Destination: Japan

Japan is a country of juxtapositions: the ancient weaves into the cutting edge, with historic quarters backing onto neighbourhoods packed with sky-tickling glass eyries and neon-lit intersections leading to architecture striking quarters of sparse, minimalist design. It’s that clean-cut, effortlessly elegant side that inspired our Gion and Shibuya lines of backpacks and bags to take along while exploring the country’s coolest quarters. To spark your curiosity, we’ve compiled a list of our favourite destinations in Japan right now. Grab your backpack: we’re going exploring.

Shibuya, Tokyo

Shibuya needs no introduction, but this iconic Tokyo neighbourhood is more than just its famous crossing. Encompassing Omotesando’s glitz, Harajuku’s future-forward intensity, the tranquillity of Yoyogi Park and more, the Tokyo neighbourhood promises bright lights, eccentric characters, late-night vinyl bars and sushi counters on every corner.

Shibuya’s charm lies in its irreverent attitude to tradition: amid the space-age sushi restaurants and vegan izakayas, you’ll find Zaiyu Hasegawa’s Den, a refreshingly casual fine dining experience where the traditional kaiseki – a banquet of small, artistic dishes – is reimagined for 21st-century sensibilities, complete with emoji-shaped carrots and fine-dining takeaway chicken.

This urban neighbourhood is a hotbed of Tokyo creativity, too, with culture and fashion spilling out of galleries, shops and art spaces. At multi-level space NADiff A/P/A/R/T, art collides with publishing: head to the gallery-come-bookstore to discover unique art publications, indie magazines and contemporary art pieces. Seeking somewhere to stay? Try Trunk(Hotel) Yoyogi Park. Overlooking the leafy canopy of Yoyogi Park, the hotel’s design borrows from the subtle juxtaposition of its grey-green surrounds. Rooms, filled with natural materials and products handcrafted by Japanese artisans, are urban sanctums – slick, calm and serene.

Gion, Tokyo

Home to one of Japan’s most famous communities of geisha, or “geiko”, in the Kyoto dialect, buzzy Gion is also where you’ll find a diverse array of loved-by-locals eateries and under-the-radar hotspots. Unsure where to start? Sandwiched between the Yasaka Shrine – a revered, 1,350-year-old Shinto landmark – and the Kamo river, Shijo Avenue is the district’s beating heart, offering ochaya (traditional tea houses), wooden machiya merchant houses, independent shops, restaurants and bars galore.

There’s history aplenty – try Wabiya, which serves chicken in so many different ways that we lose count, and the intimate, 1920s-styled drinking den, Bar iXey, owned by spirits maestro Hiroaki Oda, where bartenders wear old-school white collared shirts with ties, but the craft cocktails are nothing short of cutting-edge, pairing herbal liqueurs with fresh herbs grown in the bar’s own garden. But between the ancient architecture, you’ll find the clean lines of modernity, too. Take a quick walk across the river to the bright lights of 2050 Coffee for a taste of the future at this space age cafe where the coffee comes on tap. To stay, try Sowaka, a modern take on a traditional ryokan.

Nagasaki

Nagaski, on the island of Kyushu was once Japan’s largest trading hub when the Portuguese sailed into a sleepy fishing village in the 15th and 16th centuries, bringing with them fabrics, textiles and delicacies from Europe. Catholic churches, western-influenced architecture and a dynamic, internationally influenced food scene followed. Today, the city honours its heritage – it’s yet to be taken over by big-name chains or hip hotel groups, and its cuisine is distinctly different from much of the rest of Japan.

Dishes like toruko (Turkish rice) – a combination of spaghetti, rice and pork tonkatsu – highlight the international influence on the city’s culinary heritage, while contemporary ryokans like Tsuki to Umi, a sea-gazing stay in the nearby port town of Motegi, borrow interiors from Scandinavia, with 14 individually designed rooms decked out in minimalist interiors (think clean-lined expanses of light wood, brushed-concrete walls and matt-black accents). End your explorations with a drink at Bar Nagare, a slick spot serving snacks, cocktails and more than 80 kinds of craft beer.

Kanazawa

Freshly revived after an earthquake, the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture is no stranger to reinvention. During the Edo period, the town was a wealthy outpost for the powerful Maeda clan, packed with artisans and craftspeople serving the whims of the ruling family. Today, echoes of that history remain in its majestic city centre castle and historic gardens, but much of the modern city takes its cues from the 21st century, blending historic influences with contemporary living.

Case in point? The dining scene. Take a seat at the sparsely decorated dining counter in CRAFEAT for a omakase dining experience plated up on examples of the prefecture’s iconic kutaniware pottery and wajima lacquerware, or head to Coil for a cool, contemporary take on traditional hosomaki sushi. At In Kanazawa House you can even try your hand at cooking fresh takes on historic dishes. Meanwhile, in the rustic-looking Nagamachi Samurai district, you’ll find Honda Shikki, an independent store selling modern iterations of the region’s ancient artisan tableware, including curved wooden chopsticks and reimagined kutaniware. Seeking cutting-edge artworks? Head over to the Museum of Contemporary Art, a striking circular glass building designed by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa.

Onomichi

Head here, and you’re following in the footsteps of Japan’s transient creative crowd who are exiting the country’s cities in search of simpler, small-town lives. Onomichi, a port town along the Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima Prefecture, is a seaside escape with an edgy, urban side fuelled by a new wave of wine bars, hotels and restaurants opening doors in the town. Onomichi was already a hit with two-wheeled visitors, who, since 1999, have been peddling into town to join the Shimanami Kaido, a 70km cycle path that crosses bridges and islands along the coast. But it's this seaside destination’s rustic, rusting appeal that’s now put it in the spotlight.

Check in at Hotel Cycle, a sharply dressed stay inside a former warehouse, then head other to Kado Kado for farm-to-table food and natural wines inside an independent clothing store. Kog Bar is worth an hour for classic cocktails with waterside views. Still hungry? Yuyake Cafe Donuts offer adventurously flavoured, tofu-based donuts (think, soy sauce and kiwi) for take-out. Navigate your way over the toytown-like railway tracks a short walk from the waterfront, meanwhile, and you’ll find older areas to explore, where ramshackle wooden homes cling to steep hills. Don’t miss the Temple Walk, an arduous climb through winding, quaint streets and stone pathways to reach a string of 25 shrines and temples spread across the town’s surrounding hills.