Kyoto

Kyoto was Japan's imperial capital for over a thousand years — until 1868 — and that millennium of being the centre of court life, religion, art and craft still shapes the city block by block. There are 1,600+ temples and shrines inside city limits, 17 UNESCO-listed sites, and the world's only school where geisha are still trained the way they were two centuries ago. Yet the city is small enough to walk through in a day. Two hours and fifteen minutes from Tokyo on the Shinkansen, three nights minimum, four if you can — Kyoto is where most travellers slow their Japan trip down and start to actually arrive.

Late March to early April for sakura — Maruyama Park's weeping cherry is the postcard. Mid to late November for the kōyō (autumn leaf) peak — the Eikan-do and Tofuku-ji evening illuminations are the moment. Late September to early November and mid-May to early June are the gentlest weather windows. Avoid Golden Week (29 April – 5 May) and Obon (mid-August) — both peaks turn Kyoto into a queue.