Made famous by the Gwen Stefani song Harajuku Girls, this is the perfect place to see all the latest in Japanese street trends and pick up a few pieces yourself at some of the trendy boutiques. The best time to visit is on Sunday when all the teenagers dress up in their favourite cos-play outfits in Yoyogi park.

Designed by architect Tadao Ando, the museum was built using the theme 'coexistence of nature, architecture and art' offering visitors a unique interactive experience of the art and the surrounding area. The art site is an ongoing project dedicated to contemporary art including the island's Benesse Art Museum, Chichu Museum, Art House Project which restores old houses into works of art.

The centre of youth culture in Osaka where you can find cutting edge and vintage fashions, venues, clubs and record stores throughout. The name was adopted in the 1970s due to the growing volume of imported American goods.

The place to see and be seen, Naka Meguro is home to some of the most cutting edge bars, cafes, hotels, galleries and fashion boutiques. With a very artistic vibe running through this part of town, it is also home to some of Japan's more experimental record labels.

The museum shows the animation process of Hayao Miyazaki, of Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away fame, from concept to screen, along with cells of some of your favourite characters.

This stunning museum located in the Shiga Mountains, southeast of Kyoto, is built to compliment its surroundings. The Miho museum is home to an amazing private collection of Asian and Western Antiques. Designed by the famous architect I. M. Pei, of Louvre fame and named after the founder of the museum Mihoko Koyama, one of the richest women in Japan.

A very popular store in Japan stocking a large variety of things from household goods, part supplies and to many things that you never realised you needed. Very popular with visitors and locals alike.

Become a samurai or ninja for the day at the amusement park Edo Wonderland. You can even star in your own 10-minute movie and take a DVD copy of the film home with you to impress your friends.

The spiritual centre of Shingon Esoteric Buddhism was established about 1200 years ago by the priest Kukai. With over 100 temples and around 50 where you can lodge for the night, try the traditional vegetarian cuisine, Shojin Ryori, and attend morning service with the monks.

This aquarium in Okinawa is one of the biggest in the world and has a fantastic selection of fish and plant species along with whale sharks and manta rays. The aquarium's claim to fame is starting the first whale shark breeding program and the largest manta ray breeding program in the world.

A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn, many of which have been given a boutique make over. Gora Tensui is a stunning ryokan near Mt. Fuji that brings traditional Japanese design into the 21st century. A great way to learn about Japanese customs and culture.

Known as Akiba to the locals, Akihabara is famous for its many electronics shops. In recent years, it has also gained fame as a centre of gaming, manga and animation culture. "Maid Cafes" where gentlemens are welcomed by waitress decked out in French maid costume have become immensely popular.

A theme park home to Hello Kitty and her hyper-cute colleagues.

Get the best views of Tokyo from this colossal building in the Roppongi Hills complex. Open until 1am*,it's a great place to get a grasp of just how big the metropolis is - see www.tokyocityview.com/en/index.html for details. The 1,500yen admission fee also gets you into the adjoining Mori Art Museum.
*Open 10am to 1am (Fri, Sat and the day before national holiday); 10am to 11pm (Mon-Thu)
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Mount Aso, the world's largest volcanic caldera, where they filmed the famous James Bond film "You Only Live Twice"