Itineraries — Kanto

Kanto organises itself around a natural axis: Tokyo at the centre, and a constellation of destinations radiating outward in every direction within two hours by train at most. This structure is simultaneously the region's great strength and its main temptation for travellers — the urge to do everything from a Tokyo base without ever truly settling in.

For a short stay (4-5 days), pick Tokyo and one excursion. Three days in the capital cover the essentials: Shinjuku and the Golden Gai on the first evening, Asakusa and Senso-ji at sunrise the next morning, Shibuya and Harajuku in the afternoon, then Akihabara and its gaming arcades on day three. On the fourth day, head to Kamakura for the Daibutsu and the Zen temples in the hills: the train from Shinjuku takes 55 minutes, and a full day is enough to cover the main circuit on foot.

Over a week (7 days), the classic itinerary allocates four days to Tokyo, a day to Kamakura, a day to Nikko (Tosho-gu shrines and Kegon Falls) and one night in Hakone for the onsen and the dawn view of Fuji. This loop covers the best of Kanto without feeling rushed, and leaves room for the unplanned — the best Tokyo discoveries often come from an unscripted afternoon in a neighbourhood you wandered into by accident.

With 10 to 14 days, the region opens up fully. Add a day in Yokohama (Chinatown, Minato Mirai waterfront, Ramen Museum), two nights in Hakone for the hot springs and hiking, and a trip to Lake Kawaguchiko for the most photogenic Mount Fuji reflections. Art and museum lovers could absorb two weeks in Tokyo alone: the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno (the world's largest collection of Japanese art), the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi, TeamLab Borderless (book well in advance), and dozens of galleries in Ginza and Yanaka.

For returning visitors, the region holds several thematic itineraries that standard trips never reach. The Izu Peninsula, two hours from Tokyo, combines seaside onsen, diving in the crystal waters of Oshima Island and fishing villages around Shimoda. Mount Takao (599 m), 50 minutes from Shinjuku by train, offers an easy hike with views over Tokyo and Fuji — one of the most-climbed mountains in the world. The Chichibu Valley, northwest of Tokyo, winds through thousand-year-old Buddhist temples in a landscape of rice fields and forested mountains, a world away from the urban image usually associated with Kanto.