaurants packed to the brim with mouth-watering delights. Stock up on dried seafood, Japanese sweets, pickles and other delicacies while you're here.

No trip to Kyoto is complete without a visit to Fushimi-Inari-Taisha Shrine, which is regarded as the city's most important and impressive shrine. Comprising of a series (and by series, we mean thousands) of vermilion torri gates that spread across an entire mountain. In the grounds of Fushimi Inari you'll notice plenty of fox statues, important as they are thought to be Inari's messengers. And why is this important? Because Inari is the Shinto god of rice.

With average temperature between 3°C - 7°C, a Japanese winter will nip at your nose and fill your lungs with an icy inhale. But it’s also one of the most breath taking times of year to see all of Japan’s most revered spectacles. Discover the smaller, scenic villages of Hida-Takayama and Shirakawa-go, and the natural hot springs built into the riverbed at seninburo onsen. Take a daytrip to Mt Fuji and you’ll be rewarded with a volcano dressed in her very best attire; a pale winter's glow, mist hovering like a suspended white blanket and a mountain peak encased in serene, untouchable snow.

With over 600 resorts from the mainland of Honshu, to the Island of Hokkaido, small parks, knee deep powder, quirky resorts (some with amusement parks) and the charm of resorts such as Nozawa Onsen which are steeped in tradition and history, it’s also home to Niseko, one of the snowiest resorts in the world, with an enviable 16 metres of annual snowfall. On the mountains you’ll enjoy light, dry powder and off them you’ll find remarkable culture and Japanese cuisine. As NZ’s closest country for a Northern Hemisphere snow season, ski December through to April without suffering the dreaded jet lag..