Japan lies between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, made up of four major islands (Hokkaido, Honshu - with Tokyo, the capital city, and Yokohama - Shikoku and Kyushu) and more than 4,000 smaller ones. Japan is smaller than the UK, but with 126 million souls has twice the population. About 80 per cent of Japan is mountainous or forested and most of the population live in coastal areas.
With this "crush" come many of the typically Japanese solutions - the maintenance of personal space, short-stay "love hotels", and capsule hotels.
Tradition and respect for the past go hand in hand with modern technology. The calibrated tea ceremony contrasts with neon-lit cities; anime (animation) with cherry-blossom viewing; painstakingly prepared sushi with the fast-service vending machines that sell everything from soft drinks to potted plants.
Cheap flights to Japan land at either Narita near Tokyo or Kansai near Osaka, both well linked thanks to Japan's superior transport system.
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