Japan

Brand new from Bradt is Okinawa and Japan's Southwest Islands, the sole travel guidebook dedicated to the archipelago stretching from the southern tip of mainland Japan to Taiwan, whose landscapes include award-winning beaches, coral reefs, tropical jungles and ancient forests. This guide contains all the detailed information that travellers need to get the most out of their visit, from accommodation and restaurants to transport and sights. Japan expert Jo Davey complements this with rich context and entertaining insights to help readers understand this fascinating region, covering culture, recipes, architectural highlights, historical episodes and traditional folktales.

Japan's Southwest Islands are a remote but rewarding and geographically diverse area that comprises the Satsunan Islands (formed of the Osumi and Amami islands) and the Ryukyu Islands (consisting of the Okinawa, Kerama, Miyako and Yaeyama islands). The capital city of Naha on Okinawa-honto is a bright and busy hub of history, art, karate and food. Thanks to its many US military bases and post-war occupation by the US, Naha is a fusion of Japanese and American culture.

In contrast, the more remote islands preserve traditional Ryukyuan life with festivals, architecture, traditional accommodation and religious sites. Depending where you travel, you can dive with manta rays off Iriomote or kayak along its jungle rivers, hike through Yakushima's ancient forest, search for star sand on Taketomi, pay tribute to the fallen of World War II at museums and monuments on Okinawa-honto, cycle between Miyako's award-winning beaches, take home a chunk of rope from the world's largest tug-of-war (in Naha) or go whale watching off the Kerama Islands. Wherever you go, the islands' amazing food - known for being the world's healthiest cuisine - can be found throughout the archipelago.

• Publisert: August 2024
• Utgave: 1. utgave
• Antall sider: 384
  
• Innbinding: Heftet
• Språk: Engelsk
• ISBN: 9781784776824

New from Bradt is the first-ever, standalone English-language guide to Hokkaido, Japan's second-largest island and northernmost prefecture. Home to under 5% of the country's population, this is a land of vast, wild expanses which demands exploration at any time of year - and feels a world away from Tokyo. Penned by an outdoors-loving travel writer resident in Japan, Bradt's Hokkaido delves far deeper into this frontier land than country-wide guidebooks can possibly do.

Author Tom Fay provides detailed coverage of the island's history, unique wildlife, local food, the Ainu (indigenous people), outdoor activities, skiing logistics, hiking courses and the practicalities of visiting in winter, when deep snow carpets the ground and the sea turns to ice. Hokkaido's varied landscapes include remote mountain ranges, fertile lowland plains, sweeping forests and enormous wetlands home to rare birds and other wildlife. Even for the Japanese, Hokkaido has a somewhat wild and exotic aura - place names have distinct Ainu origins and the capital Sapporo is closer to Russia's Vladivostok than to Tokyo; while the Siberia-influenced climate and wide open spaces are unlike anything found in the rest of Japan.

Hokkaido's mild summers are ideal for sightseeing, cycling, camping and hiking. Why not climb the island's highest mountain in Daisetsuzan National Park - an untouched wilderness of simmering volcanoes and stunning nature - or marvel at colourful fields of flowers around Furano and Biei? In winter, you can go to snow festivals, walk on sea ice (or board an icebreaker) to explore the Sea of Okhotsk, watch flocks of sea eagles or track brown bears in Shiretoko National Park, or head to popular ski resorts such as Niseko where the huge dumps of perfect powder snow attract skiers and snowboarders from around the world. Throw in hot springs (and thus ryokan hot-spring inns), active volcanoes, speciality seafood and quirky foodstuffs such as chocolate-covered crisps, excellent transport links and renowned Japanese hospitality, and Hokkaido is a thrilling and varied off-the-beaten-path travel destination, to which Bradt's Hokkaido guidebook is instantly the essential companion.

• Publisert: Juni 2024
• Utgave: 1. utgave
• Antall sider: 312
  
• Innbinding: Heftet
• Språk: Engelsk
• ISBN: 9781804690994